listing out warning signs - a media first?

The situation with last week's dog fatality in Concord has been unusual because of the dog owner's willingness to talk candidly on camera about the circumstances that led up to the deadly attack on his young grandson. If you've been avoiding the news, you'll be encouraged to know that the media has been dutifully reporting that one or more of his dogs had been offering "warning signs" that were ignored. It's a new day when this kind of information comes to light on the heels of such an emotionally charged story. Because some of the signs that are being listed have the potential to be misapplied to other dogs in perfectly healthy situations, we wanted to highlight them here before we move away from this sad topic.

The dogs' owner - Steven Hayashi - has admitted that one or more of his dogs killed the family chihuahua. Killing a small animal in the home is not necessarily a 'sign' that a dog is troubled or on his way to harming children. (Raise your hand if your dog ever cornered a squirrel in your yard or grabbed a gopher at the park). It does indicate however that the owner is unaware of dog behavior and has been far too lax in managing his animals. Toy sized dogs can't be expected to stay safe mixing with a group of young, pent up dogs - especially without supervision.

EDIT And, as is so often the case, more info surfaces from this tragedy: According to news sources,Mr. Hayashi later confessed that, in addition to showing aggression towards the young children in the home, his dogs had killed a pet Akita that stepped into the same garage where Jacob was killed. Things were clearly out of control in that home.

Keeping intact dogs is not necessarily a sign of an irresponsible owner. Many show and working dog homes live perfectly safe lives with multiple, well-managed, intact dogs. However, letting intact dogs run loose together and allowing accidental, unwanted litters is hugely irresponsible.

Keeping a dog in a garage is not a sign of an irresponsible owner unless the dog lives full time in the garage, away from the family. Dogs learn appropriate behaviors by interacting with people from an early age - with kids especially. The most well balanced, well socialized dogs get opportunities to spend structured time indoors as cherished members of the family..."family dogs." Keeping multiple resident dogs that are largely unsocialized to people so close to young children is terribly irresponsible. It’s also irresponsible to neglect the exercise needs of young, growing dogs. Under-exercised, under socialized, pent up dogs are not going to act like happy, trustworthy pets.

Having more than one "pit bull type dog" is not a sign of being irresponsible. A good leader can manage a bigger group of dogs and keep everybody on their best behavior. I'm having visions here of Cesar Milan walking his huge pack of dogs ... But, consider some of the dog walkers you see on the trails, or the rescuers who balance multiple dogs at home without incident. However - allowing a situation where unsocialized, pent up dogs can trigger into pack aggression is the sign of an incredibly reckless dog owner.

Pack aggression - where two or more dogs gang up and attack a victim - is not a breed specific behavior. Sadly, dog pack attacks factor into a handful of the 30 or so dog related fatalities that happen in this country each year and they can include any breed type of dog. Oberlin, Ohio just had a sad case last month involving what was reported to be several large mixed breed dogs. Even small dogs weighing less than 27 pounds have participated in killing people, according to a 1983 study "Attacks by Packs of Dogs Involving Predation On Human Beings," by Borchelt et al., published in the journal "Public Health Reports." It's not happy reading, but worth the understanding. According to the Borchelt study, "The past history of the social interactions of dogs with people in a variety of circumstances is probably an adequate predictor of whether these dogs are inclined to bite someone." In other words, if dogs aren't socialized to people properly (ie, they're kept as resident dogs in garages or yards instead of as family pets) they're more inclined to revert to unruly and sometimes dangerous pack behavior when the situation presents itself.

After a horrible fatal attack involving a pack of dogs in GA last year, Bonnie Beaver, a professor at Texas A&M University and an expert in pack behavior, explained that when pack mentality takes over "they do insane things that they would not do" under normal circumstances.

Again ...not a breed specific behavior. Skeptics can visit the link that shows two of the dogs involved in the GA incident. news: cnn

The ASPCA tells us that "Aggression is the most common and most serious behavior problem in dogs. It’s also the number-one reason why pet parents seek professional help from behaviorists, trainers and veterinarians."

Unfortunately, Mr. Hayashi didn't seek professional help for his troubled pack of dogs, even when he knew at least one dog (Kiwi) was - his description - "aggressive." If only we could go back in time and find a way to red flag him about the warning signs that were spelling disaster in his home. In memory of Jacob Bisbee, animal welfare advocates have an obligation and a responsibility to try even harder to bridge the gaps between communities so we can be the resource inexperienced dog owners and their families need us to be.

More info on warning signs and behaviors that warrant quick, proactive solutions listed here on the ASPCA's website

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For More Reading

Brent Toellner's blog - KC Dog Blog - is always a good source for the nitty gritty on dog bites and fatalities.

Malcolm Gladwell's article from the New Yorker on breed profiling. Troublemakers

The Pit Bull Placebo in a free downloadable PDF from the National Canine Research Council.