This article tells the sad story of this pit bull who was running loose and brutally killed a dachshund being walked on a leash by its owner. Some brave people pulled it off the dachshund but not in time to save it.

I wanted to talk about this because if it weren’t for the owner of this pit bull both dogs would still be alive today. The owner is a 19 year old girl who is now on the run but still only faces a $250 fine.

Even after what happened, this pit bull deserves to still be alive today. It could most likely be rehabilitated by an informed owner and live a happy life in which it would be kept away from other dogs, but get less aggressive and more happy as time goes on. But here’s the sad truth. The number of people that could do that and have the patience for that is extremely low. If you are a shelter and have to choose between pit bulls to adopt out (which you do, not all shelter dogs are rescued), you have to choose the pit bull that doesn’t have aggression issues first because that one is less likely to come back.

19 years old. When you’re 19 you’re old enough to have a baby, who am I to say you can’t have a dog. I’m sure some 19 year olds are good with dogs, but I have to think that most are not. Heck, most older folks aren’t.

What we can all do, is learn the truth about dogs and dog training as best we can. If we keep talking about it then we as a people will grow collectively as dog owners. And maybe when some future 19 year old gets a dog, he or she will have quick access to information that will help the raise that dog right, and maybe save some lives.

A Great Day to be a Dog Trainer

There’s a lot to this post, and it’s a great read, but I wanted to quote the paragraph that relates to what I’ve been talking about recently.

In reviewing Sasha’s history I’d learned that a few simple things were doing a lot to provoke Sasha’s aggression. Sasha’s family, following advice from friends and the internet, had been responding to Sasha’s growls either with “alpha rolls” (forcing the dog over on her back and staring into her face until she “submits”) or by grabbing her mouth, holding it closed, and sternly saying “No!” They had also been allowing Sasha to continue coming to the door when guests arrived, holding her collar and scolding her for barking. This predictably increased Sasha’s nervousness and her aggressive behavior. They also had an electric fence with the boundary running right alongside the sidewalk, where Sasha regularly practiced aggressive displays towards passing pedestrians. I see many dogs who – after a few months of such frustration – burst through the boundary to bite someone, even though they had never demonstrated aggression before an electric fence was installed. Sasha’s problems had definitely been created by her owners.

Interesting, huh? If you look at online dog forums for questions about how to deal with aggression you will see many people answer with advice promoting alpha rolls and this very physical human aggressive “no” that causes stress for the dog and eventually more dog aggression. It’s sad and ironic that people looking for help dealing with dog aggression on internet forums almost always get the worst advice possible.