Local news story: Man was attacked by his own Labrador Retriever during a “family altercation”. The dog was tasered by police because it was “out of control” and they couldn’t otherwise contain him. The man was taken to the hospital by ambulance for serious bite wounds.
(How differently would this story have likely read if it had been a pit bull?)
I usually don’t read the comments on news stories like this because really, what is the point in increasing my blood pressure for nothing? But for some reason, this time I did. And the last one reads, in part, “Anyone else have info on statistics of labs having such a vicious trait? [ hmmmm, it could have been a mix-- maybe with a pit bull?]”
Why? Why are Labradors some kind of superdogs who have left all their dogness behind and never harm anyone no matter what? Has it been through some sort of super-stellar breeding program (possibly on the Amish and Mennonite farms around here who are churning them out a dime a dozen) that they have transcended their animal selves and become somehow “more” or “better” than other dogs?
If it has teeth, it can bite. If it’s put in a bad situation, it may bite. If it has shaky genetics, lousy socializing, or was treated harshly, it may be more likely to bite.
Pit bull people are often big on this- we don’t *know* the dog was really a pit bull. And part of that is because often times the dog in question really isn’t a pit bull. Sometimes there’s a photo that makes that very clear. Sometimes it’s reported that the dog was 100 pounds, which is twice your average pit bull. Once, the pit bull was actually a bull. As in “moo”. (That guy died. Significantly more people are killed by cows every year than by dogs.)
It’s somehow bitterly amusing to see the opposite side of this- how do we *know* it was a Labrador? They are never vicious! Must have been a pit bull!
In another situation, a dog acting like this could well have been called a hero. Just depends on whom the dog is attacking and whom the dog is defending. Violence begets violence. But it’s a lot easier to get away with violence when you’re not a dog. I believe that this dog will be euthanized at the shelter at the request of the owners after the ten day quarantine period.
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AKA Mushroom. AKA ShroomD. The fungus among us. Grandma-lover. Bed-hogger. Official Zombie Protection Dog.
I…um…wait…so a bull attacked someone and the news site called it a pit bull? Really?
I think if this had been a pit bull or a dog that they could claim was a pit bull it would have been “Dog shot during family altercation.” They never seem to just taser pit bulls. They shoot them. It’s sad.
The headline was pit bull attacks man, but the story was about a bull. They caught it and corrected it fairly quickly, but it was HILARIOUS. I wish I had thought to screen cap it. This was… five years ago maybe?
It’s a sad truth. Actually, the only dog I’ve ever met that I can say would have killed me if given a chance was a lab. A dog is a dog, like you said.
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I have had to distance myself from reading dog bite articles, of all kinds. It just depresses the crap out of me how disconnected from dogs we are, while we continue to welcome them as companions in our lives.
As an aside, I recognize our language is geared towards viewing nonhumans as inanimate objects. I hope this changes…but only if those of us who call Luce a “she” and Mina a “her” apply that same logic to all dogs (and other nonhumans). I cringe every time I read a dog referred to as an “it”.
so, this family dog obviously reacted when some sort of “family altercation” was going on .. i.e. the guy was beating up his wife or kids ya think? And somehow he is a “bad dog”… disgusting
Just like boys will be boys…dogs will be dogs. It’s the owner’s responsibility to keep the dog and the public at large safe. Any dog can bite given the right circumstance. It’s kind of like humans…they can be pushed to do almost anything too.
Labs cant bite? I have a now 6 year old pure bred golden lab rescue that I can never rehome. I got him when he was one, at the time I didnt know he had been so badly raised that he attacked men and children on sight, they didnt have to do anything, he just had to see them. He doesnt attack anyone now and hasnt even tried since about three months after I got him, but I cant say and would never guarantee that if he was put in a bad situation that he wouldnt attack again, so he stays with me forever. The breed has nothing to do with it.