(IN) NEWS AC Pet dog attack Tamil Nadu

[Guest guest]

Good reporting on a sad and preventable accident. As a GSD owner myself, I

can attest to the fact that proper training is paramount. Krypto, pictured

here:

 

http://www.animalnepal.org/feedingdebate.html

 

would have never behaved the way the animal in the article did. Even though

I have him on a retractable cord whenever we are outside the house, he will

not run up to a stranger on the outside.

 

Why? Professional training, and I think even more importantly as Merritt

noted, he is socialized to be comfortable around large crowds of people,

traffic, and in general: chaos. Nothing phases him, even a surprise attack

by one of the crazy Kathmandu street mutts. The technique to socialize a

GSD is very simple and easy for all to do: just take your dog for a walk

every day in the middle of it all, adhering to proper command and control

(choke chain, leftside walking, stop, heel, sit, etc).

 

Krypto must be getting close to 60kg now. Its really important to have him

obedient at all times. And he loves it, as constant re-enforcement of basic

obedience training is mentally stimulating for this breed. I wish this

information could be tattooed onto all large-pet owners.

 

In Nepal, besides the usual police and military work, GSDs are raised to

protect private property. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, penned all

day in yards or boxes, and never let out of the compound, and they are never

walked or otherwise socialized. These dogs are dangerous and my guess,

driven insane by this mistreatment.

 

The Animal Welfare Network of Nepal has a project starting soon to educate

pet owners and try and fix this very problem. Please contact Lucia DeVries

here if you are interested in finding out more about this project.

 

Cheers,

Jigs in Nepal

 

 

 

 

On 4/3/09 7:05 AM, " Merritt Clifton " <anmlpepl wrote:

 

>

>

>

> There is a great deal to be learned from this incident, and

> it is incumbent upon the Indian humane community to amplify the

> authentic lessons, as opposed to whatever nonsense may come from the

> various coalitions for a dog-free universe.

>

> First, the facts as reported:

>

>> >The Hindu Monday, March 30, 2009

>> >

>> >Boy chased by dog falls, dies in hospital

>> >Special Correspondent

>> >

>> >TAMBARAM: In a tragic incident at the staff quarters of Indian

>> >Airlines at Meenambakkam on Saturday, an 11-year-old boy, who was

>> >chased by an aggressive pet dog, fell from the terrace of a

>> >four-storey building and died hours later in a hospital...he went to

>> >the terrace, where he ran into a German Shepherd dog, whose owner

>> >was taking it for a walk. The dog that was not on a leash chased the

>> >boy, barking at him.

>

> Lesson #1 should be that no one should ever walk a pet dog

> off leash in an area where one might encounter strangers, children,

> or other animals -- and the larger and more reactive the dog breed,

> the greater the risk.

>

> German shepherds are among the most reactive of all dog

> breeds, with the highest bite frequency. They relatively seldom

> kill anyone, unlike pit bulls and Rottweilers, but allowing a

> German shepherd to run free, outside of a thoroughly secured,

> fenced location, is really just asking for trouble.

>

> A pet dog is inherently far more dangerous to strangers than

> a street dog who runs free all day, every day.

>

> Why?

>

> # The street dog is accustomed from birth to the constant

> presence of large numbers of people, other animals, and vehicles.

> Most street dogs are exposed to more people & other animals while

> still in puppyhood than most pet dogs encounter in their whole lives.

> Thus the street dog is much better socialized & much better able to

> distinguish friend from foe.

>

> # The street dog feels no obligation to defend any person

> from any other person. The pet, having bonded with particular

> people, views them as his pack, and will defend them from the

> perceived threat posed by a stranger, even if the stranger is just a

> child minding his own business.

>

> It is a huge mistake to assume that the manners and mores

> pertaining to living with street dogs are transferable without

> amendment to living with pet dogs. The difference is like the

> difference between people raised in villages and people raised in big

> cities.

>

> The transition now underway in India from a dog population

> consisting mainly of street dogs to a dog population consisting

> mainly of pets is the same one that the U.S. went through more than

> 50 years ago. Our mistakes cost many millions of dogs' lives, and

> should not be repeated.

>

> Lesson #2 should be that all children should be taught safe

> behavior around dogs, beginning with never running from a dog.

>

> Dogs typically hunt by flushing prey from cover and then

> attacking the prey from behind when the victim runs.

>

> A dog will hunt rats by nosing aside garbage until a rat

> emerges, then kill the rat with a back-bite.

>

> A dog will hunt rabbits by barking at a suspect clump of

> grass until the rabbit bounds out, then run the rabbit down and kill

> him with a scissors bite to the back of the neck.

>

> A dog will hunt deer by chasing the deer to exhaustion, then

> hamstringing her, then pulling her down by the throat. In a

> multi-dog attack, each dog performs a different part of the

> take-down and kill.

>

> Regardless of the size, breed, and initial intent of the

> dog, running from a dog may stimulate hunting behavior and result in

> injury.

>

> Lesson #3 should be that while bites should be avoided, it

> is possible to take a bite without being badly injured, as I have

> done myself many times. The trick is to push the bitten limb into

> the dog's mouth, instead of pulling away. This forces the dog to

> release the limb, instead of pulling the victim down or shaking,

> and avoids harm from the dog's serrated teeth.

>

> If the dog is rabid, the victim will still need to get a

> post-exposure anti-rabies vaccination. But the victim will usually

> not suffer injury from the bite itself.

>

> People tend to believe that because we have always lived

> among dogs, we are all experts at it; but when we change the

> environment of dog and human, we are also changing the conditions

> that created the dog/human relationship and the presumption of

> expertise.

>

> Thus teaching safe dog handling and safe response to dogs is

> now of paramount importance, even though generations of humans and

> dogs raised under past circumstances rarely had to give these matters

> much conscious thought.