http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-080305dog_lat,1,4315162.story?coll=chi-news-hed
I just saw this news clip in the online version of the Chicago Tribune, where a rottweiler literally ripped a girl out of her mom's arms, dragged the kid down the driveway and mauled the kid to where she died at the hospital. Now I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I have an extreme bias against rottweilers. No other dog species have I seen more in the news attacking people than them. I realize that they are guard dogs and are usually used as such - but I have seen way too many examples where these dogs have literally gone out of control. The question to ask, I guess, is whether the blame falls on the dogs or on the owners. True, I don't know what condition this particular dog was in when it attacked that girl, how it was being treated, any abnormal medical condition, etc. And in all fairness, there have been numerous examples of animal cruelty that totally mess up what can otherwise be a very happy and healthy pet. But certain animals have to cast some shadow of doubt as to whether they are truly cut out to coexist with humans - especially humans with children. To me, rottweilers can be classified in this category - not enough are known about them, why they behave so aggressively for seemingly no reason. There are plenty of other species of dogs that can perfectly fit the bill when it comes to companionship, protection, and so forth. I also realize that there are rottweilers that do end up as perfect pets with no serious problems to speak of. But I personally feel that owning one is likened to a roll of the dice when it comes to personal safety, and I for one would rather err on the side of caution...
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3 comments:
Terrible news. There are so many ways that kids can get hurt or killed. The other day I was listening to the news on how often children get backed over by a car. Worst thing is that most of the time, it's their parents that run them over because they couldn't see them. With proliferation of SUVs, it's more frequent. I have to be extra cautious backing out of my driveway...
I would like to think Chloe can't do any harm. But then again, Chloe can knock Ellie over with her tail when she's wagging it happily.
i think rotts are cool. if i ever get one, it'll be a nice happy dog.
curious that it was a family pet and not put down yet.
at this point, i don't think it's about blame anymore...just a matter of precaution. rotts are beautiful, but dangerous dogs.
But even Chloe had her days...Jae's nephews came to visit one time...they were running and playing outside with Chloe...chasing her. I think one of the twins started flailing his arms and made some high pitched noises that startled Chloe and she went for his arms. That's why we always tell our guests NOT to flip or wave their arms around Chloe cuz to dogs, it means completely something else.
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