Can Any Dog Be Trusted?

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   A two-year-old boy has been killed in a horrific attack by five pit bull terriers.
   
   Jacob Bisbee managed to open the garage door of his family home yesterday in Concord, California, releasing three of the dogs owned by his step-grandfather Steven Hayashi.
   
   Jacob was immediately attacked by the dogs, and another two pit bulls owned by Hayashi that were in a yard nearby joined in the mauling.
   
   The toddler suffered terrible injuries and was pronounced dead at hospital after the attack. All five dogs were destroyed.
   
   
   
   Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne … z0uWjiblOC

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      Uma07posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Horrible incident. I always thought dogs were the most faithful animals and to think the boy being attacked by the ones from his very own home!

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      psycheskinnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      "Linda Richardson said she had seen a dog tied up in the front yard of the home 'barking furiously'.  She also said a United Parcel Service worker had told her he refused to deliver a package for the family because of the dog tied up outside."
      
      Sounds like a dangerous dog-owner is what made the dogs dangerous.

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         mythbusterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Taking one quote such as this brings the entire story out of context and demonizes the pit bulls... the quote available just prior to this one mentions a neighbor was barked at by one of these dogs but issued a command to the dog and the canine promptly "went home."
         
         Neighbor: She said: 'I was scared, but when I told the dog to go home, it did.'
         
         So what happened is mainly unexplained so far. It's a terrible and shocking incident with fatal consequences...
         
         I don't know that we should conclude that (according to psycheskinner): "Sounds like a dangerous dog-owner is what made the dogs dangerous."

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      ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You ask the question "can any dog be trusted" and then post a story relating to pit bull terriers.
      
      In the UK pit bull terriers are banned, they are well known to be a dangerous dog which is prone to aggressiveness and short temper. If you had to choose one dog as the most likely to attack a child, it would be a pitbull.
      
      Of course some dogs can be trusted, could you image a pug attacking a child? I sure cannot. I would be more worried about the two year old hurting the pug!

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   jaymelee23posted 14 years ago

   There is a possibility that any dog can attack or bite in a situation. I’ve seen a couple of cocker spaniels try to gang up on a boy a few years ago. Maybe the dogs sensed something that they didn’t like about him. Who knows? I have two rottweilers and even though I would never expect or believe them to do anything terrible, I still don’t ever take chances or let my guard down.  They are very friendly and non-aggressive to everyone but all it takes is once incident. Dogs are pack animals and still just an animal. People that have breeds that are known for their aggressiveness get very attached and think that their pets could never harm someone or do other bad things. They think they know their animals so they let their guard down. I’m sure that sometimes accidents happen; however, you have to be extra careful with animals. My cousin had her finger bit off by a cute little bunny when she was 4. Did you hear about the woman who had a pet chimpanzee that mauled her friend?  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,494067,00.html (This link doesn’t have the pictures of the woman. It is pretty grotesque. I’ve seen the woman on Oprah and via online).  "It's deceiving to think that if any animal is ... well-behaved around humans, that means there is no risk involved to humans for potential outbursts of behavior," she said. "They are unpredictable, and in instances like this you cannot control that behavior or prevent it from happening if it is in a private home." I believe that with any pet. You just have to be careful.

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      esdaughterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I believe this is a very wise answer to the question.  I have had pit bulls for 30 years and have never experienced any dog to people aggression in my home.  But I never let down my guard, no matter what. 
      
      Right now I have a 3-month-old kitten who's favorite activity is being nuzzled by our pit bull or our German Shepherd.  She has no fear.  Should I let down my guard?  Never!  I have cages in my living room that I insure that I can be in control at all times, no matter what. 
      
      Opening a garage door that has ANY dog behind it while a toddler is standing at your side is incomprehensible to me.  I wouldn't even do such a thing with the toddler in my arms and off the ground. 
      
      My heart goes out to everyone involved.  Losing a toddler under any circumstances is one of life's worst possible experiences.   I will be praying for the healing of all their hearts and that we all learn as much as we can from this tragedy, especially us pet owners.  It's a responsibility that demands our unwavering attention.

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3. 83

   wychicposted 14 years ago

   Dogs can be trusted to the extent that they will follow their nature. Small children are known to be triggers to dogs, they are the young of a species these dogs see as superior and so they get nervous anyway. If one dog acts aggressively toward something when there are other dogs around, there is a very good chance of a pack reaction because they are pack animals. Dogs are also very territorial creatures, and just seeing their garage door opening and SOMEONE standing outside could be enough to spark an aggressive reaction, especially since these dogs were obviously given to barking, and in a pack such actions escalate quickly. I agree, sounds like a bad dog owner...these dogs were obviously not well-socialized...and a lapse in parenting that no one was watching this 2-year-old close enough to make sure that he didn't get into something he wasn't supposed to. Where were the adults?
   
   Dogs are not to blame when things like this happen, it's the people who think that dogs are just there for their enjoyment and don't bother to train them, treat them like the species they are, or take the time to socialize them. It doesn't sound like these dogs got any exercise except that which they took for themselves by escaping from the home and back yard, and I'm guessing from the behavior described that they didn't get much human interaction.

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   DoorMattnomoreposted 14 years ago

   its unspeakably awful what happend to that poor little boy. But my gut feeling is there far more invovled then dogs gone bad....where was the father? the mother? why was he living with his step grandfather? what's up with the guns and ferrets and nobody in the nieghbourhood knows anything about the peopel? Dogs are animals, its up to the parents to keep their children safe.

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5. 76

   Shadesbreathposted 14 years ago

   Dogs are animals.  People put too much faith in anthropomorphic stories and are always shocked when an animal acts like one.  You keep wolves in your home, don't be surprised when it eats your baby.  That said, mean people make mean or cowardly animals.  Cowardly ones are equally dangerous, you just don't know when.

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   Doggie Devoteeposted 14 years ago

   This a very sad and tragic event that happened and there are a number of things that could have cause the dogs to attack and not just ther breed. in fact true pits are bred to have NO human aggression what so ever, this makes me wonder if they were 100% american pit bull terriers or mixes or even possibly another breed(s) that are oftan mistaken for a pits. never the less it is still a heartbreaking event. like said earlier dogs are pack animals and they will feed off one another's energy. perhapse these dogs were raised to be aggressive....anyways as to get to the question of can any dog be trusted...dogs are animals and not human, they speak a whole diffrent language than us and no matter how "human" like we precieve them to be they are still animals with wild instincts. i feel that dogs can be trusted but at the same time this doesn't mean they can be un-supervised, they will act on instinct and one can never fully predict how any animal will react in a situation.

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   BanjDogposted 14 years ago

   Yes it is very tragic. Dogs are great pets and even though they may seem very tame people often forget that they are still animals and can be very dangerous especially with kids who tend to pull ears.

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8. 48

   levenshughposted 14 years ago

   Yes, they can alert to graves that have been emptied, because they alert to the scent. As time goes by, the scent dissipates, so the dog will have more and more difficulty locating the source of the scent, whether it's the body itself or soil where the body lay, leaking, for a time.
   _______________________
   Royal Canin | Hills Science Plan

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9. 87

   WryLiltposted 14 years ago

   I'm fairly certain Pit Bulls are banned in most parts of Australia as well. Yes some dogs make great pets but Pit Bulls are a fighting breed. Try and tell the mother any of the excuses listed for pit bulls. All she knows is that they killed her child.

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10. 74

    raisingmeposted 14 years ago

    Dogs can be trusted.  They can be trusted to be dogs 100% of the time - that is what they are.  Can dog owners be trusted is another matter and is definitely the same answer 100% of dog owners can be trusted, some can be trusted to act responsibly and other dog owners can be trusted to act irresponsibly.  It's like a guy saying I can't trust my girlfriend she's cheated on me twice.  Yeah, you can trust her...to do it again.  It is the owners that have the responsibility.

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    mistyhorizon2003posted 14 years ago

    There is no such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners!
    
    This is an expression well quoted, and for a good reason.Too many people decide on a breed of dog they want to own, with no idea how to train them, look after them, exercise them sufficiently or understand the way to enforce the human role as 'pack leaders'. This ignorance causes terrible events such as the one quoted here, but the dogs were not at fault, the owners were. I do know what I am talking about after working in two vet's surgeries over a number of years, and dealing with all sorts of breeds of dog all through my life. I have owned dogs such as Doberman's (who are excellent at actually circling the family, including the children in public places in order to 'protect their pack'), I have known Rottweillers who are adorable and soft as anything in the vast majority of cases, and I have experience with Pit Bulls that were equally warm and affectionate. The many other dogs I have extensive experience of through ownership include Greyhounds, Terriers, Poodles, Labradors, Shetland Sheepdogs, Lurchers etc, none of which I would have had any hesitation in trusting alone with children of an age where the children understood that pinching, pulling tails, ears, mauling or trying to lift the dog up when clearly it was too big for them, was not an acceptable way to behave around a dog. Train the owners and the children correctly and there are unlikely to be any problems!

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       lindsaybufferposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Your so right , I have owned dogs for many years, my breed of choice is Rottweilers who are the most beautiful, loving adoring dogs you will ever come across. People just dont really understand the reason why dogs do what they do. If you dont provide them with the proper training and environment then you can, and almost certainly will have problems. Zac my 18 month old Rottweiler has the most wonderful temperament and is the biggest "suck" ! For an entire male he is so gentle and cant go for very long without cuddles. Im blessed to have him and he enriches my life every day.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    I adore my 2 Great Danes, and the dogs love the grands. I've seen the furkids sit patiently while the little humans poked and prodded them and sat on them. Even so, I wouldn't like leaving the kids and dogs together unattended. No dog is 100% safe in EVERY situation.

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    Eternal Evolutionposted 14 years ago

    The breed of the dog isn't the problem. any dog can be agressive, any dog can attack, they are dogs and will act like dogs. pit's have a bad rep but they are not the monster's that everyone portrays them to be. not that pit haters will even consider this. where were the parents? it's sad that a child lost it's life but dogs are animals and animals are not human and do not think in the ame way we do. as a parent it is your job to know where your child is it all times and also where were the dogs owners? it is the owners job to know where their animal is at all times. blame needs to be laid at the sorce and the sorce is not the dogs. dogs can be trusted but they are still aniamls that need supervision.

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    patdmaniaposted 14 years ago

    My last dog was a liar!  I would be careful trusting any old dog.  LOL

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    kirstenblogposted 14 years ago

    I read a few of the posts here and I think it has been touched on, that certain breeds can be a problem and so can bad owners, either can be enough for an attack and thats sad on all fronts.
    
    I cannot help but be reminded of my muts growing up. No particular breed but big dogs. At first I worried about them knocking me over as I was small and they were very affectionate. They tried to lick me to death on more then one occasion. I have to say that I trusted them with my life and believe they were to be trusted.
    
    My dad tried to teach me a bit of karate, the dogs went nuts. Barking and growling and getting between us. They were my protectors and my dad decided with dogs like that there was no need to learn self defense
    
    They were normally the sort that would show any potential robbers where we keep the valuables if they got a scratch behind the ears. They were soppy and lovely and just thinking about Lad, Lucy and Thelonious Monk (he was felonious, steeling socks and getting muddy and teaching the litters of puppies just how to do it) I am getting all misty.
    
    I guess I think its just a darned shame what people do with dogs. Inbreeding is horrible just so a person can have a full breed this or that. Breeding and training to be aggressive, dogs should show the robbers just where the silver is and give em a doggie lick too just because someday they could get confused about who to attack and attack the wrong person.

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    Mighty Momposted 14 years ago

    Interesting timing to stumble upon this thread tonight. I just heard a story of a normally mellow and friendly cat fiercely attacking her male owner -- multiple times in one day.
    Something obviously triggered the response in the cat. But the ferocity of her attack was a shock.
    Guess it's a good reminder to all of us to remember animals are wild at heart. That's their nature.

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    composterposted 14 years ago

    Last night my daughter, who was dog sitting for a family member and was staying at their home, came home to find the four Jack Russell terriers covered in blood after killing the family's cat. In recent weeks the dogs had killed a number of wild animals who had ventured into their backyard (raccoon, squirrel, etc.), but now turned their attention to the family cat. This poor animal had been mauled and tortured. The carnage was unbelievable. What makes domesticated animals turn into a wild pack?

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       allbreedsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       prey drive pure and simple.Because dogs are still largely a pack animal they will gang up on something that is being attacked.No doubt only one dog started it but then the others joined.

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    libby101aposted 14 years ago

    I believe many of these attacks are a direct result of how the animal/animals are raised! Sadly, a lot of pit bull owners buy the animal only for it's dangerous side...then they train the dog to be aggressive or to attack on command!
    
    I have owned pit bulls and I will tell you I trusted the pit bull much more than I did one of the golden retrivers I owned. However I had other goldens that were also mild natured! The pit bull was a big baby! My son played with this animal and he was very protective of my child! The one golden retriever I had that I feared more than the pit was an animal I recieved from a family where the owner had passed away... they had taught the dog to be aggressive and thus it showed! I had a rough time teaching this animal to change it's violent ways.. but eventually she came around... but I always watched her closely!
    
    I believe any animal can or could be violent if provoked and even some without being provoked... however I believe if the animal is raised correctly and given love and not shown violence it's chances of attacking anyone is almost zip! But there is always that odd ball dog that just snaps... just like humans... we have normal people who just snap and kill people who have never shown violence before!

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