Dangerous Dogs: The Facts and The Myths

Let's try to name several dog breeds as a start. German Shepherd, Doberman, Rottweiler, American Pit Bull Terrier... What comes up to mind when you hear these breed names? I'm not a psychic, but I believe most of you would have thoughts that include things such as "ferocious", "evil" or even "blood thirsty". For short, most of us believe these breeds are dangerous. Now let's see how dangerous they actually are.

Below I have listed some opinions our society has about these dangerous dogs. They are also what people in general have in mind when they saw one of these dangerous dogs. Reading through this article might really help your anxiety or fear. Because, turns out, not every thing we hear is true!

STATEMENT #1: Dangerous dogs will bite anyone that it doesn't know. That's why we keep them to guard our property.

FACT OR MYTH?
As much as we believe this statement is true, it is a MYTH. No dog bites without a reason. Unless you're clearly trespassing into their home, they would never harm you. If there is any interesting thing about guard dogs, that would be their ability to differentiate bad guys from good guys. So next time if you visit someone's house and find that he/she owns a Rottweiler or a German Shepherd, just relax. As long as the dog is well-socialized, they are nothing but a playful teddy bear. An extra large teddy bear, that is.

STATEMENT #2: Dangerous dogs are evil. They kill people. They can never be tamed.

FACT OR MYTH?

This one is obviously a MYTH as well. Dogs, all dogs, have went through many years of domestication which makes the statement "they can never be tamed" completely wrong. Dogs are already tame to begin with! In most dog bite cases, including the ones where the victim died, the dog bit because they are put under certain circumstances where they could not do anything but bite. Dogs could not speak, and sometimes biting is one of their ways to communicate. There are lots of kinds of biting. A snap, which is a warning bite, is given to warn you that the dog doesn't like what you're doing to it (kind of like someone yelling "ENOUGH!"). On the other hand a nip, which is a gentle bite, is what puppies do when they were in their teething stage. Or if you have a herding dog, that's what they do to herd livestock. A fear bite, which is obviously a bite caused by fear, is how a scared dog tells you to back away. And then, lastly, we have the "aggressive bite" which is a real bite. When dogs perform an aggressive bite, they don't let go. It is also often accompanied by loud growling. Now this is the type of bite that may kill someone. Still, unless the dog has mental issues, an aggressive bite is impossible to be performed without a trigger. To sum it up, when someone got bit by a dog, it's either the human misinterpreting the bite or the human provoking the dog.

STATEMENT #3: Dangerous dogs are always good guard dogs

FACT OR MYTH?

Oh, here's a tough one. It's actually partly true, depending on which "dangerous breed" you're talking about. When you're talking about Rottweilers, Dobermans or German Shepherds, then this is a FACT. But when it comes down to the most famous "dangerous breed": American Pit Bull Terrier, the answer is MYTH. But why? Aren't pit bulls famous for being a fighting dog once? Well, there lays the answer. Fighting dogs fight dogs, not humans. They might be naturally aloof with strange dogs and should not be trusted with other dogs unattended, but they were never bred to be human aggressive. In fact, some sources claim that human aggressive pit bulls got "destroyed" immediately. Even if they can be protective (every dog can) pit bulls aren't the best guard dogs around. They simply don't have the instinct required to be one. 

STATEMENT #4: Dangerous dogs are born dangerous. They will attack everyone including their owners.

FACT OR MYTH?

MYTH, period. The so-called dangerous breeds are actually one of the most loyal dogs on Earth. They bond to one person only (thus called 'one-man dogs') and treasured their friendship for life. There are also lots of stories where a dog--a dangerous breed--rescued their humans or stayed next to its dead owner for a long period of time. Have you ever heard of Hachiko? Did you know what breed Hachi is? Akita is actually sitting in one of the top places of the world's most dangerous breeds' list. 

STATEMENT #5: We should not approach a dangerous dog without permission

FACT OR MYTH?

This is not only true for the so-called dangerous breeds, but since it is true, I guess I'll label this one as FACT. People should never approach a strange dog, especially the ones without a leash, without permission from the dog's owner. Even if it's a cute fluffy little puppy that looks harmless in every way, it is dangerous and very rude to just walk up and pet the dog. I have already explained about fear bite, and this is what you might get if you unintentionally startled or scared a dog. For a larger breed such as the German Shepherd, the result of the fear bite could be more than just a scratch. Always make sure you ask before petting a dog, no matter the breed. 

DISCLAIMER: All pictures used belong to their rightful owners

Hero Dogs: Heroic Dog Stories From All Around The World

We all have heard about Hachiko the Akita, or Lassie the Rough Collie. But have you ever thought that there are many, many more hero dogs out there? They may not have their paw printed in Hollywood Walk of Fame or a movie made based on their story, but they, too, are heroes. In today's article, I would like to write stories about the unpopular hero dogs from all around the world. Enjoy!

1. Balto

The real Balto as a museum's exhibit

Balto the Siberian husky might not be that unpopular, but since huskies are very dear to my heart, I think this amazing dog deserves to be included. After all, not many knows his story. So in 1923 a slow, inferior working dog named Balto was born in Nome, Alaska. He spent the early parts of his life as a part of a sled dog team that transports supplies to miners. Nobody would have guessed that Balto is going to be a hero for his hometown. In 21st January 1925, several children were diagnosed with diphtheria--a respiratory illness that would soon lead to paralysis or heart failure if left untreated. With the illness being highly contagious, Nome is in a grave need of anti-toxins. People start to send telegraphs to ask for help, but what they got in return is nothing but bad news. The closest town that has some anti-toxins to spare--Anchorage--is nearly 1609 kilometers away. 

Transportation technology of that age could not help with the distance, and frequent blizzards crossed air delivery out of the options. The only way to retrieve the anti-toxins is by using sled dog teams. More than twenty mushers (people who lead a sled dog team) took part in the mission. Each team handles different areas, and together they relayed the anti-toxins from Anchorage to Nome. The final leg is going to be handled by a musher named Gunnar Kassen, whose dog team is led by Balto. They started off the leg from a town called Nenana, which is 85.2 kilometers from Nome. With that distance, the trip is estimated to be at least 13 days long. But soon after Balto's team left Nenana, a blinding blizzard began. The temperature dropped to -50 degrees, leaving Kassen unable to navigate. He was just about to give up when his lead dog, Balto, led the team with his instincts through snow and cold. Then, over the next twenty hours, Balto slowly led his team back to Nome in only seven days. 

On 2nd February 1925 at 5:30 AM, Balto's team arrived in Nome. The anti-toxins were successfully delivered, and the whole team survived. Balto's name instantly became famous. A short Hollywood film titled "Balto and The Race To Nome" were created not long after. Balto passed on in the year of 1933 at the age of 10. His body was preserved and kept in Cleveland's Museum of Natural History, in a city where he spent the the rest of his life. After his death, a cartoon movie were made based on his story. In addition to that, the famous yearly dog sled race Iditarod has been run from Anchorage to Nome every year since 1973 to commemorate the role of dog teams in rescuing lives back in 1925. Later on, a bronze statue was also made to honor Balto--the American hero dog.

2. Lilly

Lilly and her human family

Lilly at Angell Animal Medical Center

After going on a flash back with Balto, we're going to jump back to the present and meet Lilly, a heroic American Pit Bull Terrier that saved her owner from an oncoming train. On 4th May 2012, 8-year-old Lilly pulled her unconscious owner away from train tracks as an oncoming train approached. Her owner Christine Spain was saved and suffered no major injuries, but Lilly's right front leg was "de-gloved"--which means all of the skin and muscle on that leg was removed. 

Later on x-ray results show that Lilly also suffered several fractures on her pelvis (hip bone). Lilly is now resting at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston while slowly heading towards recovery. When she first arrived at the hospital, the doctors made the decision to amputate her de-gloved leg and add steel plates in her left hind leg for support. It sounds really awful, but doctors expect her to be able to walk again after several months of physical therapy.The story about her heroic action went viral as soon as it was posted on the internet. Readers claim that this story proves how pit bulls shouldn't be labeled as a threat to humans. 

3. Trakr

Trakr and partner James Symington

Everyone knows about "the 9/11 incident" that happened in 2001. Horrific, tear-jerking stories about the victims resounded everywhere around the globe. It is unarguable that the 9/11 is probably one of the saddest incident in human history. But amongst the heart breaking stories about this incident, there are a handful of stories that is good enough to restore our faith in humanity. Trakr's story is one. 

Trakr is a male German Shepherd that really lived up to his name ("Trakr" is pronounced as "tracker"). He is a remarkable "detection dog" that works as a part of the search and rescue team at Ground Zero--the location where 9/11 incident took place. Trakr and his partner James Symington were one of the first teams that arrived in Ground Zero, which is nothing more but a pile of rugged boulders. In this dangerous area Trakr tirelessly worked searching for survivors and proved his capability as a detection dog by locating a survivor 30 feet (9.1 meters) below the tower of unstable debris. For this outstanding achievement, Trakr received a lot of awards and was soon named to be "the most 'clone worthy' dog".

As Trakr's death drew near Symington wrote an essay about him and enter it in a competition to find the most 'clone-worthy' dog. Undoubtedly, his essay won. Trakr's clones, if they possess the same capability in search and rescue, would also serve as a detection dog. Or maybe, they would also become a hero one day.

4. Eve
Meet Eve the Rottweiler, a heroic dog that saved her owner's life and received the prestigious Stillman Award for her bravery. People may say Rottweilers are dangerous and vicious, but Eve certainly proved otherwise. Let's take a little look at her heart warming story.

Eve the Rottweiler

Kathie Vaughan was driving the used truck she has just purchased that morning when the vehicle started to move around out of control. She eventually managed to stop the truck with a loud screech, but then black smoke started to fill the cabin. In this situation, most people would just jump off the truck and leave, but Kathie is paralyzed from the waist down by multiple sclerosis. So Kathie shoved her Rottweiler, Eve, out of the door along with her wheelchair. But thanks to the thick black smoke, Kathie couldn't find the wheels to the chair. She started to drown in panic, and that's when Eve proved herself to be a true hero. In danger of passing out, Kathie felt Eve grabbing her legs with her jaws. The brave dog firmly dragged Kathie into a safe distance despite the fact that the entire vehicle is on fire that time. Then, policemen arrived on scene and told Kathie that she's not far enough from the truck yet as the fire is approaching the truck's gas tank.

Kathie struggled to pull herself away, but her head hurts so much she could hardly move. Eve came close to her and offered her collar to hold. Then, the determined dog pulled Kathie 12.1 meters to safety. For her remarkable bravery, Eve received the Stillman Award which was awarded annually by the American Humane Society.

5. Kabang
After hearing about huskies, pit bulls, german shepherds and rottweilers we're going to lay off the fancy "expensive" dog breeds and take a look at this Filipino domestic dog: Kabang. Kabang is a faithful female dog that saved two little girls' lives earlier this year. Pictures are too graphic to be shown, but Kabang lost her entire upper muzzle saving her two little owners.

According to News Inquirer, a motorcycle had been speeding on a motorway in Zamboanga City, Philippines when two girls Dina Bunggal (11) and Princess Diansing (3) stepped into its path. At that moment Kabang jumped in front of the motorcycle causing it to stop in its tracks. The girls suffer minor injuries such as bruises, but Kabang wasn't as lucky. Apparently her head landed on the motorcycle's front wheel and as it rolled forward her snout got stuck in it and was ripped off.

When Dina's parents took Kabang to the local vet, they were given the option to euthanize Kabang because of her severe injuries. However, the couple refused. Even if she doesn't have a snout now, Kabang lives her life the same way as any other dog. Rudy Bunggal, Dina Bunggal's father, says: "it doesn't matter if she's ugly now. What is important to us is she saved our children and we cannot thank her enough for that."


sources: wikipedia.org, huffingtonpost.com, dogguide.net, nydailynews.col, care2.com and google.com. DISCLAIMER: All pictures used are not mine, they belong to their rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.