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<p>Funny. I feel the same way about people who dislike cats.</p>
<p>I like cats, but they make me sneeze :(</p>
<p>Funny how attitudes about dogs can make for such controversy.</p>
<p>First, I absolutely adore our dog of 14 years. I mean I just adore her. Seriously. That said, she has had an electric fence installed by us in all four homes we’ve lived in during her lifetime. She never steps foot outside without her fence collar and she is completely pain averse and so has never strayed. If she ever did, we would call the electric fence vendor and have a re-fresher training session to get her compliant again. If that didn’t work, we’d put in a physical fence.</p>
<p>Wherever I’ve lived there are always crazy people who think their particular dog is so darling and wonderful that it should be allowed to roam at will and they are terribly offended when you object and/or point out that there is a leash law and letting dogs run free is against the law. They seem to want to give their dogs the wilderness experience of being unleashed but they live in the city or suburbia and so they think the rest of us must join them in their great love for their wonderful dogs and tolerate the behavior.</p>
<p>Dogs can bite. Every single breed can bite. When I was a kid a friend got her bottom lip ripped off by a golden retriever. Big dogs can bite. Little dogs can bite. I don’t care what the breed, every dog must be fenced or in the house or on a leash. Always.</p>
<p>When I was a child, my family raised German shepards. If a dog bit anyone, it was taken to the vet and put to sleep. Harsh, but back in the 60’s there were no dog psychologists. </p>
<p>The only “attack” I’ve experienced was when I was walking my 9 lb dog, a cat crossed the street to come after us. I picked up the dog, and the cat scaled my leg to get to him. After pushing the cat to the ground twice, it was only after I “punted” it the third time that I got enough space to run away from it. It chased me for another 100 feet or so after that, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t injure it! I, on the other hand was pretty scratched up. We stayed away from that street for a while.</p>
<p>: “Does your dog bite?” Inspector Clouseau of<em>The Pink Panther</em>fame asks the hotel clerk as he sees a dog at his feet. “No,” the clerk responds. Clouseau bends over to pet the dog and has his sleeve ripped off. “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” he remarks angrily. Replies the clerk, “That’s not my dog.”</p>
<p>“every dog must be …”</p>
<p>One of the gentlest dogs I’ve known was the very large male Doberman that lived with the neighbor when we moved in. Absolutely pleasant, never barked, and never strayed more than ten yards from his front door. The lady of the house would lay a broomstick on the floor to let the dog know a particular room was off limits. If the family owned a leash I never saw it. Another neighbor had one of those absolutely placid Labs. That dog had a fixed route around the neighborhood and was everyone’s friend. </p>
<p>Every once in awhile someone in the neighborhood takes on a dog that can’t shake dubious behavior. Those dogs are tied up, fenced in, or put down. I guess I’d be in the group the believes that while there are some bad dogs that can’t mix in polite company, that the much bigger problem is bad dog owners who can’t (or won’t) bring the best out in their pets. Or stated differently, a good pet is a companion whereas a bad pet owner usually means trouble for the neighborhood.</p>
<p>My kids have had the job of letting out the Labrador next door for years, but guess who actually takes the dog out? Anyway, he is the most beautiful, gentle, loving dog and responds well to voice commands. However, if someone walks by or comes out of their house ( including me, when the owners are home and taking him out) that dog barks and charges a few feet as if he is going to tear the person apart. It is shocking.</p>
<p>My point is that dogs, no matter how loving and gentle, are unpredictable and need to be treated that way. We can all say our dog does not bite, until he bites. Dogs are dogs.</p>
<p>^ Agree with MDMom</p>
<p>And NewHope, sorry but I’ve heard too many dog lovers wax eloquent about the noble doberman or loving Chow or misunderstood lab who suddenly bites. They always say it’s bad owners, not bad dogs. Honestly, does it matter??? The upshot is that unleashed and/or unfenced dogs are dangerous. Whether it is a trustworthy or dog or not, it should be appropriately controlled. Period.</p>
<p>I am a dog owner. I love my dog. I cannot fathom that she would ever hurt anyone but I nevertheless make the investment to have an effective fence and I make sure she is within it or on a leash. Blows my mind that wherever I move there are so many people who cannot seem to grasp the importance of this.</p>
<p>I do like cats, btw, but cleaned one too many litter boxes in the day and just can’t go back to that.</p>
<p>“My point is that dogs, no matter how loving and gentle, are unpredictable and need to be treated that way.”</p>
<p>All dogs?</p>
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<p>Love that scene, but it sure isn’t the same without the accents of the two actors. Priceless.</p>
<p>I’m probably one of the few people I know who is both a dog and cat person. I love them both. </p>
<p>The litter box is a pain, but it sure comes in handy when I want to take off for the weekend. Litter box, big bowl of food and water, and you’re good to go. Dogs-nope.</p>
<p>^ In all fairness, our cat lived 21 years. At least the last two years of her life she was without much kidney function. I kept her in our bathroom on a heating blanket, carrying tidbits to her to tempt her to eat, and cleaning what seemed to be endless amounts of cat urine. Ugh. Don’t know why we did that to her or ourselves!</p>
<p>I am determined that if my beloved dog gets into that condition we will not go to such great lengths.</p>
<p>Yes, Newhope.</p>
<p>I think all dogs should be treated with caution. If you have a very gentle dog that is not used to being around small children, extra caution should be taken. If a dog is surprised, it might react in a way you have not seen.</p>
<p>I love dogs. I was one of those people who treated my first dog as my first child. My dog sleeps on my bed unless he is sleeping on my couch, but I have seen my current darling snap at my own kids when they surprised him or sat on his foot. He did not bite, but his reaction was not what I would like to see regularly.</p>
<p>When I approach a strange dog with an owner, I first ask if he/she is friendly. I then ask whether I may pet him/her. I then put my hand out palm up, so the dog can smell it. I treat every dog as if it might decide that I am the first person it might bite although I have never been bitten.</p>
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<p>^^^^Ditto.</p>
<p>MD Mom - How about this for some middle ground? Dogs may be kept off leash if the owner has the dogs’ teeth pulled. No teeth, no possibility of bites, right? It could be done when the puppies are put under for neutering at about five months of age. Not only is this more economical and easier on the dog, the vet’s office could add “Teeth Removed” to the Neutering Certificate. Perhaps the annual license fee could be reduced from $6 to $3 as an inducement for everyone to “neuter and de-tooth” their pets.</p>
<p>That won’t work, Newhope, because I don’t like the smell of canned food. Point taken.</p>
<p>I agree with you that most dogs are good.</p>
<p>I think it’s worth noting that most of the time when dogs bark or bite, they’re trying to protect their “pack” or their “territory”. This doesn’t excuse it, of course, but it really does drive the point home that dogs don’t have the same social etiquette that we do. The burden really is on the owner to make sure the dog behaves appropriately around different humans. Seeing as how dogs have been domesticated to this point, it’s very rare that dogs are just a “bad egg” and refuse to behave; usually there is a reason for their bad behavior. Boredom, abuse, fear, anxiety, etc.</p>
<p>Of course dogs should be leashed in public, but people also shouldn’t assume that an unknown dog is friendly just because it “looks” friendly or is a “friendly” breed.</p>
<p>FWIW, the reason I’m so supportive of what the OP did … i.e., notifying the authorities … is that it took several years for my D to get over being bit by a tethered dog that looked “so cute, just sitting there.” That dog was put down after a second incident. Had we not reported my D’s bite, the second incident would have been the “first reported” … and there doubtless would have been a third victim.</p>
<p>Fortunately our neighborhood is filled with many gentle and loving animals (horses, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) and my D came to see her misfortune as the isolated (though lamentable) episode it was.</p>
<p>My father trained dogs his entire life and while he loved his animals dearly he believed that no dog, no matter how sweet and seemingly well behaved, could ever be totally trusted around small children. I can still see him cringe when my older sister would let her dogs nuzzle her babies or when they were toddlers and would come at a dog full steam ahead.</p>
<p>In my opinion the OP did the right thing. It is too bad if it was an accidental escape but I would bet the dog owner knew that there was some aggression in their dogs…if only that the animals stand at the door barking like a mad men every time pedestrians walk by. They are animals and it isn’t their fault. They will protect their turf. I would think that under those circumstances an owner needs to take particular care that their animals don’t escape.</p>
<p>My boss breeds dogs on the side. Golden Retrievers. Today one of our members was talking about his dog which was one of my boss’ puppies about 14 months ago. So he brought him in this morning for my boss to see. One of my co-workers walked in as we were all standing around and she was completely surprised. She asked to pet him and before the owner could say anything, that dog was in her arms. </p>
<p>I know dogs can be great and it’s fun to watch that interaction with somebody who loves dogs and those lovable dogs. It’s just not for me.</p>