It’s amazing how often reporters and police—and dog owners themselves— misidentify dog breeds. Remember that recent story about the lost dog who miraculously survived in the wilderness? Reports said he was a Jack Russell Terrier. He wasn’t, not even close. The proprietor of the Ethics Alarms Unethical Website Dogsbite defines “pit bull” as any dog that looks like a pit bull. You know…like a boxer. Or my sweet English Mastiff, Patience. Or for many of these dog-phobics, any dog that bites anyone. Must be a pit bull!
“Unless I’m mistaken, these dogs keep viciously attacking and killing people and they’re obviously incredibly dangerous and should be largely banned and aggressively regulated,” writes Not The Bee hack Harambe Harambe. Yes, you are mistaken, and uninformed, and irresponsible. What are “these dogs”? The writer doesn’t know a Lassie from Rin Tin Tin. he rants on, reveling in his wilful ignorance,
“They don’t exactly have a stellar track record. I know we’re supposed to pretend that they’re the cuddliest little snuggle buggers around, but they’re actually lethal killing machines and should be treated as such. We all know about these dangerous, violent dogs, and most of us — aside from the certified Dog People who think junkyard dogs are more valuable than human lives — think they should be banned. So we don’t have to go over this again in too much detail.”
Yeah, let’s not bother about those annoying details called “facts” when we all just know things.
When he isn’t fearmongering over imaginary dog breeds, H.H. engages in shameless appeals to emotion. Garcia, the deceased child, “is just someone if you met him, you loved him. He lit up the room. His smile was just amazing.” We are told that his aunt remembered how friendly he was, saying, “He was a beautiful kid. He was fun and sweet and kind and he made friends everywhere. And he just, he didn’t deserve this.” Who suggested that he “deserved” to be mauled by a dog?
None of the stories and reports so far, as usual with these tragedies, inform us why the small child and the dog were in a position where an attack was possible. There are no details, so all anyone will remember is that one of those vicious “pit bulls” attacked poor Garcia. By the time we find out that criminally negligent owners were letting their abused dog run free, or that the child innocently walked over with no adults nearby and poked the dog on the eye, no one will pay attention. What will stick with them is that another human being was killed by a “pit bull” according to hysterics who don’t know what they are.
I don’t believe that any dog is inherently vicious. Vicious dogs are taught by humans to be that way.
Not every breed of dog is suitable for any owner, and some people simply should not own dogs. Some breeds are very powerful and protective, and need to be well trained and socialized. To name one breed, according to Google AI the Presa Canario is not inherently vicious, but it possesses a high level of natural territorial drive, strong dominance tendencies, and a powerful guarding instinct that can manifest as severe aggression without experienced handling. Should you have a Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino if this is your first dog, have small children, or live in an apartment? Probably not, in my impression. That means that somebody who wants to own a dog has some ethical obligations, namely a) in choosing the dog that is right for his family, b) knowing the core temperament and aggression traits of the dog, c) properly training and socializing the dog, d) taking good care of the dog, e) receive training as an owner. This is kind of similar to owning a gun, where the owner has responsibilities to handle the gun in a safe way, and be properly trained.