BAN ALL AMERICANS!
This sentence doesn’t make sense (ban Americans from what exactly?) nor is it justified. All I did was type into Google ‘most dangerous people 2017’ and found an article: Top 10 Most Dangerous People By Country. I counted that 3 out of the 10 people listed were American, more than any other nationality, and therefore surmised that Americans must be the most dangerous population and we should ban them all.
Seems a bit unfair, but that’s how we treat certain breeds of dogs.
In a number of countries (for example: UK) it has been decided that certain breeds of dogs should be banned because they committed the most attacks against humans. However, the ban does not take into account the owner of the dog.
We should always rescue abandoned dogs from shelters instead of buying dogs from breeders (#AdoptDontShop) however this does mean that the dog may have suffered past experiences which can lead to aggressive and/or unhealthy behaviour. Nutty Dog came to us from a kill station (dog shelter) in Cadiz, Spain – his previous owner had abandoned him there with ‘permission to kill’. Nutty Dog was incredibly scared and aggressive. I genuinely thought that cuddling him all day, feeding him mega food and surrounding him with toys would help… But I was wrong. Actually, all dogs need training, structure, stability, mental stimulation and to know their place in ‘your’ pack. Without this, any dog could be dangerous.
The idea that particular breeds are born ‘bad’ is bizarre. In my experience, I’ve found that small dogs tend to be far more vicious than big dogs because they are not normally as well-trained. Bestest Daddy had a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and he was one of the most loving, gentle dogs I’ve ever known and the only time I’ve ever suffered a bite (that bled!) was from a chihuahua that clearly needed more exercise.
A valid argument for the breed bans is that a big dog can cause far more harm than a small dog. However, consider Golden Retrievers. They are a big breed and trusted to guide blind people but a quick Google search will find that there have been several attacks by Golden Retrievers resulting in fatalities. They have not been banned because they don’t normally attack. They don’t normally attack because they have normally been trained.
A number of dog attacks have recently been reported in the news. All had glaring warnings/issues that could have possibly prevented the attacks from taking place.
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Three year old Dexter was sadly killed when attacked by an American Pitbull back in August 2017. A woman was arrested on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.
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Eight week old Andre passed away when an Alsatian jumped into the cot and mauled him. The dog owner was alleged to have been in an alcohol-induced stupor.
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Four year old Lexi was sadly killed by her ‘very big dog’ when the dog shook her around like a ‘rag doll’. The neighbours stated that “Jodi (the mother) used to try and walk the dog on a lead, but she would struggle and the dog pulled her over a few times“.
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Six day old Eliza-Mae sadly passed away after being mauled by an Alaskan Malamute. The father had arrived home with the animal after a night out at the pub a few months previous to the baby’s arrival.
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Mario Perivoitos (adult) sadly passed away after he was mauled by his Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It was suspected that the dog had eaten crack cocaine whilst his owner was filming a documentary on drugs.
All dogs need a responsible owner.
The animal activist world is saturated in people who care for abandoned dogs, mostly banned breeds. I reached out to a few on the topic of ‘dangerous dogs’ and all were in agreement that the owners of dogs are responsible for dog attacks. Jacky (owner of Tanamera dog rescue) said:
‘Yes, some breeds can be turned into aggressive dogs quickly, because of lack of mental and physical challenge and/or bad ownership… Dogs are only as dangerous as their breeder and owner.’
We cannot control the colour of our skin, our gender or our sexuality and therefore we should not be treated in a certain way as a result of these attributes. Likewise, a bull should not be murdered in the bullring because it was born a bull, a pig should not be killed and eaten because it was born a pig, and a dog should not be considered dangerous because of it’s breed… However, the dog should be considered dangerous if it has an irresponsible owner.
Don’t ban dangerous dogs, ban irresponsible owners 💚
Excellent as usual Zoe.
It is usually a challenge rescuing a dog and it can take time and patience as you well know.
I would like to see more fitting punishment for irresponsible dog owners, although in those sad cases that you have quoted, the fact that they will have to live with that nowledge could be punishment enough if they are aware that the fault was with them. That is the key! Are they aware? Probably not.
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I absolutely agree! People should be given tougher punishments to stop such irresponsible behaviour. I found it quite hard actually listing the stories in which the children died, the idea that the parents might somehow read this article really bothered me, hence I tried to be quite gentle in my wording (or at least I hope I was).
Thanks again for your lovely comment and your support 💚
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I always love your perspective. animals are precious to us, innocent and deserving of all our love. I have no tolerance for those who abuse and neglect animals – I wish they would reciprocate that treatment unto themselves. I rescued my little guy and he was so frightened in the beginning. Love, patience, and lots of cuddling transformed him into a different dog!
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Thank you so much Tara. I’m glad you agree with what I wrote and so, so happy to hear that you rescued your doggie. We need more people out there like you 💚
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I totally agree. Unfortunately, we humans tend to classify things by tags, and then “attach” tags too easily (special thanks here to the mass media, for making the problem worse).
As with everything, it can be solved with education, applied to the dogs, but to the humans too!
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Thanks for the comment Victor and very happy to hear you agree. It is strange how humans like to group things together, as you say. You’re right about education… If people stopped seeing animals as belongings rather than family and sentient beings then maybe they would be more empathetic towards them and we might not be in this predicament 💚
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I don’t think that certain breeds should be banned. Dogs really are the product of their upbringing and I don’t think that they need negative labels. They need homes, loving families, and discipline. When animals get what they need, they are family members just like everyone else.
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I absolutely agree with you Emily, you said it perfectly! If humans are a product of their upbringing then why not animals too? There is too much of a distinction made and it’s unfair. Thank you for the mega comment 💚
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Great perspective and I completely agree! Just like children, animals need responsible and loving owners living in a safe environment.
Christine
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Thank you Christine! 💚
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I have a “dangerous” breed of dog, a German shepherd and she is the biggest love and goofball of all time
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Love that Steph! Thank you for this comment 💚
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You make some great points! I’ve always been annoyed by dog breed descrimination. In the D.C. area so many apartments don’t allow breeds like Pit Bulls or German Shepards. It’s really unfortunate since it makes it hard for those dogs to get adopted in the area.
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That is such a valid point Sarah, I hadn’t even thought about it like that. So strange that landlords wouldn’t want a particular breed of dog… It’s like saying, well I don’t like Spanish people so I won’t rent to Spanish people – so wrong! 💚
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Exactly!!
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Great topic! All breeds are great. It makes me sad that many dogs get viciously harmed or put down for irresponsible behavior. I had a pit bull that acted just like my lab, just wantes lots of love!
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I couldn’t agree more with you! These dogs suffer because of the mistakes of humans and no one else. If you can’t be a responsible adult then don’t have any dog at all! Lovely to hear about your pitbull… They are such misjudged breeds! 💚
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This was so eye opening and such a great perspective. Also, love your addition of #adoptdontshop!
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Ah thank you Erin, I appreciate the lovely comment 💚
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My parents recently adopted a stray from the shelter. This poor dog struggled so much initially trusting them after being obviously abused from previous owners. This dog is the sweetest and a new member of our family!
http://www.therookiewife.com
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I can totally imagine what your parents are going through after going through the exact same thing myself, it’s hard work but totally worth it. Like you say, they are members of the family! No dogs should be abandoned. Thank you for the mega comment Hannah 💚
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It is all about how they’re treated that gives them the mannerism, poor pups. It’s not their fault.
-Ashley
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Glad you agree Ashley 💚
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I have a pitbull mixed with a german sheppard mixed with a rottweiler so basically he is suppose to be the devil, well, he is the most wimp dog ever, seriously it’s kind of emabarassing that when we are walking and someone sneeze he hides behind my legs ahahah XD there are evil people, there are evil dogs, NOT all the people are evil, NOT all the dog are evil! This thing really makes me mad!! There are plenty of “dangerous” dog that are super sweet and I’ve actually been bite by a small dog so to generalize is stupid!
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Ah I love that you took on a ‘dangerous dog’ Mimi – fantastic! Most of these dogs have been treated badly by previous owners so they do tend to be scared and submissive as you say 😦
Thank you for sharing your experiences with a little dog biting you, similar to mine. Such a misconception that people think that small dogs are harmless. No dog is harmless without training 💚
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This is a GINORMOUS rant for me so I’ll keep it tame lol It is ridiculous that there are dangerous breeds. People should have to be screened to own dogs. Owners need to better take care of and train their dogs- the dog shouldn’t be blamed. The crap part is that some types of people continue to buy certain breeds of dogs and train them to be mean and the dogs get the ban. i enrages me.
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Ah Shelby thank you soooo much for this comment! You have it spot on. People use dogs for their own use and the dogs suffer, so sad. Keep ranting like this and more dogs will be saved! 💚
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Nurture matters, like for humans… though i do not have pets, i have seen pets behave based on how their owners are..
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It is very clear to the people that look… Thank you for seeing clearly 💚
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I live in a country where people treat their dogs as kids and dogs are allowed almost everywhere. I love my two dogs.
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That’s fantastic Sheri – I’m not aware of such a country. Which country do you live in? 🙂 💚
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Such an interesting post on dogs. They are a reflection of their owners.
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Absolutely. Thank you 💚
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I was attacked by a dog while running. My anger was at the owners.
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That’s the perfect attitude Jill and I thank you from the bottom of my heart 🙂 💚
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Great topic, and I think you explained things really well. I don’t like hearing that certain dogs are banned or looked down on because they have attacked people in the past. Yes, it’s awful when people are attacked and/or killed by dogs but most of the time, it’s not the dog’s fault. It’s due to bad training or a bad environment, etc. #thebloggingsquad
-Lauren Becker
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net.com
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I really appreciate this supportive comment, thank you Lauren. People like to say animal cannot experience emotion, pain, suffering when it suits these people, but then they will be quick to say that the dogs are evil for attacking someone. It’s one or the other. Thanks again 💚
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I completely agree that we should always adopt dogs and not get them from breeders. Dogs are usually a reflection of their owners, so I think it’s wrong to have a blanket ban for certain breeds. It seems more like we need to ban certain types of people from owning animals….
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I love this! Ban certain type of breeders… I would totally sign that petition. Thank you Gaby 💚
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I think the truth is this is always a matter of education: dogs ( or any animal really) are intelligent sentient beings who deserve our love, nurture and respect. It is our duty to educate and help them no matter what! Loved your post!
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Ah thank you! I think education is super key and it gets ignored way too often 💚
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It’s horrifying to read about dogs accidentally coming across illegal drugs!
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Yep! You would hope that owners would be more responsible… Unfortunately not 😦 💚
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So many animals need a good home. But people need to be educated on taking care of these animals
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Absolutely Christine. If people would stop breeding then maybe we could be a bit more selective in who we allow to care for animals 💚
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*INSERT EXTRA LOUD CLAPPING HERE* Thank you!!! In America, many home owners won’t rent a house to anyone with a PitBull because they’re an “aggressive breed.” While that is true, that doesn’t mean they will attack every person that moves or breathes. In fact, I’ve met mannnyyyyyy friendly pitbulls. The way I see it, any dog you try to come in contact with could bite you. If you approach a dog, do not get mad if it bites you. Humans, raise your pets. Don’t be mean to them. Sorry if you had to read this extremely long comment.
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I think any animal can be kind and gentle given the right environment. Just like people
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This is such a great post. I couldn’t have loved it any more! I have two rescue dogs. One is a Doberman, and the other a Great Dane mix. Our great dane is skittish of everything and is slow to warm up to men, and since we don’t know her past.. it is difficult to know what triggers her fear. She isn’t vicious, by any means.. she is just terrified of all things.
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Ah thank you for such a wonderful comment, Kendra. It’s so lovely to hear of other people’s rescue stories and it sounds like your two doggies have a lovely, understanding owner 💚
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