Let's penalize bad dog owners, not ban specific breeds
Studies have shown 'high-risk' dogs are the preferred choice of 'high-risk' people

The Province

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The terrible and unnecessary death from dog bites of three-year-old Cody Anger, examined at a coroner's inquest last week, has prompted a renewed debate about the safety of the Rottweiler breed.

Three Rottweilers were loose in the boy's Maple Ridge home at the time of the tragic accident, around Christmas 2004. He suffered more than 200 bite wounds.

The boy's family has paid a heavy price. Cody's mother, who was asleep in the home at the time of the attack, has had her three other children taken into care.

Nevertheless, it is hard to escape the conclusion that the primary cause of Cody's death was human fallibility. As the coroner's jury warned, parents must be aware that it is inherently dangerous for any child to be left alone with a dog, whatever its breed.

Dogs are animals that, with proper training, can acquire social skills, making them suitable and safe human companions.

However, the best-trained dog can suddenly revert to its primitive nature, often without warning.

Domestic dogs are mostly lovable creatures whose obedience is sometimes taken for granted. But a recent case in Abbotsford, in which a police dog severely mauled a child, showed that even the most disciplined animal can behave in an unpredictable manner.

University of B.C. psychology professor and dog behaviour expert Stanley Coren has pointed out that, in the case of the Rottweiler, all the usual precautions over dogs need to be emphasized.

Because of its large size and nervous disposition, Coren told the coroner's jury, the Rottweiler, with its 2,000-pounds-per-square-inch bite, is a bad choice for a family pet. And whatever claims Rottweiler breeders and owners may make to the contrary, the breed can be dangerous.

According to Coren, while Rottweilers make up only 1.5 per cent of all registered breeds in the U.S., they account for 16 per cent of all fatal bites.

Whether one agrees or not about the suitability of Rottweilers as family pets, it is self-evident that responsibility for their actions rests entirely with their owners. And there are plenty of irresponsible owners out there. In fact, studies have shown "high-risk" dogs are the preferred choice of "high-risk" people.

This makes a good argument for the imposition of heftier penalties on owners whose dogs are a proven menace. But, as we've said before, banning specific breeds is not the answer.

We should not penalize the many for the actions of a selfish and anti-social few.