(IN) NEWS AC Pet dog attack Tamil Nadu

[Guest guest]

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.

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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