By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
This week I want to address the recent event we all saw in Montreal newspapers, more specifically, the Journal de Montréal. The tabloid newspaper, as it's become, published an article written by Mme. Lise Ravary Wednesday September 23, 2015. The article was titled "Un pitbull, c'est une arme", (translation: A pitbull is a weapon.)
First and foremost, any dog can be used as a weapon if poorly socialised an trained with negative techniques. That being said, yes it's true, some individuals are more prey driven, but notice I didn't write breed. The reason I didn't write breed is because any individual within a breed can have more or less desire to chase, grab, bite, kill-bite, dismember, or eat another creature. Hunting is a normal behaviour pattern in a predatory carnivore such as the dog; thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that dogs do indeed bite.
As a mother, I feel deeply saddened about the recent events. As an animal behaviour consultant, I would like to call out all trainers, pitbull1 advocates, and dog fanciers to order, this includes Mme. Lise Ravary. Sometimes the stars align and accidents happen, and when they do, it's wise to step back, leave our judgement behind until we have all the facts to objectively assess the situation. There's always two sides to a story. Not all dogs are cute and cuddly, and not all bad dog owners are incompetent people.
Good Dog, Bad Dog
Some dogs are born with higher levels of aggression and with improper education can become highly dangerous. Learnt aggression is also a type of behaviour problem, but so is prey or territorial aggression. All thirteen categories of aggression are common in dogs. To say certain breeds are bad and classify them as "terrorists" is simply an uneducated statement. Lest not forget, dogs are opportunistic predators; consequently, they will exploit vulnerabilities wherever they find them, but to systematically claim they're all dangerous is simply unprofessional.
Mme. Ravary is obviously ignorant about dog behaviour and has written an opinion article, a poor one at that, about a topic she doesn't understand. Maybe her goal was to sell newspapers or to increase her social media attention, who knows. I prefer to educate, thus, I'm calling on Mme. Ravary personally to put your money where your mouth is. I'm inviting you to attend tomorrow's Dog Language seminar. Don't worry Mme. Ravary, this event is held without dogs and I'll make sure you get front row seats.
Final Words
To judge dogs without prior training, education, or knowledge is simply ludicrous. Furthermore, dogs are not all born perfect and lovable. Some subjects are born with increased fear or aggression. Some dogs are naturally anxious or stressed, and though education is a contributing factor to social function, it isn't the only factor. When we judge dogs, professionals should weigh their words, but so should non-professionals.
Dogs are my profession and my passion, but I'm not blinded by the truth. Dogs can injure, bite, and kill other dogs, animals, or people. To proclaim dogs can do no harm when raised positively, is as dangerous, if not more, than trying to destroy a breed based on erroneous beliefs. Dogs aren't perfect, neither are people, after all, a dog, is a dog, is a dog.
1. Pitbull as in molosser breeds
Reference
- Lise Ravary. (2015). Un pitbull, c'est une arme. Retrieved from http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2015/09/23/un-pitbull-cest-une-arme 09/2015
- Government of Canada, Public Health Agency. (1996). Injuries associated with... dog bites and attacks. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/injury-bles/chirpp/injrep-rapbles/dogbit-fra.php 09/2015
This week I want to address the recent event we all saw in Montreal newspapers, more specifically, the Journal de Montréal. The tabloid newspaper, as it's become, published an article written by Mme. Lise Ravary Wednesday September 23, 2015. The article was titled "Un pitbull, c'est une arme", (translation: A pitbull is a weapon.)
First and foremost, any dog can be used as a weapon if poorly socialised an trained with negative techniques. That being said, yes it's true, some individuals are more prey driven, but notice I didn't write breed. The reason I didn't write breed is because any individual within a breed can have more or less desire to chase, grab, bite, kill-bite, dismember, or eat another creature. Hunting is a normal behaviour pattern in a predatory carnivore such as the dog; thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that dogs do indeed bite.
As a mother, I feel deeply saddened about the recent events. As an animal behaviour consultant, I would like to call out all trainers, pitbull1 advocates, and dog fanciers to order, this includes Mme. Lise Ravary. Sometimes the stars align and accidents happen, and when they do, it's wise to step back, leave our judgement behind until we have all the facts to objectively assess the situation. There's always two sides to a story. Not all dogs are cute and cuddly, and not all bad dog owners are incompetent people.
Good Dog, Bad Dog
Some dogs are born with higher levels of aggression and with improper education can become highly dangerous. Learnt aggression is also a type of behaviour problem, but so is prey or territorial aggression. All thirteen categories of aggression are common in dogs. To say certain breeds are bad and classify them as "terrorists" is simply an uneducated statement. Lest not forget, dogs are opportunistic predators; consequently, they will exploit vulnerabilities wherever they find them, but to systematically claim they're all dangerous is simply unprofessional.
Mme. Ravary is obviously ignorant about dog behaviour and has written an opinion article, a poor one at that, about a topic she doesn't understand. Maybe her goal was to sell newspapers or to increase her social media attention, who knows. I prefer to educate, thus, I'm calling on Mme. Ravary personally to put your money where your mouth is. I'm inviting you to attend tomorrow's Dog Language seminar. Don't worry Mme. Ravary, this event is held without dogs and I'll make sure you get front row seats.
Final Words
To judge dogs without prior training, education, or knowledge is simply ludicrous. Furthermore, dogs are not all born perfect and lovable. Some subjects are born with increased fear or aggression. Some dogs are naturally anxious or stressed, and though education is a contributing factor to social function, it isn't the only factor. When we judge dogs, professionals should weigh their words, but so should non-professionals.
Dogs are my profession and my passion, but I'm not blinded by the truth. Dogs can injure, bite, and kill other dogs, animals, or people. To proclaim dogs can do no harm when raised positively, is as dangerous, if not more, than trying to destroy a breed based on erroneous beliefs. Dogs aren't perfect, neither are people, after all, a dog, is a dog, is a dog.
1. Pitbull as in molosser breeds
Reference
- Lise Ravary. (2015). Un pitbull, c'est une arme. Retrieved from http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2015/09/23/un-pitbull-cest-une-arme 09/2015
- Government of Canada, Public Health Agency. (1996). Injuries associated with... dog bites and attacks. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/injury-bles/chirpp/injrep-rapbles/dogbit-fra.php 09/2015