BoSoxGal
Gold Member
I certainly understand! Sadly, there are many, many stories at dogsbite.org that are heart wrenching to read - babies killed and adults maimed for life, sometimes by the Fido they raised and adored from puppyhood.
My overall point was that while I once also believed that bad/vicious dogs - or rather, the bad/vicious acts of dogs - were the result of bad dog owners, not inherently bad dogs, I've learned that it's not true at all.
Far too many dog maulings of other dogs and people have been at the fangs of dogs who were raised to be sweet family pets and always acted that way, until something snapped and they became killers. That's a scarier reality than the truth that even good people can end up with a dog that mauls.
This is off topic to the 'Doberman or GSD' topic of this thread, but I think we all need to rethink our relationships to dogs in this society, and what we thing we know about them and how they 'tick'.
Again, I'm a HUGE dog lover - as I write this post I'm snuggled in bed with the aforementioned shepherd mix rescue, and the Australian shepherd/blue heeler/?? Rez dog rescue who joined our pack 2 years ago - but I've learned through personal experience that a dog you deeply love and have trained well can act in ways that you never predicted. Never trust any dog 100%.
It was just a few months ago I read about a Belgian Malinois LEO dog that bit a human LEO in the face while he was posing for a picture with the dog. LEO agencies put big $$$ into buying and training their dogs, and even they can bite for no apparent reason, without any real provocation.
My overall point was that while I once also believed that bad/vicious dogs - or rather, the bad/vicious acts of dogs - were the result of bad dog owners, not inherently bad dogs, I've learned that it's not true at all.
Far too many dog maulings of other dogs and people have been at the fangs of dogs who were raised to be sweet family pets and always acted that way, until something snapped and they became killers. That's a scarier reality than the truth that even good people can end up with a dog that mauls.
This is off topic to the 'Doberman or GSD' topic of this thread, but I think we all need to rethink our relationships to dogs in this society, and what we thing we know about them and how they 'tick'.
Again, I'm a HUGE dog lover - as I write this post I'm snuggled in bed with the aforementioned shepherd mix rescue, and the Australian shepherd/blue heeler/?? Rez dog rescue who joined our pack 2 years ago - but I've learned through personal experience that a dog you deeply love and have trained well can act in ways that you never predicted. Never trust any dog 100%.
It was just a few months ago I read about a Belgian Malinois LEO dog that bit a human LEO in the face while he was posing for a picture with the dog. LEO agencies put big $$$ into buying and training their dogs, and even they can bite for no apparent reason, without any real provocation.
God, how I miss that dog.
