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Breeds and Behaviorby Janis Bradley reprinted from The Bark (April/May 2011)

 

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The Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Companion Dog

Janis Bradley, author of Dogs Bite, but Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous and Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions and founding faculty member and instructor for ten years at the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, explores the relevance of breed in selecting a companion dog.

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Dakota, Tahoe & Cheyenne, award-winning search and rescue and therapy dogs, pictured here with their handler/owner Kris Crawford * (See below)


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On a warm May day in 2008, a Lancaster woman heard a dog yelping in agony. She looked out of her window to see a young "pit bull" dog running in wild circles, engulfed in flames. She rushed to the tortured dog, ripped off her jacket, using it to try and put out the flames.


This incident demonstrates the best and worst of human behavior and how dogs in California have experienced nearly every imaginable human kindness and cruelty.


We are happy to report that the dog, though terribly burned, survived.


From specialty boutiques that cater to pampered pets, to animals shelters overflowing with unwanted and abused dogs, California, the most populous state in the nation, also has the most diverse experience with dogs.


Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in California serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.


Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically reducing the number of reported dog-related injuries in California and throughout the nation.


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*Dakota, Cheyenne, Tahoe, American Pit Bull Terriers, are accomplished therapy and search and rescue dogs. Dakota was deployed on over 200 search missions, including the Laci Peterson case. Dakota and her handler, Kristine Crawford, were selected by NASA and FEMA to assist in the search for the remains of the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.


See more of the accomplishments of Kris Crawford and her dogs at: http://www.forpitssake.org/sar.html

 

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In 1857, a fire swept through the town of Iowa Hill, California, destroying a Wells Fargo station. From this disaster a symbol for Wells Fargo emerged: the loyal and devoted dog who remains steadfast in the line of duty. During the gold rush era, Wells Fargo agents sometimes used dogs to help guard Wells Fargo treasure. In Auburn, Calif., agent John Q. Jackson kept a 128-pound Mastiff as "friend, counselor and safe guard." A few miles northwest of Auburn, at Iowa Hill, agent T.S. Hotchkiss also had a loyal canine. Wells Fargo's Iowa Hill office was prospering, with as much as $100,000 in gold passing through its hands weekly. (That's about $1.5 million today.) To enhance security, Hotchkiss got a powerful dog named Tiger. "Tig" was trained to lay by the safe and guard it from everyone but his master. Tig performed his duty without incident for several years.


Even as the 1857 fire raged, Tig remained at his post. Agent Hotchkiss twice rescued him from the office, but each time Tig rushed back in. In the excitement, Hotchkiss did not have time to tie the dog securely and keep him from harm. Attention centered on the fire, which spread rapidly and enveloped the office completely. It was not safe in the street, and it was not possible to enter the buildings.


The following morning, Agent Hotchkiss found the charred remains of his heroic friend in the ruins.


Faithfulness such as Tiger's made dogs a universal symbol of security and service for the express business. A dog on the treasure box graces the cover of Wells Fargo's 1883 Directory of Agents and Offices, with the legend "alert and faithful." In 1893, a Wells Fargo employee posed his bulldog puppy on top of a Wells Fargo Treasure Box at the Midwinter Fair in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Thereafter, the photo of Jack on the treasure box became a favorite of Wells Fargo offices around the country. "Jack" is a part of Wells Fargo history, and remains a favorite of Wells Fargo team members today.


But for Wells Fargo, it means more than just fierce protection of customers' assets. Jack the Dog also invokes the memory Iowa Hill's Tig, a Wells Fargo legend who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.


Credit for research and text: Marianne Babal, Wells Fargo Historian.

 


National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?


While the question seems simple enough, the answer is not always what we imagine.


Dog bite numbers offer little useful information about canine behavior. Dog bite numbers are simply a tally of the number of people who sought medical treatment and/or reported a break in skin after exposure to a dog's nail or tooth--or in other words, the number of persons that have been injured interacting with a dog, which interaction may or may not have involved aggression.


So, if dog bite numbers provide little useful information about canine aggression, then what do California's dog bite numbers really tell us about canine / human interaction?


First, they reveal that there is no "dog bite epidemic" in California.


Increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.


Despite significant increases in the human and dog populations, cities and counties in California with dog bite data dating back to the 1970's reveal extraordinary decreases in the number of reported dog-related injuries over the past 3 decades.


Los Angeles has seen the number of reported dog bites decrease from well over 40,000 per year in the 1970s to less than 6,000 per year during past three years. (In 1975, the population of Los Angeles was approximately 2.9 million. By 2006, the population had grown to 3.85 million.)

 


Sources: County of Los Angeles Public Health Reports (1955 data); "Animal Bites: Patterns and Treatment," Ann Emerg Med, April 1981 (1975, 1976 data); Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health (2005, 2006 data).

 


National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965-present) there have been 71 dog bite-related fatalities in California, an average of one to two fatalities per year.
NCRC's 2011 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least seventeen (17) different breed/types of dogs were reported to be involved in these incidents.*
The victims were 20 adults and 51 children.

By far the most populous state, California is also the state with the most dog-bite related fatalities.

Nearly all of the dog bite-related fatalities on children in California involved an infant left unattended with an unfamiliar dog, or an unsupervised children that wandered out to the location of a dog, which include:

In 1971, a 21-month-old Hemet girl wandered out, unsupervised, to a chained dog and was killed.

In 1978 , a 1-year-old St. Helena boy wandered out, unsupervised, to where 2 farm dogs were kept and was attacked and killed.

In 1980, a 2-year-old Ramona girl was killed after she wandered into her neighbor's yard where 4 dogs were kept.

In 1981, a 21-month-old Redondo Beach boy was killed by the resident dog when he wandered into the backyard.

In 1984, a 3-year-old San Jose girl climbed her neighbor's fence and was attacked by the dogs in the yard.

In 1986, a 4-year-old Tuttletown boy wandered away from his home and was attacked by stray dogs.

In 1993, a 2-year-old Portersville boy entered into a pen in which a chained dog was kept. There were no witnesses to the subsequent attack.

In 1994, a Los Angeles woman discarded her 3-day-old infant in a junk-strewn yard in which two dogs resided. The abandoned infant was killed by the dogs.

In 1997, a 3-month-old Contra Costa boy was killed after being left unattended in a car seat on the floor of the home his mother was visiting.

In 2000, a 6-week-old Los Angeles infant was killed after she was left unattended on a bed with the family dog.

In 2002, a 2-week-old Placer County infant was killed after she was unattended near the resident dog.

In 2009, a 17-month-old Merced boy was killed by a dog in the backyard of his babysitter's home.
For information on this case and other dog bite-related fatalities that occurred in 2009, please see 2009 NCRC Final Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities.

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California prosecutors also lead the nation in securing felony convictions of negligent and abusive dog owners and/or parents. Since the 1970's, at least ten (10) Californians have been convicted of manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter after their dogs were involved in a fatality.

In 1982, in what appears to be the first manslaughter conviction in California involving a fatal dog attack, Rex Harvey was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years probation after his dogs fatally mauled his tenant. (San Diego)

In 1987, James Soto, 2, was killed after approaching a neighbor's chained dog. A jury found the dog's owner, Michael Berry, who had intentionally trained his dog to be aggressive, guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The court sentenced Berry to a term of 3 years, 8 months. (Santa Clara)
In 2000, Cash Carson, 10, was walking down a rural road with his friend in Newberry Springs. James Chiavetta was the caretaker for the two dogs pictured above. Although Mr. Chiavetta believed the dogs to be aggressive, as he reportedly would feed them by pushing their food bowls towards them with a stick, he nevertheless released the dogs off their chains to let them "run." The dogs ran out onto the road, and attacked Carson. The male dog inflicted the majority of the injuires, including the fatal wound. Chiavetta was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and received a 4 year sentence.
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In 2001, in the most publicized fatal dog attack in the history of the human/dog bond, Diane Whipple, a San Francisco woman, was mauled to death by her neighbor's dog(s). The ensuing criminal proceedings resulted in convictions and prison sentences for both owners of the dogs, Majorie Knoller and Robert Noel.
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In 2002, the dog pictured above and her male littermate escaped from a yard in Tehama and killed a 6-year-old boy playing in a neighboring yard. The owner of the dogs, C. Schneider, was convicted of manslaughter.

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In 2003, J. Batey of Good Hope left her own children and a child she was babysitting alone in the yard with her dog. The dog attacked and killed the visiting child. Ms. Batey was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Other parents and/or dog owners who, to all appearances were reckless with their dogs, managed to avoid criminal charges. In 1994, for example, a Pomona woman abandoned her 3-day-old newborn in a junk-strewn yard in which two dogs resided. The dogs mauled the infant to death. Charges against the woman were later dismissed.

Occasionally a victim behaves so recklessly that it is difficult to imagine how he or she could have not expected to be attacked by the resident dog. In 2006, a man in Compton scaled a fence to gain access to a business property. Clearly visible signs warned that guard dogs were present. Undeterred, the trespasser climbed down onto the property, where he was attacked and killed by the animals.
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*Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.

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Despite the reckless behavior of some owners, victims, and/or parents, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in California:

Recognized Risks: California Year 2007
Tobacco-related fatalities: 37,800
Total (alcohol & non) traffic deaths: 3,995
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities: 1,132
Bicycle-related fatalities: 132
Persons drowned in swimming pools: 112
ATV-related fatalities: 54
Persons killed by dogs: 2

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, one hundred and eighty-four (184) California children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse/neglect).

In the single year of 2007, more than 3 times as many California children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dog attacks in the state over the past 45 years.

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Fact is, people in California routinely accept far greater risks from bicycles, ATVs and swimming pools than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council