Another dog bite fatality report came to me this week. A 14-month-old girl in Louisville was fatally injured by a pit bull. Earlier I received a report of a young boy in Indiana mauled by dogs as he tried to fetch his toys from a home.
Reports of serious incidents regarding dog attacks reach my desk weekly. The most sickening are those dealing with young victims of deadly attacks.
Communities across the country are addressing such incidents by enacting a myriad of laws focusing on preventative, or after the fact, measures. Examples are: targeting specific breeds; leash law requirements; confinement criteria; registrations; fines; population control measures; or euthanasia. Some have proven to be successful methods while others have presented logistical nightmares.
Seventy percent of dog bites involve unaltered dogs. Interestingly there has not been one report of a fatal dog attack against a human by an altered dog --that is, one that has been spayed or neutered. This speaks volumes to me as to what a dog owner can do to prevent their own pet from becoming a serious bite statistic. Get your pet dog spayed or neutered, and the younger the better.
As an owner you can also be sure that: there is supervision when a dog and a child are together; your dog does not roam loose; you do not encourage aggressive behavior; you do not chain your dog in your yard (which tends to promote aggressive behavior).
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Do you ever wonder as I do, just why someone would desire to own an aggressive dog? Studies show that some people want aggressive dogs for guarding/protective purposes, for fighting purposes (illegal), or to enhance their own image by owning a rough tough macho dog. See www.fataldogattacks.com .
Potential adopters might ask for a good "guard" dog. Generally they actually want an "alarm" dog -- one that would bark when something unknown approached the property. Rarely do they want a dog that would viciously attack someone.
Take a serious look at your own dog and determine if you need to take steps to protect the public from a bite and yourself from litigation.
Darlene Larson is Midwest regional shelter outreach manager for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and a member of the Humane Society of Kandiyohi County.
