[X] My Assistant

[Mistheart]

I have heard so much about people being attacked by large dogs such as pit bulls, boxers, german shepards, rottweilers, great danes, and even saint bernards. The thing that bothers me is that people euthanize these dogs after they have attacked another person. But it is not the dogs fault! It is the owner! The owners of these large dogs (especially pit bulls) will be very cruel to them and not take care of them properly. But sometimes that is not always the case. Sometimes the owner will train the dog to attack people and /or other dogs. This is usually for guard purposes but in other cases they do this so that the dog will fight in dog fights. I have met some of the sweetest big dogs and I even have one. I did once have a run in with a large great dane. But this dog meant no harm. I was playing with him outside and he had pounced on my and tried to bite me but this was only because I did two things that I shouldnt have done. I was running around and I had a football which was the dogs toy. I was unharmed and im always careful around that dog. My dog is a boxer and he is so sweet. Although he will attack people occasionally. He has snapped at me multiple times but there was always a reason why. Many times it was because I sat on his foot that he has injured while he was running outside. It was an accident. Ok let me stop talking about my dogs and get back on subject. What I have always said was "Dont punish the dog for the acts of the owner". My questions to you are:
Are big dogs a deadly pet?
Should they be euthanized after attacking another person even if it was the owners fault?

What do you guys think about this subject?

[Scrooge]

It depends on its general environment (Especially when growing up.), its personality, (Sometimes) its breed, and whether or not you provoked it.
My uncle has a german shepherd that was intended to be a seeing-eye dog, but was rejected on the account of being too docile.

All large dogs being 'deadly' is complete bullshit, though.

Now, if a dog has attacked a human once, it shouldn't be euthanised. However, if it has attacked multiple people, then it may have to be euthanised.

[Mistheart]

It depends on its general environment (Especially when growing up.), its personality, (Sometimes) its breed, and whether or not you provoked it.
My uncle has a german shepherd that was intended to be a seeing-eye dog, but was rejected on the account of being too docile.

All large dogs being 'deadly' is complete bullshit, though.

Now, if a dog has attacked a human once, it shouldn't be euthanised. However, if it has attacked multiple people, then it may have to be euthanised.

I didnt say all large dogs are deadly. I dont think they are either.

Now about what you said about being euthanised thats what I think too! I was watching on tv where this rotweiller had attacked a man who was teasing the dog and the euthanised the dog. The owner had said that that was the only time the dog had ever done that too.

[Scrooge]

Although that's not what you necessarily believe, your first question was, "Are big dogs a deadly pet?". I simply answered it.

I also remember some dumb hikers who got up and close to a mountain lion and where subsequently killed, and they tracked it down and had it killed.
Obviously, it was their fault, but the natural human reaction to something of the like is to attempt to prevent something like that to happen again, in this case a death from a mountain lion.

[Mistheart]

Although that's not what you necessarily believe, your first question was, "Are big dogs a deadly pet?". I simply answered it.

I also remember some dumb hikers who got up and close to a mountain lion and where subsequently killed, and they tracked it down and had it killed.
Obviously, it was their fault, but the natural human reaction to something of the like is to attempt to prevent something like that to happen again, in this case a death from a mountain lion.

Yeah I guess so. on the mountain lion thing 1. those hikers were idiots 2. there is going to be more mountain lions 3. if they only killed the one that attacked the hikers then they are stupid because there isnt just going to be 1 mountain lion. but im not saying they should kill them all either because if they did that then that kinda upsets the natural balance in that area. (mabye)

[Ben Bruce]

Its not all the owners fault, it also depends of what the backround was for that animal and the family. Like German Shepards are half wolf, as you can also see in their apperance. But it also depends on how the dog was treated. If a dog was treated cruely then it will be cruel and attack and harm things. But if it was treated nicely, then you going to have a nice dog. Most people adopt a dog and get frusterated because the dog won't listen to them because they don't take the time to train them which cam make the dog violent.

[Mistheart]

Exactly! but most of the time it is the owners fault though,

[kusari]

Big dogs like a lot of others animal can be physically dangerous. But they only attack when they feel they are in danger like all animals. But when they attack for that, there is a reason.
The only dogs who are violent are violent owner's dogs.

Dogs are good. Don't punish them for their owners.

P.S. I'm french and I don't speak english very well so correct me if I made a mistake.

[FearTheSpork]

My friend had a Rottweiler. To say it is dangerous is laughable. Someone broke into their house once, and the dog just sat there looking at the burglars. It would basically lick you to death. Similar situation with a German Shepard that lives in my street.

Dogs become what people train them to become. Unfortunately, we do have scumbags on this earth who would taunt and train a dog on a daily basis to attack. These people should be put down, instead of the animal. And don't even get me started on people who leave small children unattended with a large dog. A child is naturally curious, and even if they don't mean to, they can scare or provoke a dog to attack.

Especially if it is a family pet. The parents should know what the dog is like, the personality.

My dog, for instance, would growl if someone went near her food. So I make a point of not leaving my four year old cousin alone with the dog.

It's not the childs fault, nor is it the dogs. The dogs natural reaction is to fend off what ever is annoying it or scaring it. I blame the irrisponsible parents/owners.

These people then have the dog put to sleep, branding it as vicious.

So, where were you when your child was being attacked? Oh, you were in the garden, NOT paying attention. Oh, you were doing the laundry, NOT paying attention.

Don't get me wrong, almost all parents have the common sense it takes to keep their children safe, and their dogs happy, it just seems to be the small few, who haven't a brain cell in their head.

....... Yeah..... I love dogs..... ehem.....

Excuse my rant

[Shszha]

No breed of dogs is more "eveil" than any other. It's the lack of proper training that makes them aggressive and uncotrollable, regardless of sheperd or toy poodle. The only difference is the mistrained sheperd giving you what you deserve because it has the power to do so. The toy poodle simply can't seriously injure you, even if it wanted. So all the focus goes on the "big, evil fighting dogs". Put the owners to sleep, not the dogs...

[angst muffin]

It's all about the owner and the dog's history. I own three big dogs one of which is a German Shepherd who is a total sweat heart.
I think to say that it's just big dog that are mean is ridiculous. I've met plenty of tiny little dogs that are so nasty that you wouldn't even want to get close enough to then to kick them over a fence. So, it's really all about the dog's history- what it's parents are like and the conditions it lived in when it was a puppy and then of course what kind of training it was given.

[bella1000]

In my opinion, no dog is bad, it is just the oowner that influences it. I have my own dog, a cute shih tzu, and he is my world. I have a huge passion for huskies also. If huskies [or dogs in general] dissapeared from the world, what would our life be? No one to stand beside.......

[Isfet]

I believe that if it is properly trained, a large dog is a wonderful addition to a home, even one with small children. The especially large breeds, like Great Danes, are said to be some of the gentlest, most loving, and least harmless dogs.

[MoogleSam]

Big dogs are not dangerous unless they had a bad background with humans, have a horrible owner, or are provoked. I should know since my family has a German Shepard, and even though sometimes she will growl at me, probably thinking I will steal her from my mum or steal my own mum from her, I know she loves me....kinda. She can playfully try to bite my hand sometimes though so I know she won't hurt me. xD

And I met another person's German Shepard, he is quite playful, although he has caught me with his teath a few times when we played tug-of-war, it was never hard enough to even break skin, he doesn't hurt anyone on purpose, he is just a playful dog who is powerful enough that I only beat him at tug-of-war once, out of about 200 times.

They should not be euthanized unless there is absolutely no chance of them being trained to be friendly, if they can't be friendly to anyone at all then they have to be but it is very sad that the owners can get away with treating their dogs badly, and continue their lives but the dogs that could have been very sweet had to lose their lives.

Dogs only have about 15 years of life to live yet some are put down and have their lives cut short because of someone else's actions. It is just so sad.

*is an animal lover with dogs being second favourite and cats being favourite*

[Blueberry]

Big dogs aren't bad. I had a HUGE Newfoundland pup for eight years before my mum sold him. Sweetest dog in the world.

It's not the dogs that are bad, usually it's their owners/upbringing. Just like a kid, put it in a bad place and let it grow up there, you will have a bad ass little kid on your hands and a even worse adult if they don't snap out of it.

[matchstickmirage...]

Gonna add my two cents here because my whole life I've grown up around large and medium dog breeds. When I was a baby, my mother owned a German Shepherd who doted on me (and apparently had a crush on my aunt. He once dug up a rosebush and brought it to her =/ ). Despite the fact that he was protective of me, he wasn't snappy at people at all. He watched people when they handled me but because my mother is experienced with the breed, he he was a well-adjusted dog. He was a beautiful dog. The only reason he was given away was because we were moving back to Scotland from London (I was but a baby) and the border collie she owned back here was a bit of an alpha female. He was given into the Army.

When I was little, my dad bought up a German Shepherd puppy. He was boisterous and jumpy but harmful? No. He loved playing with kids and was scared of kittens =/ Because between myself, my mother and my sister, we raised another well-adjusted dog. Unfortunately he was stolen and never recovered =/

My newest doggie, a German Shepherd mix, is a rescue dog. He's too much of a scaredy cat to be vicious and after a lot of love and training he has become a very docile, loving creature. Before, he was timid and jumpy - if you so much as brushed his tail with your fingertips he'd snap at you. Now if you do the same thing, he will stop and look at you, but he'll just wag his tail.

This might not appear to be related whatsoever to the topic, but let's look at it this way. People say big breeds are dangerous and should be outlawed, and a lot of larger dogs can't be pets. I've lived around German Shepherds my whole life; I love them. They are such loyal, protective creatures - but only if you treat them properly and train them well. Ever notice that people who own vicious dogs (those which attack multiple times) are often those who know nothing about the breed or buy them so they will be vicious?

It's absolutely the owner that makes the dog. I mean, we got our Zephyr from a shelter. He was so timid, even shutting a door alarmed him, and he snapped at the slightest touch. With help from us, he's now a fun loving, beautiful, healthy, docile family pet, nowhere near as timid as he used to be. If you treat a dog badly, it will behave negatively. If you treat a dog well, it will behave positively.

Tl;Dr - Big dogs are not inherently evil. Owners really make the dog. And my dog's a cutie:

[Podz]

Firslty ; I Admire Your Debating Skills . You Show The Point That They Are Bad But Show That The Can Be Good Also

Secondly ; Lets Get Down To Buisness

- Big Dogs , What Do I Think About Them . Well Firstly , Some Big Dogs Are Playful , Its The Owner's (As You Said) Fault If They Are Vicious . How Would You Feel If Someone Trapped You In A Cage And When They Toke You Out They Hit You And Trained You To Fight Others Or You Would Get Hit ? I For One Would Feel Terrible . Forcing me into fighting The Other Dog . So Yes I Would Blame The Trainer. If The Trainer Has A Vicious Dog It Should Be Controlled And Thought Not To Hurt People And The Trainer Should Be Fined Or Even Sentenced To Community Service .

- Every Dog Gets Snappy Sometime , Big Or Small . Its A Dogs Nature To Get Snappy At Other Dogs. Sure dogs are accendents to wolfs which were snappy and vicious against each other to protect them and there pack . (Sorry for sudden change in typing . Lols )

- Its not just the trainers fault if the dog is snappy or vicious . Its there parents . Sometime a dog inherits anger issues from parents or at a young age think that anger is the right thing .

- If you get a dog and it snaps at you scold it . Dont let it continue on doing it or it will continue on when it gets older and will be harder to train it ;D

~Finished ;D

[methuselah alche...]

I love dogs, especially big ones. When I was a baby, we had a wolf-mix, and I've had quite a few Rottweilers as a kid. Now, I have a bloodhound-mix, and a Golden Retriever, and we actually just got our first small dog, a mini-dachshund.

Now, I know for a fact that it's not a dog's breed that makes it 'dangerous' or 'bad'. It's how it was brought up or trained, along with its personality. I've been around dogs my whole life, and I love them. Judging on breed is just stupid. I hate that Pit Bulls have such a bad reputation. They are very loving dogs who just want to please their owners, and if their owners appear to be happy when they fight, then that's what they learn to do. My cousin has a Pitbull, and he is just such a sweetie. I couldn't imagine him ever hurting anyone, so I was very mad when my cousin was looking to move, and found that a lot of places wouldn't let him keep Bo there.

Earlier this year, three of my dogs were put to sleep for attacking the neighbor kid. Now, I know it sounds like it's going against what I've been saying, but let me finish. These were not bad dogs. We'd had them all since they were born, and they would let anyone do anything to them. Bruno, the male, would let my brother use him as a pillow, even though he had bad hips and it would sometimes hurt him. He, and Teddi and Sheikii, his aunts, were some of the nicest dogs I knew. Bruno was always such a crybaby, whining and wanting to be held during storms. And whenever Teddi or Sheikii had puppies, they wouldn't so much as move whenever anyone wanted to hold one of their babies. You could do anything to those dogs, and they wouldn't even snap at you.

Now, our neighbor has always been a pain. And that's a huge understatement. He and his dad would call the cops and/or animal control ON EVERYONE on the road, for any little thing!! And the kid would shoot rocks and marbles at our dogs. And really, NO dog on the road liked this kid. You could always tell when he was coming on his bike, as every dog around would start barking like crazy. And it was really only him who would evoke that response from them. But yeah, one morning, Bruno, Teddi, and Sheikii just jumped him. It was so sudden, and we're betting that he provoked them. His leg was bitten pretty badly, but we got them away from him before long. However, our dogs were taken, and the kid's dad called the shelter every single day to make sure they wouldn't live. And he got his way. This was their first offense, and they were killed like that! We later learned that that kid has been bitten by like every dog on the street. I don't know what he does to them, but I know it's not just that they're big dogs that's making them do this.

[Grawr]

depends on how well they are raised and what environment they were raised on.

[The great Cthulh...]

Absolutely no, but you can't have a big dog and expect him to act like a lap dog, they are a lot stronger and they sometimes hurt you just playing with you.
My husky is strong as hell and completely docile, but i am not stupid enough to let baby children around hin because children's think dog's are toys, they pull ears, tail and of course since the dog can't say let go off me they will bite.
Pitbull's and rottweilers have a very powerful bite and can do a LOT of damage but that don't men they are violent or a death sentence.