By JOLENE OGLE
EDUCATION and increased awareness is the answer to the recent spate of dog attacks, according to Bark Busters’ Faith Wild, who has slammed irresponsible pet owners.
Trainer dog behaviourist Faith said it was time to act to protect our community and dogs through education.
“Dogs are not born mean and there are reasons why dogs are aggressive,” she said.
“It is important to understand that it is also not breed specific … any dog is capable of aggression from the chihuahua to the shepherd and even though certain breeds have certain traits, you cannot lump them in one category.
“For example, the most aggressive dog I have encountered was a labrador and the softest, sweetest dog I have ever trained was a pitbull.”
Faith said with the exception of a physical or painful condition, dogs didn’t “turn” aggressive, rather an aggressive dog is born out of misunderstanding, fear and mistreatment.
“This issue has to be addressed at its core level if we are to keep our community safe,” she said.
“It’s time our society took a new look at why dogs attack and not bandaid the situation.
“We have to take responsibility for our actions and that of the dogs in our care. It is up to use to educate our dogs to keep not only our community safe, but also our much-loved pets.”
Faith, who offers free workshops to the community through Bark Busters, said she wasn’t surprised dog attacks are occurring.
“They are another species and do not understand what we are trying to communicate to them. It’s no wonder they are confused and I am not surprised at the attacks that are occurring,” she said.
Recent stories of dog attacks have involved dogs off the leash rushing or attacking another dog on lead, which Faith said is “irresponsible, thoughtless and dangerous”.
“If you don’t have complete, 100 per cent certainty your dog if effectively controlled off lead, don’t let them off. You never know what the other dog is going to do or the degree of control the other owner has,” she said.
“It’s intolerable that people are put into this situation. It’s scary for both owner and dog and it can lead to a perfectly normal, happy dog being aggressive through fear.”
Faith has shared some of her top safety tips when interacting with dogs.
BREAKOUT
Adults:
– Learn to read a dog’s body language to help understand their mood,
– Look for signs of aggressive behaviour such as tail up, ears flat, staring, hackles, a backward leaning posture, teeth bared, mouth shut tight,
– If you feel in danger, do not run, scream or attack the dog. Stand still and do not flinch or stare at the dog.
– If you get knocked down to the ground, cover your face with your arms and stay as still as you possibly can. Do not try to get up.
Children:
– Always monitor your children when they are interacting with a dog and watch out for aggressive body language from the dog
– Always leave a dog alone when they are eating or sleeping
– Never let your children discipline the dog
– Teach your children not to approach unfamiliar dogs
– Teach your children to play gently – no hitting, pulling at collars, or chasing
– Never approach a dog that is tied up
– Avoid dogs who have puppies
