MainlySteam
Well-Known Member
Re: agression response - very, very long
Julian, don't apologise for "going on". Riveting and sensible in my view.
We have just recently been through a media frenzy here over a young girl who got quite bad facial injuries from a dog in a park. No one knows how it happened because it was dark, but the girl's father was of a type able to get himself on TV frequently, get to meet with senior politicians, photo in the paper for months until the frenzy was almost a battle cry of "Death to All Dogs!". It had led to our dog control laws now being revisited and a number of "dangerous" breeds not being allowed to breed nor be imported.
Your comments on people's reaction to bull terriers and the possible ill nature of x-breeds is correct in my view. Peoples view of such dogs is totally misplaced and we have an example at home here. Mid year our daughter returned home from a holiday with (even though we have had various dogs before, not to our great excitement I might add) an English Bull Terrier with some Australian Cattle Dog X pup - the main physical difference is that his face is very terrier like, not the Bull type one. When we take him for a walk people think that he is wonderful, but I cannot help always thinking of many of those same people, if the dog had the English/Staffie or American Bull face, they would be exhibiting the exact opposite reaction. They seem to misplacedly trust the X breed because it does not meet their manipulated and moulded perception of what is and what is not a "dangerous dog".
Fortunately, our daughter's dog does seem to be growing up with a nice (and hopefully trustworthy) nature and the previous litters from the same parents have apparantly grown up to be so. Here's hoping! The saily touch to the post, well he can't come sailing with us when we go away, like the cat and the parrot can, as he can't get up and down the long companionway steps, and he is a bit heavy to be lifting backwards and forewards.
John
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Julian, don't apologise for "going on". Riveting and sensible in my view.
We have just recently been through a media frenzy here over a young girl who got quite bad facial injuries from a dog in a park. No one knows how it happened because it was dark, but the girl's father was of a type able to get himself on TV frequently, get to meet with senior politicians, photo in the paper for months until the frenzy was almost a battle cry of "Death to All Dogs!". It had led to our dog control laws now being revisited and a number of "dangerous" breeds not being allowed to breed nor be imported.
Your comments on people's reaction to bull terriers and the possible ill nature of x-breeds is correct in my view. Peoples view of such dogs is totally misplaced and we have an example at home here. Mid year our daughter returned home from a holiday with (even though we have had various dogs before, not to our great excitement I might add) an English Bull Terrier with some Australian Cattle Dog X pup - the main physical difference is that his face is very terrier like, not the Bull type one. When we take him for a walk people think that he is wonderful, but I cannot help always thinking of many of those same people, if the dog had the English/Staffie or American Bull face, they would be exhibiting the exact opposite reaction. They seem to misplacedly trust the X breed because it does not meet their manipulated and moulded perception of what is and what is not a "dangerous dog".
Fortunately, our daughter's dog does seem to be growing up with a nice (and hopefully trustworthy) nature and the previous litters from the same parents have apparantly grown up to be so. Here's hoping! The saily touch to the post, well he can't come sailing with us when we go away, like the cat and the parrot can, as he can't get up and down the long companionway steps, and he is a bit heavy to be lifting backwards and forewards.
John
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