Dangerous dogs. It is a subject that is highly debated on
whether you are a dog owner or not. It is a thought process that every owner
has and must make decisions upon. What constitutes as a “dangerous dog”? Is
there a certain breed that is stereotypically thought of to be dangerous? It is
a topic that every dog owner has an opinion on, but we have to look at the
facts first.
To answer these questions, we must go back through history
and see where this problem started and how it has evolved. According to Sarah
Albert’s lecture on October 27th, dogs in the 19th
century had a certain purpose to humans; not as companions as we think they are
in today’s society. Dogs could be seen as objects, which could lead to abuse
and neglect. In lecture, we also
discussed guard dogs, which were popularly used especially at night. Those dogs
were trained to bite anyone that was seen as a threat and were suppose to know
who was “good” and who was “bad”. Owners
also had hunting dogs that were trained to kill other animals. On the other
hand, dogs were also used on the farm to herd other animals and protect them
from predators. Dogs could also be found as strays wandering on the streets.
These dogs could potentially carry disease and other parasites, which made them
dangerous for a human to interact with them. According to Albert’s lecture, all
these dog purposes’ have one thing in common: they are trained to protect and
kill anything that jeopardizes that. Later on, this could lead to what we call
a “dangerous dog”. Their breed can also characterize these threatening dogs.
From our lecture, the Bloodhound breed was considered the first dangerous dog.
We discussed the question whether if it was the actually breed that deserves
the “dangerous dog” title or if had something to do with the owner. This is a
highly debated topic to this day. The German Shepherd breed has also been
claimed to be a dangerous dog breed and now can be seen alongside police
officers to help. The Doberman Pincher can also be associated as a dangerous
dog. In today’s society, it is the Pit Bull breed that is claimed to be
dangerous. Throughout the lecture, we also discussed the role the media plays
in shaping what is considered a “dangerous dog”. When attacks happen, they can
be written out in the next day’s paper or on the morning television report. Is
too much media attention causing dogs to get a bad reputation?
If you were to
“Google” the most dangerous dog breed, many articles would list their Top 10
list or something similar. The Richest.com
website lists their top 10 dangerous breeds. The author, Rob Cramer, rates
Great Danes as #10, Boxers #9, Wolf Hybrid as #8, Malamute breed #7, Husky as
#6, Bullmastiff ranks #5, Doberman Pincher #4, German Shepherd as #3,
Rottweiler as #2, and Pit Bulls as the most dangerous dog breed. This website
is not a credible source, but gives a suggestion as what people think are the
most dangerous breeds.
If you research dangerous dog breeds on YouTube, a video comes up from Elite
Facts. The video contains almost the same breeds from Richest.com but in a different
order. The video contains scary images of dogs as seen on the right. The video
is also based on opinion and not scientific facts. It is important for individuals to research
this topic more before jumping into any conclusions.
From our lecture, we discussed a question that I think
resonates with this issue. Is it the dog breed or the owner? I firmly believe
that it is the owner responsibility at fault. Our lecture goes through the
history of dangerous dogs and the owner was involved in every situation except
when the dog was a stray on the streets. They were guard dogs for the owner, protected livestock for the owner, hunted prey for the owner, etc. There is a pattern
here that is associated with the human. The owner enforces all of these
actions. On September 10th, we discussed classification of animals
according to humans and our social interaction with them. We consider their
use, treatment, and value of animals, especially dogs in this situation. Our
August 27th lecture examined the social hierarchy of dogs and how
humans justify the leadership role. The dog adheres to the owner.
I have a dog named
Sasha and she is half Pit Bull, half Labrador. She came from the local humane
society and we adopted her into our family. Sasha is the sweetest dog I have
ever met and is a true friend to me. She is a part of our family and we treat
her as such. When I read stories about how Pit Bulls attack others, it breaks
my heart. From the articles I read, it also seems that the dogs did not come
from good homes as they were outside and were not chained up. Most of the time,
those dogs did not have a rabies shot either and were euthanized. Either the
owner could not afford the shot or did not care to get it for their dog. This
shows me that it is the owner at fault.
Our responsibility as pet owners is to take care of the dog and treat to
all of its needs. It cannot just walk up to the local veterinarian and ask for
its rabies shot. I believe this is a call to action to end the stereotype of
what dictates a “dangerous dog”.
My call to action is for all pet owners. Before deciding to
adopt a pet, please consider all requirements the pet needs which includes
foot, shelter, medicine, etc. Is it affordable? Secondly, consider the mental
health of each person associated with the pet. Are they able to be around
animals without hurting them? Do they consider the pet an object or a subject?
These questions must be asked before getting a new pet.
Dangerous dogs, including pit bulls should not be considered
dangerous because their owner does not care for them. I firmly believe it is
within the owner responsibility to treat pets with care and cater to their
needs. We need to get rid of that stereotype. I can’t imagine my life without
my dog, Sasha who is half pit bull and the sweetest dog alive. We need to do it for them.
Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, October 27). The History of
Dangerous Dog Attacks. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, September 10). Social
Construction of Animals. Lecture presented at University of Illinois, Urbana,
IL.
Albert, S. (Presenter). (2015, August 27). The Science and
Biochemistry Behind the Human-Animal Bond. Lecture presented at University of
Illinois, Urbana, IL.
Cramer, R. (2014, October 15). The World’s 10 Most Dangerous
Dog Breeds. Retrieved from The Richest website: http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/
the-worlds-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds/10/
Elite Facts. (2015, June 24). World’s Top 10 MOST DANGEROUS
Dog Breeds [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HefsnsdyOo
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