- Aug 8, 2011
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all good points, however perhaps not related to this situation as it sounds like the dog was off leash and in the process of going after a child, unprovoked.
even if the things you mention were the case, they are not likely to be solved without ongoing help from a trainer experienced in dealing with owners and agressive dogs. I've workd with folks with troubled dogs, and often the owner's behavior is a key part of the problem. not that they mean to be, but as you mentioned, there are things they are doing that they are not aware of that the dog is responding to. often things that take quite a bit of coaching of the owner to successfully change.
guess my point is that owners who are inexperienced in dealing with this kind of issue with this kind of dog are unlikely to solve it without an investment of professional help for both them and the dog. in general, if they knew how to manage this, they wouldn't have the problem... so the fact that they have the problem means they don't know how to manage it.
a full understanding of what dealing with a dog like this *long term* means, what facilities are required, and what outside help is needed is essential. and if the owner isn't able to commit to all of that, it's unlikely to change, and the risk of someone (a child) getting injured is significant.
reality needs to be respected here. no blame to the owner if they are not able to do what is needed to get this dog under control and keep it safely... but if they aren't and they don't find someone who can and will, or put the dog down, then the owner carries the responsibility for whatever happens next.
sometimes reality is not so much fun. however it will be considerably less fun if someone gets hurt. especially for the owner if they look back and see they could and should have prevented it. not a situation a person should put themselves in if they have a choice. some things cannot be made right again after they happen and regret of that order seriously sucks.
not to put too fine a spiritual point on it, but I figure if a day of accounting comes, I will have to account for the suffering of 3 ewes that were mauled to death by my own dog, a dog I should have identified as too dangerous, a dog I *should* have known better with, a dog that had warned me who she was, and whom I should have believed, instead of continuing to try with. Not the dog's fault she was made the way she was, but mine, for not being willing to see. in being too soft regarding the dog, I was responsible for the death of the sheep. their suffering is on me. that's a hard education. how much worse it would be if it was a child.
all good points, however perhaps not related to this situation as it sounds like the dog was off leash and in the process of going after a child, unprovoked.
even if the things you mention were the case, they are not likely to be solved without ongoing help from a trainer experienced in dealing with owners and agressive dogs. I've workd with folks with troubled dogs, and often the owner's behavior is a key part of the problem. not that they mean to be, but as you mentioned, there are things they are doing that they are not aware of that the dog is responding to. often things that take quite a bit of coaching of the owner to successfully change.
guess my point is that owners who are inexperienced in dealing with this kind of issue with this kind of dog are unlikely to solve it without an investment of professional help for both them and the dog. in general, if they knew how to manage this, they wouldn't have the problem... so the fact that they have the problem means they don't know how to manage it.
a full understanding of what dealing with a dog like this *long term* means, what facilities are required, and what outside help is needed is essential. and if the owner isn't able to commit to all of that, it's unlikely to change, and the risk of someone (a child) getting injured is significant.
reality needs to be respected here. no blame to the owner if they are not able to do what is needed to get this dog under control and keep it safely... but if they aren't and they don't find someone who can and will, or put the dog down, then the owner carries the responsibility for whatever happens next.
sometimes reality is not so much fun. however it will be considerably less fun if someone gets hurt. especially for the owner if they look back and see they could and should have prevented it. not a situation a person should put themselves in if they have a choice. some things cannot be made right again after they happen and regret of that order seriously sucks.
not to put too fine a spiritual point on it, but I figure if a day of accounting comes, I will have to account for the suffering of 3 ewes that were mauled to death by my own dog, a dog I should have identified as too dangerous, a dog I *should* have known better with, a dog that had warned me who she was, and whom I should have believed, instead of continuing to try with. Not the dog's fault she was made the way she was, but mine, for not being willing to see. in being too soft regarding the dog, I was responsible for the death of the sheep. their suffering is on me. that's a hard education. how much worse it would be if it was a child.
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