Not a headline you’ve ever seen? You are not likely to
either, though I personally assure you it did happen - to me years
ago. Earlier in the month the Daily had an article titled
“Rottweiler mauls pup”, a sad story in
itself, though that is not what really attracted my attention, it
was some of the absolutely savage comments about larger breeds of
dogs, Rottweilers, Dobermans & German Shepherds being the
ultimate weapons of brutality in the Dog world. These large
canines are so vicious that every precious fluffy animal on the
Coast lives in fear of them. Seriously...
Dogs on the Coast is always a contentious subject, from dining with dogs to them overtaking the beaches, everyone has an opinion and an awful lot of local media print has addressed these issues. I will put my hand up now, I don’t own a dog, though have in the past, including the master of brutality, the Rottweiller. Yep, he was a terrible animal, ‘baring teeth’ over space on the double papasan (showing my age now, they have not been trendy for 2 decades), the daily after work welcome home ‘mauling’ complete with sacrificial animal presentations (ummm the toy bone)... Yes, I am being facetious.
Leone in the office has a beautiful Rottie called Pepper, (officially Princess Pepper Pots LOL!) who’s threat response is to drop flat and roll on her back (terribly vicious NOT). Yet poor Leone has so often had nasty comments while walking her, and my personal favourite, the little dogs owner abusing her and yelling at her to keep her dog away from her precious darling. The fact that Pepper is on a leash, and ‘little darling’ is running riot off-leash and actually ran at Pepper yapping aggressively seems to inconsequential. The next step in the saga is for the ‘terrified’ owner to pick up her precious child of a dog, of course putting the little dog above the eye level of the larger dog, reinforcing the superiority complex of the little dog. Small dog complex being alive and well. Of course Pep being Pep has already forgotten about the ball of the fluff, while poor Leone is the one feeling threatened, without reason.
This article is in defence of our 'clueless' Pepper and her larger kin. Poor Pepper, she is a beautiful example of a Rottweiller, unfortunately she is not the brightest bulb in the room, though as we all say, “at least she is pretty” LOL!
Sitting on the balcony, I see this scenario on a regular basis. It seems to be that large dog owners will have their dogs on leads while walking the majority of times, yet little dogs are not? I have been set upon twice in the past by a Chihuahua of all things, yes, I know, embarrassing, but you try having those little fangs sunk into the back of your Achilles and you will not be thinking so kindly of the little Mexican assassins. Herein lies the point, no-one is going to Council or the RSPCA accusing the neighbour’s Pomeranian of attacking them, that would just be WAY TOO embarrassing, not sure the daily would be interested in an article like that either? But, I am not the only one who has had a run in with these little ‘masters of the universe’...
Yes, due to the size of a large dog, their instincts, jaw lock and the like, they can be dangerous, though it seems to me that most responsible dog owners who love the larger breeds, do train their dogs well, don’t normally leave them off-leash, and in fact, most of the larger breeds are just too bloody lazy to bother attacking anyone. The odd occasion when I have heard of a seriously savage attack, it has been a dog that has either been badly mistreated or felt seriously threatened. They don’t tend to wake up wondering what child or puppy they will savage that day to please their owner? Little Boys bully more than girls in primary schools, yet we don’t suggest that people not have male children to keep us all ‘safe’?
The Gun saying is really relevant, “Guns don’t kill people, People Do!”, very similar, your average domestic dog (regardless of breed) is a lot like a kid, a reflection of it’s up-bringing and environment. So blame the owner, not the dog, and please don’t generalise. That big black Rottie you see might be Pepper who will definitely not hurt your precious ball of fluff, in fact, she thinks every dog is her friend. Leone and her family should not be discriminated against when they walk their dog. Many of our friends have large dogs, they don’t deserve the rap, and to this day, I am still more inclined to cross the street, upon seeing the bulge-eyed Chihuahua sizing me up at a distance, then the pair of Dobermans regally walking either side of their owner...
Not that I am totally dissing all small dogs, some are quite cute, and of course we remember the lovely Lilly who passed away recently, though for all the feral anti big breed people out there, “ALL dogs can bite”, so please, keep it in perspective.
cheers
Noely
Dogs on the Coast is always a contentious subject, from dining with dogs to them overtaking the beaches, everyone has an opinion and an awful lot of local media print has addressed these issues. I will put my hand up now, I don’t own a dog, though have in the past, including the master of brutality, the Rottweiller. Yep, he was a terrible animal, ‘baring teeth’ over space on the double papasan (showing my age now, they have not been trendy for 2 decades), the daily after work welcome home ‘mauling’ complete with sacrificial animal presentations (ummm the toy bone)... Yes, I am being facetious.
Leone in the office has a beautiful Rottie called Pepper, (officially Princess Pepper Pots LOL!) who’s threat response is to drop flat and roll on her back (terribly vicious NOT). Yet poor Leone has so often had nasty comments while walking her, and my personal favourite, the little dogs owner abusing her and yelling at her to keep her dog away from her precious darling. The fact that Pepper is on a leash, and ‘little darling’ is running riot off-leash and actually ran at Pepper yapping aggressively seems to inconsequential. The next step in the saga is for the ‘terrified’ owner to pick up her precious child of a dog, of course putting the little dog above the eye level of the larger dog, reinforcing the superiority complex of the little dog. Small dog complex being alive and well. Of course Pep being Pep has already forgotten about the ball of the fluff, while poor Leone is the one feeling threatened, without reason.
This article is in defence of our 'clueless' Pepper and her larger kin. Poor Pepper, she is a beautiful example of a Rottweiller, unfortunately she is not the brightest bulb in the room, though as we all say, “at least she is pretty” LOL!
Sitting on the balcony, I see this scenario on a regular basis. It seems to be that large dog owners will have their dogs on leads while walking the majority of times, yet little dogs are not? I have been set upon twice in the past by a Chihuahua of all things, yes, I know, embarrassing, but you try having those little fangs sunk into the back of your Achilles and you will not be thinking so kindly of the little Mexican assassins. Herein lies the point, no-one is going to Council or the RSPCA accusing the neighbour’s Pomeranian of attacking them, that would just be WAY TOO embarrassing, not sure the daily would be interested in an article like that either? But, I am not the only one who has had a run in with these little ‘masters of the universe’...
Yes, due to the size of a large dog, their instincts, jaw lock and the like, they can be dangerous, though it seems to me that most responsible dog owners who love the larger breeds, do train their dogs well, don’t normally leave them off-leash, and in fact, most of the larger breeds are just too bloody lazy to bother attacking anyone. The odd occasion when I have heard of a seriously savage attack, it has been a dog that has either been badly mistreated or felt seriously threatened. They don’t tend to wake up wondering what child or puppy they will savage that day to please their owner? Little Boys bully more than girls in primary schools, yet we don’t suggest that people not have male children to keep us all ‘safe’?
The Gun saying is really relevant, “Guns don’t kill people, People Do!”, very similar, your average domestic dog (regardless of breed) is a lot like a kid, a reflection of it’s up-bringing and environment. So blame the owner, not the dog, and please don’t generalise. That big black Rottie you see might be Pepper who will definitely not hurt your precious ball of fluff, in fact, she thinks every dog is her friend. Leone and her family should not be discriminated against when they walk their dog. Many of our friends have large dogs, they don’t deserve the rap, and to this day, I am still more inclined to cross the street, upon seeing the bulge-eyed Chihuahua sizing me up at a distance, then the pair of Dobermans regally walking either side of their owner...
Not that I am totally dissing all small dogs, some are quite cute, and of course we remember the lovely Lilly who passed away recently, though for all the feral anti big breed people out there, “ALL dogs can bite”, so please, keep it in perspective.
cheers
Noely
Original Issue #140: "Chihuahua savages young girl..." The
MSC Editors Desk 16 May 2012
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