Before we go any further, let me make myself very clear: I am against breed specific dog bans. Although I understand the reasons behind them, when you are statistically more likely to be bitten by a Labrador Retriever, it doesn’t make much sense to ban pit bulls. There are those that say that without these breed specific bans, the statistics would change and the incidence of attacks by the banned breeds would increase. Perhaps these people are right. But, as a professional dog trainer and past and current owner of several banned breeds, I know for a fact that it is not the dog, but the owner who is at fault when the dog gets into trouble.
So, that said, let me go ahead and seemingly contradict myself. I am seeing more and more large, exotic breeds of dogs showing up in places surprisingly inappropriate for these breeds. Cane Corso, Tibetan Mastiff, Presa Canario, African Boerboel. I’ve seen every one of these dogs in Fort Collins. Some of them off lead and out of their owner’s immediate control. Why does this upset me? Because these breeds of dogs make the pitbull look like a child’s stuffed toy in comparison. A well-bred, well-socialized pitbull would never hurt someone without provocation. As part of the breed’s genetic make up, aggression towards people was not allowed. As the breed became more popular, ill-intentioned people started creating dogs with an interest in hurting people. These dogs, although rare, are the ones that get all the press. On the other hand, the Cane Corso, the Tibetan Mastiff, the Presa Canario, and the African Boerboel were bred to intimidate, control, and in some cases, kill people. In my opinion, this isn’t a good breed for the suburbs.
Years ago I was called to assist in capturing a Tibetan Mastiff that was loose and had already attacked a little girl. While a cop and I were discussing strategy, the roommate of the dog’s owner arrived and said he’s get the dog for us. Great! We let him. The guy went around the corner of a building and called the dog. Suddenly, we heard horrible screaming. Running to the back of the building we saw that the man was down, the dog on top ripping and slashing. Not able to safely stop the attack, the cop had to shoot the dog. The dog was trying to kill someone he had been living with for six months. That year, all three Tibetan Mastiffs living in Marin County were shot while in the process of attacking people.
I’m not against the owning of these dogs. However, people need to understand what they have and treat them for what they are: a loaded, dangerous weapon. If you are going to be in the suburbs, you better know what you’ve got. There is no safety switch on these dogs. Use your head. Maybe these breeds are rare for a reason.
