is it fair to blame the dog alone when dog attack happens?

Question

there were some dog attacking people incident happened in my city lately, people point fingers to dogs, but i don'n see it the same way,i have 2 dogs, dogs will not attack unless they have to defence themself,there are mean people out there, they abuse dogs ( including kids), u have no idea how curel they can be, when attack happens, we only hear story from human side, how about the dog, it never get benifits of doubt, i can not believe dog attack human without a justify reason,

Answer 1

I agree, dogs that attack have usually either been abused or were taunted. I do think dogs will attack if they feel threatened and isn't that a good reason? It sucks that animals can't talk to stand up for themselves.

Answer 2

Something always triggers it. It could be normal activity but some instinct in that dog is awakened by it and it lashes out. Running will nearly always cause at least a chase and very often a bite. Running and screaming kids are especially a problem because that behavior is instinctively a threat. Many dogs are truly hereditarily deficient (with too much individual variation for a breed to be so characterized) and are basically biting, scared grouches but for the most part, dogs bite because they were not properly trained (which includes being handled daily by the breeder, being left in the litter until eight (preferably ten) weeks, and being introduced to as many sites and sounds as possible from about 30 - 50 days (the ages where impressions last a lifetime)).

Answer 3

Usually a dog won't attack a person without being provoked. There are dogs that have either been abused or starved that will attack for other reasons. Sometimes dogs are raised as fighters and they have been "programmed" to fight.
The dog could also think that a person is a threat to them because they have been abused by someone who resembles that person. Or if a person is frightened of the dog, they emit hormones that dogs smell and react to. If a person runs from a dog they can be attacked out of instinct since they go into prey drive.
Children get attacked because they approach a strange dog, smell like food or make fast, sudden movements which make them prime targets.
So, in my opinion, it is not the dog's fault but also not the person's fault that got attacked. It isthe dog owner's fault. They are required by law to have cotrol of their animal at all times. If the dog was in a locked fence or on a leash they couldn't attack anyone.

Answer 4

I think you would have to treat a question like this in a 'case by case' situation.

Sometimes a dog will react a certain way because that is the way it has been trained OR that is the way it responds as a reaction to years of maltreatment etc.

And other times a dog can and/or will resort to it's base behaviour.

There are certain breeds of dogs that are predisposed to violent reactions. For many years they will be docile family pets, tolerant and loving and then for no apparent reason they will attack. There are several sad stories of owners being mauled to death by their pets.
One such story in Sydney Australia, a woman who kept Staffy's - loved them, treated them like her own flesh and blood and was mauled to death by both dogs. She had been a responsible dog owner, several friends and dog association members attested to the fact. Why did the dogs kill her? There is no known reason other than the fact that they are dogs with a genetic disposition to fight.

At the end of the day all dogs should be treated like the animals they are. They all deserve loving care and attention but they cannot be pushed to a point by humans (or by parents with small children) whereby the dog will react in the only way it knows how.

People are to blame for some dog attacks, but in other circumstances dogs themselves are too.

Answer 5

Yes there are dogs that no matter what you do they are mean.
But people think they look tuff if the dog is mean.
So they breed two mean dogs together to get mean puppies.
So there are dogs out there that are not right in the head.
But it is people that start it by breeding dogs like that.
Have know dog trainers that dogs have trun on them. And I know these dogs were never abuse. But they will put them down right way.
Were other people will breed them.

Dogs are dogs they do not think like humans. But you are right some people do not think at all.

Answer 6

Well I have seen first hand dogs attackign for no reason, but the majority of the dogs are trained to attack, starved, beaten and abused and they attack out of fright. I had my own dog bite me and give me about 35 stitches for no reason. I had just taken her for a walk and was bending down to take her leash off and she bit me on the leg. It was years ago and I still ahve the scars to prove it. She was a great dog and I never blamed her for it, but it was totally unprovoked. Dogs are animals and no matter how loving they are they can still attack if they feel threatened.

Answer 7

Dogs will attack humans without reason, because they are mentally unstable or because they've been taught that way. A lot of dogs (usually pitbulls) are bred to be fighters, and people train them to kill. When these dogs escape, they kill people. It's not really their fault, that's all they know, but they're still a hazard to the public.

Answer 8

I agree with you. To take it just a step further, how about the OWNERS of these dogs controlling them? It's their responsibility except when a bite happens, then the dog's to blame. It's asinine.

Answer 9

I believe that a dog's behavior, somewhat like children, more often than not is a result of upbringing. Dogs that are treated badly as puppies are scared and untrusting of humans, and therefore are quick to snarl and bite as adults.

Answer 10

You are right, it's not fair to blame the dog at all. Dogs (especially 'bully breeds' like APBTs (American Pit Bull Terriers), AmStaffs, Staffies, and Bull Terriers) get bad reps because they are raised to be vicious. No pups are born vicious-people make them that way.