This has led to the belief that dogs can provide company, affection and support to people who are going through a difficult time or who feel lonely. Dogs have aided humans in tasks such as hunting, livestock herding, and guarding. However, as society moved from small rural communities to increasingly large metropolitan areas, the dog’s role changed. Throughout the years a more specific type of
As a matter of fact, hunting dogs and other sport dogs, including pit bulls, display animal aggression. No correlation between animal aggression and human aggression exists. Most dogs that live in at a shelter or safe house go through temperament testing. A mandatory series of temperament testing shows the dog’s level of aggression. Certified therapy or rescue dogs take required temperament testing, and this option exists for any pet dog. Of all tested pit bulls, they pass at a higher rate than the dog population in general (Hiding Truth).In Janis Bradley’s 2014 revised book, Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions, she states the issues behind the cases of pit bull attacks, “The most comprehensive study of dog bite-related fatalities to date covered all 256 incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2009. The study reliably identified seven factors potentially within the control of dog caretakers that co-occurred, in various combinations, in the overwhelming majority of the cases examined.14 It is based on investigative techniques not previously employed in dog bite-related fatality studies, which had relied primarily on media reports.15,16 This current study utilized sources more complete, verifiable and accurate than media reports. The researchers identified a co-occurrence of multiple, controllable factors: no able-bodied person being present to intervene (87.1 percent); the victim having no familiar relationship with the dog(s) (85.2 percent); failure to neuter/spay the dog(s) (84.4 percent); a victim’s compromised ability, whether based on age or physical condition, to manage interactions with the dog(s) (77.4 percent); the owner keeping dog(s) as resident animals rather than family pets (76.2 percent); prior mismanagement of the dog(s) (37.5 percent); and abuse or neglect of the dog(s) (21.1 percent)” (4). This leads to people mistakenly blaming this breed of dog for
For millions of years dogs have remained a constant companion of man. Bred from the aggressive and formidable Gray Wolf tens of thousands of years ago the domestic dog now lives in many homes across the world. Where in the far distant past the domestic dog was bred as a guard animal, a beast of burden, and even a food source the dogs of today are bred for a far more endearing purpose-companionship and love. Finding a pet dog that is more of a joy than a chore is necessary when asking: How much is that puppy in the window?
If they witness any concerning behaviors such as growling, biting, food aggression, or aggressive behaviors toward other dogs they will make supervisors aware. At that point, we will assess the dog individually in as many different situations as possible (interaction with men and women, how do they act in the cage versus outside, allowing them to be near another dog in a controlled environment, can we touch tail, paws, mouth, etc.) to see if they react to any of the stimuli. We do not have anyone with a degree in Animal Behavior on our staff, so we are not able to do what is considered a full “Behavior Evaluation,” but between all the staff there are many years of experience working with animals of all types and we use this experience and best judgement to determine if the dog has aggressive tendencies to the best of our abilities. One downside to our evaluations is it is very hard to replicate some experiences a dog may be placed into in the “real world” that cannot be replicated in the shelter setting, so there is always the possibility that even though we evaluated the dog still could show aggression due to a certain unknown
Dogs are known as man’s best friend. Despite lacking the ability to talk, we understand them well. Buddyfruit, also known as “B-Fruit”, is a five-year-old male Pointer with a heart of gold. His family, the Whitfield family, brought him into their home almost three years ago. Cooper is a three-year-old male Golden Retriever with sad eyes and a joyful soul. His family, the Ruiz family, welcomed him into their family roughly a year and a half ago. From physical features, to aspects of personality, to history and background, every individual dog shares similarities and differences.
to owners who were more likely to raise aggressive dogs, and media sensationalism in the
When I was in seventh grade I came home from school one day to find a dog in my room. “This is Rico,” my sister, Marissa, said. “Whose dog is this?” I asked with excitement. “He’s our dog now. My friend gave him to me because she is no longer able to take care of him,” she explained. Is this really happening? I have a dog? I began to approach him to pet him and he immediately began to bark.
It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the last 14,000 years, dogs have accompanied man by helping him hunt, guard, and protect. In our modern world, dogs help us combat in war, search-and-rescue, guide the blind, deaf, discapacitated, rehabilitate patients in therapy, aid law enforcement, and are part of our family as beloved pets (Coren). Although canine superstars such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Rin Tin Tin portray the perfect dog we all want in our lives, these ideals are far from the truth. Many first-time dog owners expect dogs to know behaviors such as how to walk on a leash, not bite, not destroy the house, and in addition to many others. In reality, dogs must be trained on what their handler wants them to do. It is
Pets can fill a void in an owner’s life, by allowing them to nurture something and receive a sense of satisfaction. Socially pets have become so much a part of our daily lives that they are often treated as if they were children, some lucky pets even attend daily play sessions, and are treated to extreme indulgence; all to make their owner feel as if they were an infant or a child. Blind owners rely on their seeing eye dogs to guide them around wherever they go; they are trained to guide them past and around obstacles. The National Institute of Health states, “More than half of all U.S. households have a companion animal. Pets are more common in households with children, yet there are more pets than children in American households. There are more than 51 million dogs, 56 million cats, 45 million birds, 75 million small mammals and reptiles, and uncounted millions of aquarium fish” (np). Many movie stars and rich and famous people have begun using pets as a status symbol. Millions of dollars are spent finding the perfect and most valuable pet even to the extent that the original breed of animal has become unrecognizable or even extinct. This need for high status and perfection has resulted in safety risks to both pets and the people they live with. Inbreeding and tampering with cross genes in animals often result in an animal of inferior security and emotional stability, thus resulting in an aggressive and violent temperament. In an attempt to
In the first example, we see an exaggerated, humorous depiction of yellow Labrador retriever using its “superdog” strength, which it apparently acquired from eating Pedigree, to dig up a
The interviewee, Prima Balford an avid Pit Bull owner, disclosed that she has owned Pit Bulls all of her life. When asked her why she decided to adopt a Pit Bull, she disclosed that it just kind of happened; her parent’s friends had them and she ended up getting one for free when she was just a child. She said after owning Pit Bulls, she could never imagine having another breed of dog. When asked about her overall experience with Pit Bulls she began talking about her dog Moe. According to her, “Moe thinks he is a giant lap dog and is actually afraid of my cat”. The interviewee also disclosed that she has a young daughter and Moe sleeps outside her door every night. Many of the respondents in the survey also disclosed that their dog is great with their young child. The interviewee said she can understand why Pit Bulls are referred to as the Nanny dog after having her daughter. Balford was also asked about any negative experiences she had as a Pit Bull owner. She said she’s never had any problems with her dogs. Her dog Moe barks when someone comes to the door, but quickly backs off once he sees the person is welcome in the home. While the interviewee said she never planned on having a Pit Bull, she is very glad it ended up happening that way.
Also another test done by the Journal of Forensic Science showed that “vicious dog owners reported significantly higher criminal thinking, entitlement, sentimentality and super-optimism tendencies. Vicious dog owners were arrested, engaged in physical fights, and used drugs significantly more than other dog owners." Which reveals how Pit bulls are often used in wrongful means and given a bad name when it all boils down to the owners.
Have you ever owned a dog? Encountered a dog with aggressive behavior? Such as possibly being run after by a dog, consistent barking/growling, and or maybe being bitten by a dog. The answer may be a yes to at least first question. Dogs are great companions they are known as being a man’s best friend. Pit bulls are American Pit Bull Terrier, they have essentially been labeled the face of an “aggressive” dog problem. For this paper I have interviewed Adam Hill. He is an adjunct faculty member in the English Department at Columbus State Community College, he is a father, and husband. This problem seems as if it falls back onto the owner of the dog rather than the breed, although the Pit Bull breed is largely known as having an alpha dog mentality,
Most dogs can act very unpredictable, especially in new surroundings and just like the author of the second article wrote, "some
You are now equipped with some basic knowledge about dog psychology that will save your life and that of