A little nip is one thing, but if a dog attacks someone that it shouldn't have (guard dogs, military dogs, etc. are supposed to attack and defending it's owner is expected) then you put it to sleep.
I guess this is the problem when you "domesticate" a wild animal.
Frankly we are the ones in the wrong, no matter what the scenario. We try to integrate wild animals into our society and then moan when sometimes they forget that they are now part of our "civilised society" and act like wild animals. They have no comprehension of our laws, or the fact that we consider violence abhorrant for the most part. They just have a few thousand years of instinct in their little doggy brain that says "if it threatens you, bite it" or "if it has something you want, bite it" or "if it's on your turf, bite it" and any number of other things along those lines. A few years of training is not *guaranteed* to overcome this instinct in all animals.
Ideally an animal that wasn't suitable as a pet would be released into the wild, afterall, no animal evolved or asked to be a pet - we made them that way. But of course it wouldn't be able to survive there because of the level of dependancy that would have been built into a family pet. We don't want to expend the resources to have "violent pet prisons". So we kill them. Because of one of the many, many, misguided actions the human race has taken over the years.
So in short -
we introduced dangerous animals to our society
we know that there is a chance of them hurting someone
when they do hurt someone we get all surprised
we've put ourselves and them in a position where the only way to guarantee they don't hurt someone again is to kill them.
Nice one mankind, you did it again...
Dog may be man's best friend, but mankind is dog's worst enemy. Even if they don't realise it.
Humanize them all we want, a dog is a dog. It is a carnivorous maofftopicl bred from a natural, wild predator.
Even though we breed the hell out of some these animals, certain predatory instincts are still present and very difficult to subdue. This is the risk we take in order to have a cuddly wuddly bundle of fur.
While there have been cases of malicious dogs attacking for no reason, most of the time a child or adult antagonizes the poor animal or even physical threatens the dog, thereby provoking its instinctual predatory responses. I don't blame the dog for this, I blame the owner or the person responsible for antagonizing the dog.
I don't believe an otherwise calm, friendly dog should be killed because it acted out a natural instinct. A dog doesn't CHOOSE to attack, but rather attacks because of its nature. We shouldn't punish them for that, but simply keep them away from children and other vulnerable targets.
A human that kills another human is fully cognizant (not counting legally insane) of their actions, and chooses to act out their aggression in a violent manner. By committing a violent crime, they choose to cross the boundary and need to be reminded of their mistake. An animal doesn't go through this process, and thus shouldn't be punished.
Almost all dog bites victims are at fault. And those people who have dogs who bite or bit kids are at fault. Dogs have a heirarchical pack system. They have to know where they are in that pack, and if you don't take measures to insure that the dog knows that it's role is below all humans, then it will bite. Most bites that occur with children occur on the face. If you look at dogs in packs, when a younger dog steps out of line, it is biten gently (for a dog mind you) on the snout. IF your dog thinks that it's place is above children in the "pack" it will attempt to disapline a child it views as behaiving badly... badly on dog terms.
Unfortunately, in the case of the person who had to put their dog asleep, that includes eating something that the dog thinks might be rightfully his. The main cure for that (admittedly not something you can do with a baby, so you have to go with your best conscious on that) is to have your young children give coofftopicnds to the dog. You should also not let the dog take anything from children or let children play tug of war with the dog. When the dog "wins", which happens as soon as the child looses interest, that dog then thinks it has won a higher place in the pack. There are plenty of things to make your dog understand that you and any member of your family is alpha, giving comands and making your dog do tricks, make them walk behind or right beside you when you take them for walks (alphas always lead, so you have to make sure you are in front, I go so far as to make sure that I am always first in or out of the house), make the dog sit and stay before feeding them, or stand in front of the dog's food until it submits by sitting and not looking at the food. Do not allow the dog to sit higher then you (harder with smaller dogs I admit).
That's just a list off the top of my head. Dogs aren't killers and they aren't wild beasts (keep in mind that dogs were created by man and are fully domesticated), but they are still dogs and not little people, which people insist upon thinking of them as. That is a huge diservice to your pet dog and causes it much stress.
With personal investigaton and dog classes from puppy onwards, that is how we have brought up Jennie. Even though she is only an 8-pound Yorkshire Terrier, we had seen too many little dogs running a household based on 'cuteness'.
Hopefully she sees our family as a 'pack' with her at the bottom rung.
After saying that, an owner also needs to know their dog's weak points. She will never steal food, etc, but if she is given something to eat then trying to take it back will get a growl and possible snap of jaws. Likewise, if anyone approaches my wife in a way that Jennie finds threatening - all bets are off *Grrrrr*
Knowing what to watch for means that things can be 'dealt with'. So it's back to the owners.
From observation, I'm sure that dogs are sensitive to a 'vibration' that we don't understand - from other dogs, and from humans. This could be the reason that Thomas has trouble, and the reason why terrified female owners of big powerful dogs ( ) say to me "Be carefull, he doesn't like men..." as their dogs snuggle up against my leg.
Most of that is actually scent and hearing. Dogs can actually smell fear and agression and hear heart beats. Dogs are also a lot better then humans at reading body language, which is probably Thomas's real problem and why dogs are comfortable with you.
I spent a lot of time with my pups when they were young (before they became the 70 odd pound goofs that they are now) teaching them to give up things they have in their mouths. The coofftopicnd "drop it" has saved more socks then I care to think about as apparently carrying around my socks seems to be a popular past time with my fluffheads. One way to try to train dogs to give up items they are carrying is to "trade". Give them a chew toy or bone and show them something else. Dogs will often take the new item because new is better in doggie heads and will willingly give up what ever they were holding. After a while, you will find that you can reach into the dogs mouth and even take away treats. I still periodically do this just to make sure my dogs remember it.
The trading, carrying, etc, all works well. When my wife is having a 'bad day' (stuck in bed), then Jennie will carry a biscuit wrapped in a sheet of paper upstairs for me. She knows she will get a reward (as opposed to what would happen if she stopped to eat the biscuit )
She also LOVES play-toys, but knows the coofftopicnd "Game over" and will always swap one toy for another.
If the only item we missed is getting food back after she has claimed it, then I'm not too unhappy about things.
When my wife is up-and-about, and getting her bag ready to go to the gym, Jennie will be creeping up behind to remove items from the bag (socks, knickers, etc) as if to say "You may think you can do a class, but I don't think you are well enough!"
As a person who loves all animals, dogs in particular.. I can say that if an animal displays non-provoked aggression towards a human being than it should be put down, otherwise I'd say no. And yes.. I have been bitten before when I was 7.. Got a fang right thru the lip.. by a golden retriever no less.. I was just petting it being nice, next thing I know I'm soaked in blood... Back to the topic... I never knew what happened to that dog, but I hope they put it down. And I still hate golden retrievers to this day. Give me a Pit or a Doberman anyday.
Dogs sniff butt and then lick your face. They slobber uncontrollably. They eat their own poo as puppies, which really shows what they're made of and they stink. I'm not talking a bit of animal stink, I mean they reek.
They're obviously one of natures little mistakes. If you don't keep pulling them away from power chords they electrocute themselves immediately they see one. Wipe them out and be done with it.
Dunno about this "taste for blood" business. Sounds like ignoramus interpretus to me. But they should definitely be hacked in half at the very first growl just to prove a point. Don't bite humans. Don't even think you'll get away with it.
Any animal that tries to slobber all over your hand every time you pet it or put your face anywhere near it, especially when it's as disgusting as a dog, should really be systematically exinctified.
And by the way slip, your interpretation of what I am 'basically saying' in incorrect. As far as dogs I think that once they attack they need to be kept seperate from society, depending on the level of viciousness they have. If it is too great, then sure...destroy them.
As I stated I begged for the life of our own dog when it nearly killed or blinded me. So really, this whole thread is based on your incorrect evaluation of my opinion on dogs as taken from another thread where I only used dogs as a metaphore. Is that not what you would call a 'knee jerk reaction'? In fact...it more fits what you did in creating this silly little thread more than anything I did. Thats ok, hypocrisy is nothing new...