‘We need to remember this. It doesn’t matter the breed or how much you love the dog, they can snap’
SOMETIMES I look at my six-year-old Sausage dog and think, “Damn Douglas is living the life.’
Homie naps all day, just skinning out in the sun. He gets fed on time, has no bills, no responsibilities, no children harassing him 24/7. Goes hunting iguanas, no one taking up his time. Just living his best life.
Douglas is a part of our family. He has grown up with my children and loves them deeply. And as much as I see him as the third child I never had, I also remember he is a dog. He is an animal capable of true love and loyalty, but he is also capable of hurting someone.
Yes, he is only 18 pounds and less than a foot tall, but he can be aggressive, especially when he perceives someone or something as a threat to his territory.
A while back we had someone come and trim a tree in our yard. It didn’t even cross my mind to put Doug away, because I mean we are talking about a Sausage Dog here not a 100-pound plus Rottweiler. Well, Doug was not cool with this guy, went into maul mode and laid one solid bite on this poor man’s ankle. Luckily the victim was wearing boots, so no flesh was broken, in fact, he didn’t even feel it, but he was shocked and so was I.
How could my sweet little fat boy, go from a cuddle bug to a lower-leg assassin? Simple, he’s a dog and instinctually he is wired to protect his home and his kin.
I couldn’t help thinking what if this had a been child? Or what would have happened if the tree cutter wasn’t wearing boots? So now, Doug gets put away when someone he isn’t familiar with comes over. If the person wants, I will introduce them to Douglas, but I do not assume that he will like everyone or that everyone will like him. I am hyper-vigilant to his behavioural cues and know when it’s time to take him out of a situation.
Dogs, even the ones we love the most, can be unpredictable at times and we need to remember this.
This reflection comes after the death of 11-year-old Rachel Bhagwandeen, who was mauled to death by a relative’s dog on Thursday.
It seems every few months we are given a gut-wrenching reminder that dogs are not always man’s best friend.
These tragedies always bring up the nature-versus-nurture argument, the belief that there are no such things as bad dogs, it’s bad owners.
In my opinion, it’s bad owners. Yes, there are some dog breeds that tend to be more nervous or extra sensitive to stimulus, which can result in aggressive behaviour. But with the correct treatment, training and awareness from their owners, they live their lives incident free. And this does not only apply to large breed dogs, but to small ones as well… I mean there is a man out there who probably gets PTSD every time he sees a hotdog.
I have a friend who has the most amazing dog. He is beautiful, he is obedient and sweet, but not a fan of people. He hates me, that dog looks at me like a plate of macaroni pie and stew chicken at Sunday lunch… yummy. I don’t blame him; I mean I probably smell like a lazy sausage dog and menacing children. To him, I am a mass of confusion and unfamiliarity that he doesn’t have time for.
What does my friend do when I come over? She puts him away, because it’s the responsible thing to do. She has spent thousands of dollars on training and socialisation but knows that big guy just doesn’t like some people… I am people.
She is an excellent dog owner, not because she puts so much time and effort into her dogs, but because she is aware of her their behavioural cues, their emotional needs and limitations. She respects these things and handles each situation accordingly, rather than busting the “he is such a gentle, playful, loving dog, I don’t know why he snapped and ate Alicia” excuse.
When we look at attacks on children, we need to remember this, animal experts will tell you children and babies are an assault on dogs’ senses. The noises they make, their smells, everything about them can be shocking to a dog. So, when this tiny bomb of humans enters their territory, they feel threatened and when any animals, humans included, feel threatened they react.
We need to remember this. It doesn’t matter the breed or how much you love the dog, they can snap. It is the responsibility of the owners to recognise their dogs’ behaviours and temperaments. It is their responsibility to treat with their pet accordingly to ensure the safety of others and the safety of their pet.
As for scumbag humans who mistreat their dogs and deliberately train them to be “bad,” they should face consequences. Reports of animal mistreatment and abuse needs to be taken more seriously in T&T.
So if you know of an animal that is being mistreated and is a ticking timebomb you should make a report to your nearest police stations, contact Crime Stoppers or contact animal advocacy organisations such as the TTSPCA at 622-1367.
