by Roan Kishpaugh

Created on: April 04, 2008

The Doberman Search and Rescue dog who found a missing Alzheimer patient, the German Shepherd Seeing Eye dog that helps his master walk to work every morning, and the Pit Bull Terrier who goes hiking every weekend with the grandkids. These are "dangerous dogs"! So are the Great Dane who attacked a girl in Texas, and the trio of Boxers and a mixed breed dog that mauled a woman in Tennessee, and the Shetland Sheepdog that bit a woman in New Jersey.

What defines a specific breed as dangerous? Is it what the breed was bred for? The German Shepherd Dog was bred to herd sheep, the original Doberman was bred as a tax collector's companion, the Rottweiler was used to move the herds of cattle needed to support the Roman Army, and the Pitt Bull Terrier was used by butchers and farmers to control bulls. Many other "non-dangerous dogs" were also bred for these same purposes so this can't possibly be the reason.

Perhaps it is the size and strength of the dog that makes it a dangerous breed? The Rottweiler, Doberman, Shepherd and Pitt Bull all have strong jaws, and large muscular athletic bodies. So does the Labrador Retriever, Husky, and Mastiff. In fact, according to the Clifton Study, between 1982 and 2006 there were only 11 reported Doberman bites compared to 26 Labrador Retriever bites in the US and Canada!

Rather than defining a specific breed as dangerous, we need to look at the specific animals involved. Does the individual animal have a history of aggression? Have they ever growled, acted possessive about an object, property, or person? Has the dog ever bitten anyone and what was the reason for the bite? Was it in defense of something or was it provoked? Has the owner done any behavior modification training with the dog to prevent future aggression? Was the individual dog bred from aggressive parents with the purpose of aggression intended? There are many variables to consider before considering an individual dog dangerous.

Banning a whole breed doesn't make any sense when it is the individual dog that should be banned if it is aggressive. Try to tell the blind man that his German Shepherd must be "put down" because he is a "dangerous dog". Tell the parents that their child will be lost in the woods for another week because the best member of the search and rescue team had to die because she was a "dangerous dog". Tell the grandkids that their 8-year old best friend had to be put to sleep' because she was a "dangerous dog".

Then enact a law to ban Labrador Retrievers.

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