Are You Afraid Of Dogs?

I've never been frightened of dogs although I do respect them. One of my sisters was attacked by a German shepherd while delivering telephone books many, many years ago. She was badly bitten on the leg. I blame the owners more than the dogs. Most dogs really like me for some reason. I don't have a dog of my own right now but I live in a house with my sister and she has 3 dogs, a Maltipoo, a wolfhound mix, and a Rottweiler mix. Especially with the large breeds, you have to let them know you are the alpha, not them.

I am a big dog lover, have only had German shepherds. My children have boxers, shar peis and akitas.
The only dogs that scare me are the little yappy, jumping ones.

I love dogs, we have an Australian Shepherd and as a child and growing up we always had German Shepherds - the only dog that scares me is a Doberman and it is more the fact that it just looks mean!

i only don't like spiders or insects large enough to walk away with my lunch. dogs aren't an issue. don't show fear and they like you fine. show fear and they attack. though i never had any run up to me and attack so i don't know if any of those things would stop one. i usually offer a hand to sniff and pet them. though i wouldn't want to own one.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Only time I was a little "leery" of dogs was when I went somewhere eons ago (can't remember where it was) where there were two guard dogs chained to a fence. They were really going at it when I got out of my car. Didn't go anywhere near them.

I had setters - one Irish, one Gordon. Friendly and kinda' goofy dogs. Smart too.

I'm not in the least bit scared of dogs. I own a German Shepherd. If a dog bites, I too, feel it's the owners responsibility. Unless, of course, the dog was being attacked or hurt in some way and he defends himself. I understand the personality of most animals (and birds, since I'm a birds of prey photographer...I have to understand them as well and know my boundaries), and I respect them. I can read a dog very easily to determine how it's going to behave. And of course I know my own dog's personality well enough to know what his trigger points are and when he should not be trusted. I never, ever let a child pet him or even come up to him unless I make him lie down first and make sure he is calm. And I explain to the child not to try to touch his tennis ball (he always carries a tennis ball when we're outside). I don't trust him with children, therefore he is very closely supervised when around any child. He also hates other dogs, so I never let him near another dog for safety reasons. As an owner, it's my responsibility to have control of my dog and I take that responsibility very seriously, unlike most of my neighbors with their dogs.

I have a clear sign posted on the window by my front door to handle door to door salesmen {No Soliciting | No Religious Inquiries | Beware of Dog}. I also have a command I use with the dog to send him to another room before I will open the front door. He's VERY aggressive at the front door since an incident with a salesman at the door 2 years ago. The guy came up in the rain, after dark, around Christmas and I cracked the door open to see what he wanted (I actually thought it was a delivery from UPS and it wasn't until I opened the door a little that I realized there was no truck out there). I said "Not interested" and started to close the door and the man attempted to shove some papers through the crack in the door anyway. Bad move on his part - He almost lost his hand doing that! After that, the sign went up on the door and I did front door training with Max so when I CHOOSE to open the door, I can, by sending him to another room. And if someone ignores my signage and I don't want to open the door, I allow Max to stand at the door and bark and growl at them through the window. After all, I did get him for protection. :)

I love dogs and have two of my own. One of them is a Staffordshire Terrier...some people consider her to be a pit bull and you know what their reputation is like. Years ago she was attacked by two wolf/husky dogs and they did some serious damage to her. Ever since then I've been a little leery of dogs although I'm still really drawn to them. I feel like I can't trust them 100% anymore though.

Debbie, Funny that you mentioned Dobermans...I had an appointment with a client at his home...he and his Doberman greeted me at the door....I instinctively steped back and he assured me she wasa sweetheart.
She laid her head in my lap during the presentation and kept me company for the two weeks I was painting the client's office.
She had a look in her eyes that said " We Dobermans get a bad rap."

I am a dog lover. I love dogs so much and dogs like me, my husband says I was a dog in a previous life. :)

Just last night, our neighbor knocks on our door, asking us if our dog got loose, as they seen a black and white husky. (My dog is black, white, brown and part husky). It wasn't our dog, he was with us. However, my husband and I had a pretty good idea who is was. Our other neighbor/friend has two dogs, a husky and a golden retriever. So, we walk down the street calling the dog's name, I saw the golden retriever coming towards me and I took her home. Mind you this was in the dark and most people (like the neighbors who knocked on my door) would be afraid to approach dogs in the dark. I, on the other hand wasn't and well the dogs know me pretty well.

I posted this story on my facebook. A friend commented saying she doesn't like dogs and "But my biggest peeve is people that expect everyone to cater to their dog or give it attention." I have only met a couple of people who treat their dogs so much, as if they were human. I understand some people do not like dogs, but I am not a dog owner who thinks everyone should pet/play or even talk to my dog.

If I come across a dog while out on a walk, I will want to meet and pet the dog. I will always ask the owner if it's ok to pet the dog. Some people will shy away from big dogs. I have even seen owners of big dogs control the dog as they walk by other people, so the dog doesn't even sniff other people. Me, on the other hand, I will walk right up to it. :)

Don't get me wrong, I do take caution with all dogs, but I don't act afraid and the dogs sense that, so they greet me with happiness. :)

Not at all. I am extremely comfortable around dogs - it doesn't occur to me to have a fear of them.
I guess I naturally read them well having grown up with many. I find that being "dismissive" of a dog and allowing him to check you out works very well if he is not overtly friendly.
Dogs, like most animals react to your energy.

Yes, some dogs are bad - & people have been hurt tragically by them. I am not blaming a victim of a dog attack.


I do believe people need to research & rethink their choice of breed before expecting an animal with fangs to co exist peacefully in their home. Dogs are pack animals & they need to run & often hunt. People need to understand "the nature of the beast ".
Humans fail animals.

Just changed my Avatar. That's Mattie part wolf. She is 15 years old and 4 pounds.

Nope, not really. I've had big dogs, Great Danes and now a small Havanese.

But here's my "almost afraid of dog" story. Many years ago, I was a runner and loved running,10k's and Half-Marathons were my specialty. Never won anything, just liked the event and the social aspect of running. I had many places that I ran and since I ran long distances in races, I had to train longer distances during the week. One long loop that I had, a 10 miler,had about a mile on this main drag,4 lane highway,with strip malls and still a few Florida houses,right on the highway,since every time they widened the road, these homeonwers lost more of their front yards. Anyway, I started after I got home from work and by an hour or so into this run, it was dark,which I didn't mind at all. I was cruising down that 1 mile stretch that was on the highway, when up ahead, I saw this huge German Shepard,sitting on this porch and about 10 feet towards the highway and where I would be running, was this rinky dink 4 foot chain link fence. I actually moved off the sidewalk and ran in the street for a few houses, but he came charging up to the fence and was barking like a nut! He was standing on the fence and watching me and barking! Needless to say, I picked up the pace a bit! About a quarter of a mile later, back on the sidewalk and about a couple of hundred yards from where I could turn off from the highway and run through quiet streets, I started to hear this barking behind me and it seemed it was getting closer!!! I picked up the pace, but the barking was now even closer and coming much faster than I could run!!! I couldn't see any dog,becasue of the carlights in my eyes, but it was coming fast. At this point, I'm running as fast as I can, to get to the turn off and the quiet streets. Finally, I'm ready to collapse and I turn around to face this monster dog and..............a VW bus comes by, with a St. Bernard hanging out of the window,barking and passes me by....................

Not sure that stain ever came out............

Rich

I've come close to being attacked on more than one occasion and I'm not afraid of dogs. I like them more than I like some people. We have a pit bull. :)

I've had that experience on our local hiking trail, Crystal. People regularly walk their dogs on that trail, and some of them hold their dog (usually a large one) close to them and wait for you to pass. I really like it, though when they just let the dog come up to me so I can give him/her a good pet. I love dogs, just don't want any pets any more. It's too sad when they leave us....

Big loose dogs yes. My super model Tiki was attacked on a hiking trail by a big dog. He was on a leash, the other dog was not. I had to crack a stick over the dog and then walked two miles carrying my dog off the mountain and to the vet for stitches.

$500 vet bill and weeks of recovery. The owner of other dog made sure to race down the mountain so they could take off before we could take down their license. Now we can't even enjoy hiking with our dog because it was so traumatizing for all involved.

....

Growing up I had a boxer chase me up a playground slide and lunge at me leaving a tooth mark near my hip. Had another do chase after me while biking.

...

Another time walking Tiki in Maine we went by a nursing home. Some man was putting to Corgi's in the car. They came flying down the hill towards us. I figured they were nice little dogs wanting to play. Nope. Nasty little things. They came after Tiki and started biting his legs.

I encounter pet dogs frequently in my business as a real estate appraiser. They don't scare me. Most times they just sniff and lick, as well as smelling my cats on my clothes.

The only animal that's really scared me was a large male deer, who I came across while out walking late at night. We didn't see each other until we were about five feet apart. The deer let out a loud grunt and ran off suddenly. Nearly peed my pants.

EDIT: Oh, I was bitten by a dog that my roommate was watching for a friend. It was my own fault, really. The black lab jumped on a friend who was visiting, and I pulled the dog back with my hands around his chest. He didn't like this very much and bit through my thumb. Still, I don't fear dogs.

No, I've never really been afraid of dogs, but now that I own a Boxador (Boxer/Labrador mix) and take him twice daily to the dog park, I have encountered a lot of people who are afraid of dogs and don't want mine near them, even though he is not aggressive in the least. One woman started having conniptions as soon as my dog approached her dogs to sniff them (that's doggy for hello!) and started yelling at him and hitting him on the head with a stick. She told me to put my dog on a leash and leave the park because "his kind" had attacked her dogs before. As far as I was concerned, she was the only aggressive one in the bunch.

I love dogs (although bitten twice as a child and attacked while jogging..) and respect them. I own a Siamese cat.

I cut my teeth on a Rottie. You can have no fear of them. Or they play. That playing does not turn out well.

The only time I was sort of bit, the dog was so small his teeth could not even scratch my leg.

Dave

the only dog i'm afraid of, are hot dogs. the ones that fall between the grill, then catch fire, and set the other ones on fire... that's a horror right there.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

When I lived in Maine I had a neighbor who was kind of a mess. Ex-junkie living in a derelict barn type building who ran a horse riding stable on the property of some blue blood summer people. Basically she was keeping an eye on the place.

She had three rottweilers who used a smashed out window as a doggie door. The woman had a sheet across and doorway to keep out the cold. Anyway the dogs would get out or someone let them out she claimed.

Once in my backyard I spotted them triangulating around me like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. Spooky. I just slowly backed all the way to the house.

Another time she showed up in driveway on a horse (I kid you not) and wanted help finding one of the escapees. I drove her around miles from the house and the dog appeared from the woods, jump into the car and put its massive head in my lap. That was a tense drive back.

Edward,

Dogs have massive senses of humor. Rotties are the smartest of dogs. Why are they so smart?

Almost every dog has a job. Guard dog, retriever, pointer, shepherd, herds dog etc.......The Rottie is the only dog that is bred to
do every job. And do them all well.

All dogs know that the next dog they meet on the street is also a dog. Only rotties know which dogs are rotties and which dogs are not rotties.

BTW dogs have a language. If they bark that means go away. If they use a very low growl, that means I will bite you. If those 3
rots were not giving you a low growl, remember they knew it was not their territory, they were rounding you up. Like a bull in a barn yard.

Humor is.

Just like a few guys with riffles can go out hunting for fun, dogs play games that can turn deadly. All in fun. Playing is the root of
dog behavior. The language for playing to to go low on the front paws.

Dave

They probably are smart but they also have large teeth and are extremely scary when three of them surround you as if they are hunting prey. Seriously, imagining going out in your remote backyard and seeing a large dog in the trees looking at you and then turning your head and seeing another and then look in the opposite direction and spotting another!

Also they were most likely hungry because their owner could barely feed herself.

.

I am so much afraid of dog right now! About 3-month ago a friend of my let her dog out from the back door of her house while I was at her front door, the dog was so happy to see me and he ran behide my leg causing me falling backward and fractured my lumbar. I was so much in pain for about 2-months. My doctor said if I do not
getting better, I have to have "Kyphoplasty" next month? I am getting better but I am so much scare each time I see a strange active dog. By the way, I have 2 big dogs in my house but they are older and not very active. I have to see my doctor again next month and hope that I do not have to have Kyphophasty?

Have A Great Thankgiven Everyone, To-Tam

Louise,

Might I add, Puppy Stores are just wrong. Petco does not sell puppies because it would
encourage the puppy mills. We need states to pass laws against selling puppies on the retail level.

Besides the cruelty of it, the pups are often poorly bred.

Dave

Louise,

I was half writing what I thought about all dogs coming from the wolf.

They come from a mix of wolf and an African canine. I forget the name of the African canine.
It is well known. It is a smaller canine. By mixing the two. dogs were brought out of the DNA.

Otherwise you would just have more wolves.

BTW, I heard an NPR program that lions had only about 700 years ago been living and roaming
in London. It is possible that wolves and this African canine had overlapping territories.

I have only heard the name from my good friend of this African canine. I can not now remember
it. If I had seen it written down I would have a much better memory of the name.

Dave

Generally I would agree and strongly believe a rescue should be the way to go, but that can be disastrous too and one has to do their diligence. I got a rescue and she tragically died 3 weeks later of distemper because the shelter didn't quarantine her nor had her checked out by a vet before we took her. My second dog, which I had to wait 3 months to get due to having a dog with distemper in the house, I got from a "puppy store" and she was fully vaccinated, had vet visits up until we got her and was my joy for 16 years. The store only took in local pups, no puppy mill dogs and mine was a Shihtzu-American Eskimo mix. A shelter here has been making local news because of mismanagement, its poor handling of the animals and high kill rate.
Like anything else, there are good ones and bad and you have to be really careful, do your research and don't just "rescue" to look good.

My current dogs are an "open" adoption from a former coworker (I keep her updated on all Spacey's antics and such) and an adoption from my sister whose dog had 3 pups. You have to know what you're getting from the very beginning and know how the dog came to be. With that first dog, when I confronted the shelter, they couldn't keep their stories straight on how she got there and had no reason as to why she hadn't been quarantined on arrival. She arrived on a Friday and I picked her out on Saturday and took her home Monday. Distemper takes 48 hours to incubate so if she got it from the shelter, she might have been ok had I taken her right away. She never should have been put up for adoption for at least 2 weeks at any rate as the symptoms began within a week of bringing her home and took another 2 weeks for my vet to realize what it was and that it had become fatal.

~Hi Walter, its best to present the full sentence because its better for a thinking mind to read it as written -
"How we react to social concerns and fears could lead to discrimination or lead to fair solutions."

also discrimination often needs no cause of social concern or fear, it can purey come from hatred, a very primitive emotion

Jason, that was NOT the sentence I quoted. Please scroll up. The sentence I quoted was written 12 hrs ago (at the time of this writing) Third paragraph in your post there.

I will further note that your reply seems a bit pedantic, and I would greatly appreciate it if we can avoid such language as may appear as such. You may not have intentionally meant the comment as to sound that way. If so I perhaps simply misread it.

Now as to your statement; "(D)iscrimination often needs no cause of social concern or fear, it can purely come from hatred, a very primitive emotion”

I fully understand that.

Here is my sentence.

“I submit that discrimination is often based---if not totally at least partially---on what you call social concern/fear.”

I will call your attention to these words in the sentence: “often based---if not totally at least partially”

Of course, the word hatred is in itself a rather emotionally charged word. We could delve into the source of the hatred of which you speak?

Now to move on, I wonder what your own ideas are as to the suggestion made in the Ted Talk video I shared.

I took this a step further in presenting the idea we could possibly train even our pets (especially dogs...in that this has become a sub-issue in the thread) in ways to further enhance our world.

Once more I thank you, and the others for the input you have shared on this thread.

Well absolutely no inference on yourself or others Walter.. simply a disection and examination of the dynamics of human thought, the interplay of emotions, concerns, experiences, love of dog, fear of dog, hatred of dogs, how we express ourselves and what are the influences on the best ways of thinking and analysing; this is with regards your op "Are you afraid of dogs" and the wider social concern, and how proceeding on a policy making level could occur in view of such passionate opposing and disagreeing and diverging opinions, would be..... i contest, my true agenda, a convergence of opinions is desirable in policy making... but often not achieved

yep, those crows were smart, ideal pets id say, replace those annoying helicopter things, take photos with em! Theyre probably edible too


Yes if only we could train dogs to bite themsleves or eat themselves when angry... or learn first aid... teach em to patch up another dog or kid before they piss off sort of thing... haha ok im off now, interesing thread. We should compare dog crime figures in a few years time tho...nuff said. This knob is off.

I have never been afraid of dogs. I have been bitten many times by dogs in yards on chains when I was a kid.....Dogs follow me everywhere.......We truly have a connection.

That is certainty and interesting situation, Joy. Thanks for sharing it.

Dear Dan Richards,

So sorry to read your experience with dogs has been so negative. How could I possibly refute what you feel so vehemently about, but it is sad to learn you weren't able to connect with man's best friend.

Not sure how I missed the post by Dan Richards. Actually, I think I read it and meant to respond but simply forgot. (Thank you Kelly, for bringing it to my attention.)

When I was seven my brother and his friend talked me into knocking down an active wasp nest. They told me to simply knock it down and then run as fast as I could.

I still remember the sheer terror instilled in me as four of the wasps SMACKED me in the back of the head with surprising force. Coupled with the pain of their stingers...well, needless to say that at seven years old, I was traumatized.

As stated above I was able to overcome my phobia. I should note that I most certainly have a healthy respect for wasps for their sting is a bit painful, and there is certainly no need to provoke them. Knowledge is a very powerful thing. I know that it helped me overcome my fear. Wasps and/or bees only sting when they, or their territory are threatened.

“You can never trust them, (dogs) in any way...they are such a dangerous animal.”

Excuse me, Dan, but to project your own fears---even if they seem well founded--- onto others and then go further by implying that ALL dogs are dangerous is, in my opinion, a mistake.

As well, to belatedly state (when referring to all dogs) :
“Man bred the intelligence out of dogs, as well as the stability.”

I am not sure just how to respond to that.


For the most part the vast majority of dogs are loving caring beings.

Have a quick look at this page. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+mourns+dead+friend+

I do hope that you will take the time to reevaluate your feeling regarding dogs. Aside from the dog that attacked me that night long ago, my memory banks are full of experiences with dogs that brought me joy, entertainment, amusement, and wonder.

It was at my mother's wake that my nephew's big, 'dumb', sometimes drooling, yet incredibly smart, and somewhat talented, (lots of dogs can catch a Frisbee, but can they catch a tennis ball?) Golden Retriever entertained us.

The last dog my mother owned was a Golden. As well she had the pleasure of meeting, Beaufort.

Not only did she love the dog, she was amused by the fact that while our immediate family was from NC, and her newest Grandson was from SC, there was the distinction made in the pronunciation for the dog's NAME!

To better understand: Both NC and SC have coastal towns named Beaufort. Yet the pronunciation of the towns are quite different.

I dedicated the video/sideshow to my mother. As I shot the stills of Beaufort, I am confident she was smiling down at us.


And later, when I titled it, she was sure to be the first to pick up on the reason I titled it as I did.

Not to mention the choice of music! :-)))

Note: Please remember to change the settings on youtube to 1080p HD.

I found this site interesting.

http://list25.com/25-most-dangerous-dog-breeds/

Some outstanding bits on different breeds.

American Bandogge #24
“...a cross breed between an American Pit Bull Terrier and a Neapolitan Mastiff. In spite of its muscular look, the dog was not originally bred for fighting. Nevertheless, some have used it as fighting dog.”

Cane Corso #23
“...a descendant of the Canis Pugnax, which were dogs used by the Romans in warfare.”

Dogo Argentino #20
“...the Dogo was bred to be non-aggressive towards humans. Nevertheless, it is illegal to own a Dogo in the United Kingdom under their Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.”

Gull Dong #18
“The Gull Dong (also known as the Pakistani Bull Dog) is a cross breed between the Gull Tarrier and the Bully Kutta. Extremely strong and powerful, the Dong was specifically bred as a fighting dog and is known to be very aggressive and difficult to control.”

Fila Brasileiro #13
“Owing to its size, temperament and potential for aggression, the Brazilian Mastiff has been banned in many countries.”

Wolf Hybrid #9
“...a cross breed between a dog and a wolf (typically a gray wolf). Consequently, Wolf-dog hybrids are a mixture of genetic traits resulting in less predictable behavior patterns compared to either the wolf or dog.”

Pitbull #2
“The term ‘pit bull’ encompasses certain breeds of dog from the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and the American Bulldog. Originally bred for baiting bulls and bears the majority of their breeds were also used for dog fighting in numerous parts of the world and is considered as the most dangerous dog in America.”

I searched some of these breeds and found some interesting stuff.

The American Kennel Club recognizes 180 breeds. https://www.akc.org/breeds/complete_breed_list.cfm

One may only wonder; what with the 'self-proliferation' strays, neighborhood pets, and such, just how many “unclassified breeds” be found in our country.

As to my story in the OP I am now able to say ONLY, that the dog LOOKED like a German Shepard! Perhaps it's great, great, great, granddaddy mated with a Siberian Husky (mainly) , and it's great, great, Grand-momma, had a fling with a Tosa Inu that was only part Tosa Inu and was partly
Doberman?

I suppose buying an AKC registered dog is one way of at least narrowing down the possibilities?

The only two AKC registered dogs that I remember my Dad buying was a Beagle, and a Golden Retriever. My Mom once bought a Shih Tzu. With 'papers'.

As for myself I have owned several dogs but they were either strays I took in, or rescue dogs.

While I can certainly appreciate those that buy dogs with a pedigree, I am extremely saddened by the number of “once pets” that are put down every year in this country.

Please excuse me for rambling. But this is a subject near and dear to my heart. Even though---and here comes the big surprise---while I absolutely LOVE dogs, I am at heart a CAT person! LOL.

I've been way closer to a mother black bear and her three cubs than I ever intended to get, not on purpose mind you (though I did get some great photos), so dogs are nothing.

Dogs are nothing?

“38 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2012.” source:
http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2012.php

Keep in mind this is only for the year, 2012.

“At least 63 people were killed in 59 incidents by non-captive black bear (Ursus americanus)
during 1900–2009” Source
http://black-bear.org/orig_data/BART/training/supplemental/Fatal%20Attacks%20by%20Black%20Bear-Herrero.pdf

Yes, bears are larger, more powerful, but dogs are much more dangerous.

Having worked on a survey crew for more than four years in the wilds of eastern NC I too have had encounters with black bears. Yet they are much much, more docile, and much less dangerous than dogs that may be found right down the street in an urban, or suburban area.

I believe that your bravado may be misplaced in this discussion, Mr Sinon.

Not really. The question was, "Are you afraid of dogs?" Sure dogs my injure/kill more people than black bears, but the simple answer is I'm still not afraid of them.

I love dogs, as well as cats. I would never want to own a dog though- they need to go outside often and there are often days where I'll be out of the house for 14 or 15 hours straight. I prefer cats personally - I like that they are more independent and for the most part capable of taking care of themselves. I'm currently living with three cats (two are my girlfriend's and one is mine). Our cats greet us at the door when we get home and two of them like to play fetch so it's like the best of both worlds :).

Oh yea to answer the actual question no, I'm not afraid of dogs at all. I take a wee bit of caution when approaching one but that's about it.

Dogs don't "need" to go out-many smaller dogs are trained to use pads as well as to use "doggie doors" so that owners don't have to take them. I always wanted to teach mine to use the john. LOL
Is it really fair to any pet, dog or cat, to leave them for 14 hours at a time? One should have pets to be with them, not just out of convenience but as part of the responsibility of having them and the desire to spend time with them. After all, that is what they desire of us.

It's not every day Louise... But I think it's normal to be out that long some days...

Sometimes a 2 hour commute to work depending on traffic + eight hour work day + 1 1/2 hour commute back + stop at gym on the way home some nights, also sometimes need to set aside time to go out and take more photos...

This is a fairly standard schedule for a lot of people. I'd say a cat fits my type of lifestyle perfectly. We give them plenty of love and attention when we get home. We also take time to play with each one individually. So it's really not that bad. Maybe 2 or 3 days a week are we out for that long and they pretty much have us for the lionshare of the weekend (I think two of them actually look forward to some alone time after a while lol).

I'll be impressed if you can teach your dog to use the toilet lol.

Fila Brasileiro #13
“Owing to its size, temperament and potential for aggression, the Brazilian Mastiff has been banned in many countries.”

Walter,

This breed is the most aggressive breed. They are sent out in groups into the jungle to hunt panthers. That is their
job, what they are bred to do.

This is also one of the most loyal dogs to the family.

The dog is only so trainable. Poodles, Rottweilers and other breeds are more trainable. Smarter. One list of how trainable
dogs are had the Poodle over the Rot, but a Rot is the only dog that looks at you as if to say why? This is an added dimension
of intelligence.

By Trainable, I mean workable. The owner is really the one that needs the training. Dogs come mostly preset, hardwired.

Dave

“Dogs don't "need" to go out-many smaller dogs are trained to use pads as well as to use "doggie doors" so that owners don't have to take them.”

Interesting point, Louise.
For myself I have never walked a dog on a leash.

While I was young, we lived in the suburbs and our pets always roamed free. Later I lived in semi-rural areas where I had a fenced in back yard, but even so I would let the dogs out every day! As for the cats? They slept outside, but were let into the house nearly everyday!

I spent lots of time with all my pets, and on the occasional occurrence when a stranger came near our house, my dogs were never a problem. When I called/commanded them to come, they came!

I suspect that one of the problems with pet owners these days is that they simply go through the motions of being a pet “owner”.

Herein follows an interesting perspective on dog ownership. “You don't really own a dog”.

everytime theres a dog nearby im very cautious. a dogs bite can kill especially the dogs untreated with anti rabies vaccine..

Thanks for the input, Ronald. Yet, as I understand it, rabid dogs are---at least in the US---are very rare.

“It is a North-land aphorism that no man is a fit person to drive a team of huskies who cannot command the intensive adjectives and abjurations of at least two vernaculars, besides the one drunk in with his mother's milk. In fact, a dog-driver is near cousin to the army teamster.

"A mule is stubborn, and may manifest glimmering adumbrations of cunning; but the husky can be characterized as pertinacious, deceitful, sharp, and, above all, well capable of deductive reasoning. He will unerringly connect cause with effect. He is also an actor of no mean ability, concealing the most nefarious designs under the innocent exterior of a new-born lamb.

"In the old days, before the discovery of the Klondike, the men who freighted grub from Circle City to Birch Creek were wont to charge ten cents per pound more for bacon than for any other merchandise. And even then, so great was the responsibility, they reckoned that they lost on the transaction.” --- Jack London (from his story, Husky---The Wolf Dog of the North.

I do so love dogs!

An amazing dog story.

Me thinks there are many more aggressive dogs around people than there are bears - of any size or kind. Don't confuse apples with oranges. Generally it are pit bull types that are the most dangerous - but a pack of wild dogs is worse than a pack of hungry wolves to humans - the wolves have some sense of danger from us - dogs - seldom - they grew up with people.

I think that being afraid, scared, of a dog may lead it on to be even more aggressive - if you display that kind of fear to them.

For the most part, I agree, Roy.