Well, apparently this isn't just an issue in senior living communities. Another client reached out to share a story about something that happened at a recent family gathering. Now keep in mind that while my client has large dogs who are incredibly well-behaved, she knows that not everyone's dogs are required to meet the same expectations she has for her own dogs. Nonetheless, her family members have set the bar so low as to be dangerous. The rest of her family has always had little dogs (right now, Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes) and they've all been bitten multiple times over the years by these dogs and previous small dogs. The dogs have bitten other people too outside the family! And in all instances, these bites were written off as "Oh, he's just a little dog, so it's no big deal!" and "Oh, you scared her when you tried to brush her, so it's your fault!" Basically, her family members have gotten to the point where they honestly believe that getting bitten by their little dogs is okay and par for the course. What makes this situation even more incredible is one of these owners is a young woman who plans in the next couple of years on having children. Dogs who bite, no matter the reason, do not belong in homes with children. Period. No exceptions. It's one thing for a consenting adult to decide that they are willing to live with a dog that bites them, but you cannot knowingly put children into that situation. And trying to keep a child away from a dog and vice versa is difficult at best, and rarely works. I've had many clients over the years attempt to manage their aggressive dogs as children were born into their families. Some were successful at getting their kids through the baby stage and keeping them away from the dogs, but by the time those babies became toddlers, the risk was too high, and most either removed the dog at that point, or were forced to remove the dog because of a bite to their now mobile child.
Let's just take a look at some statistics: The U.S. has a population of roughly 333 million people. Every year, 4.7 million people report being bitten by a dog (I'm certain the number of bites is actually higher than that, it's just many bites go unreported). Of those reported bites, 885,000 dog bite victims require medical attention of some kind. While there are 345,000 emergency room visits in that statistic, the horrifying one is that 32,000 of these emergency room visits are for children between the ages of 5 and 9 years old. Even more sobering is this: Of the fatalities resulting from dog bites, 26% are children between newborn to 2 years of age. While many people would like to think that these bites are all being delivered by Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers, the truth of the matter is that a significant proportion of these bites are from smaller breed dogs including Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Lhasa Apsos, and Jack Russell Terriers. And a study in the "Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science" found the most aggressive dog breed was indeed the Dachshund where one dog in five has tried to bite or has bitten a stranger and one in twelve has tried to bite or has bitten their owner. The second most aggressive dog breed in their study? Chihuahuas.
So, let's circle back to my client living in the retirement community with the 30 lb. weight limit for dogs. Obviously, small dogs can be aggressive and pose a bite risk to people and to other pets. While those bites may not be fatal, they are bites nonetheless. It would be more efficient to base a determination of suitability of a dog to reside in this retirement community on the dog's temperament and behavior. A veterinary evaluation which could include both physical and behavioral health, at a minimum, and an evaluation by a trainer or behaviorist who has seen the dog would be prudent as well. Owners whose dogs have attended training classes and/or have certifications like the CGC, should have those taken into account as well. And the bottom line is any dog with a bite history should not be allowed to reside in a senior community, regardless of size. And for my other client dealing with family members who are ignoring the statistics and putting other people at risk, this has to stop before a child is injured or worse.
I know I've said this before, but dogs do have choices when it comes to biting. Most dogs will try really hard to do anything else BUT bite. They will walk away, they will hide, they will turn away, then will growl or snap, but stop short of biting. People need to heed all of these warnings so that those anxious dogs aren't compelled to bite. This idea that a dog can't help but bite is nonsense. Dogs have choices and those that bite choose to do so. If your dog doesn't like being groomed, then you need to work with him so he doesn't try to bite you (or the groomer) for brushing him. If your dog doesn't like the vet, you need to desensitize him to that environment. And if your dog is "great most of the time," but occasionally makes that choice to bite, then humanely teach him to wear a muzzle in those high stress situations. Bite prevention is key; don't force a dog to make that choice because he is afraid that he has no other options. And if you have children in your house, you really do need a dog that doesn't make those kind of choices and instead just walks away.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
This is a really old picture (Jessica, the little one on my lap, is now 22 years old!), but one of my favorites nonetheless. The collie puppy snuggling up to her is our first collie, Cooper. He was a natural with children and loved them all. I did not call Cooper over to snuggle with us, in fact he was visiting with a friend sitting nearby when he decided to come over, plop down, and lay his snoot gently against Jessica's sleeping face. It's hard to believe that he was just 5 months old when this picture was taken. He was a treasure and one of those rock-solid family dogs every dog owner dreams of having, especially when their children are young.
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