jma said:
"My dog is as soft as anything and would never hurt a fly"
That is typical of the sort of quote on this thread.
Change the word 'is' to 'was' and the word 'would' to 'had' and you also have the standard quote from owners after many incidents where a dog has savaged someone.
The fact is, some dog breeds are far more dangerous than others. If only because they are capable of being much more aggressive and powerful if they do snap.
Of the type of breeds involved - those that people loosely stereotype as being owner by nobheads as a status symbol - I struggle to see why anyone favours them over less dangerous breeds. It is an ego trip, imo.
And I don't just mean with the type of stereotypical scrote that walks around showing off with the intention of intimidation and scaring people. I know owners of these types of dogs who would be genuinely appalled if their dog ever hurt anyone and are far, far removed from that type of scrote. However, most, if not all of them, imo, still invest a fair bit of ego in owning that type of dog. Even when train it to be totally docile, they still (not so) secretly enjoy being an owner of that type of powerful dog and enjoy being seen as the sort of person who 'knows how to handle' that type of powerful dog. A person who "has no problems" with that sort of dog. That is often an ego trip in itself. The same people are hardly likely to feel the same way about being seen as the sort of person who "has no problems" with, "can handle" and has fully domesticated a Poodle.
No matter how docile they train the dog to be, they choose that type of dog because it is that type of dog. They might not be doing so for exactly the same reason as a scrote - intimidation and fear - but the fact that the dog is a powerful dog and that type of breed is usually utmost in their thoughts.
To have that sort of dog anywhere near children is taking an awful risk, regardless of its history. It takes one incident, even if the statistics are well in your favour.
That's a good post.
I walk my dog (rottweiler) round then streets twice a day. Usually i'm wearing black coat and hat covering my face. I guess that most people that see us think i'm some scrote (albeit a very handsome one) posing with me vicious dog.
In reality, my wife picked the breed because she wanted to try and give a beautiful dog a better reputation. All the kids in my street love our dog. In summer they knock on and ask if she's coming out. We go in the bookies/shop/pub for a biscuit
Some people cross the street to avoid us when we're out, others make a detour to stroke the dog.
As for raising kids in a risk free enviroment, no chance.
More people are killed by bees/pushbikes/skateboards/choking/trains etc (it's a very long list) than dogs every year.
The benefits to mankind from having domesticated dogs far outweigh the minuscule number of deaths caused by dog 'attacks'
