The dog in my profile picture is Inari's Blame It On Kitsune-san, a five year-old Shiba Inu. Although they are becoming fairly popular, thanks in part to the current popularity of all things Japanese, most people I run into still don't know what a Shiba is. Everyone who sees him, however, becomes enamored of him. It is not an uncommon occurrence for me to be taking him for a walk and have someone stop their car in the middle of a busy road to ask me what breed he is. When I tell them, the typical reaction is, "A what now? What's that a mix of?" (Thank you, designer dog craze.)
The Shiba Inu is an ancient Japanese hunting breed. They performed the job of a sighthound, scenthound, spaniel and terrier. All in one neat little 20 pound package. It's no wonder the AKC had no idea what group to put them in when they finally recognized one of the world's oldest dog breeds in 1992. As of right now, they are considered Non-Sporting, which is a shame, as they are one of the most sporting breeds you're likely to find. In fact, mine caught a groundhog the other day. While on a leash. Take that, Dachshunds! Don't worry, I made him let it go. No harm was done.
They have quite the prey drive. Never trust a Shiba off leash. If it moves, they'll chase it. To whatever end may come. If it left a scent trail, they'll follow it, at high speed. (And when I say high speed, I mean HIGH speed.) No matter what size it is, when they finally chase or track it down, they'll want to kill it. This is a dog that was used to hunt bears. Yes, they are only 20 pounds and at the max, should be 16.5 inches at the shoulder. Size is not an issue. The bigger it is, the harder it falls thinks the Shiba. If it hurts, they do it again. Double the intensity. Their agility stat is off the charts. You have to have the reflexes of a Border Collie and the instincts of a cutting horse to get your hands on one that doesn't want to be caught.
I once read that if the Shiba could learn to utter one word of English, that word would be "mine." As it turns out, this is the Truth. Everything in the world belongs to the Shiba. He will never be convinced otherwise.
I've heard it said that Shibas are so clean, they avoid walking in puddles and mud. Mine must have missed that particular gene, because he thinks nothing at all of tromping through the gloppiest mud or trotting briskly through chest deep flood waters, but balks at the bath tub. He does spend a lot of time licking himself in the manner of a cat.
They have a double coat. They shed a lot. (Think Siberian Husky.) If you're going to get a Shiba, just do yourself a favor, bite the bullet, and buy a Furminator and a really substantial vacuum cleaner at the same time. Both are expensive, but you won't be sorry.
Shibas are VERY smart, but this intelligence does not mean they are easy to train. They were bred to work very independently of humans, and independent they are. They will not perform endless repetitions of "sit" or "down" for you. You will probably have to get creative to obedience train a Shiba Inu, because they will very creatively find ways around what you are trying to teach them, while simultaneously learning by mere observation of the cats that sitting on the kitchen counter is perfectly acceptable. (True story.)
Shibas can be dog aggressive. Kitsune does not like dogs running up to us. A friendly dog off-leash that charges us in expectation of warm welcome is in for a very rude awakening, and hopefully just a snap. And again, size is not an issue. He will take on a much larger dog with no thought of what the consequences may be. A dog that approaches calmly and with the proper respect is sure to have a better reception with the Shiba. It's important for prospective Shiba owners to realize that once there is a Shiba in the house, you need to think very long and hard on what other dogs might come after. A dog with the same dog aggressiveness and unwillingness to leave a fight, but twice the body mass, may be ultimately deadly for the Shiba. (Shibas and Akitas cannot be safely kept in the same house for this reason.) Shibas are "Death before Dishonor" personified.
They have more wolf behaviors than other breeds that have been modified more. One example: The Long Stare. This is something that wolves do that most dogs do not do. (Siberian Huskies and Malamutes are other exceptions.) The head drops very low, the body is very tense and still, and the eyes are fixed and staring. This is an aggressive posture, reserved for enemies. You've probably seen it in pictures, it makes for a very arresting photo of a wolf. It gives you goose bumps when you see your pet dog do it in front of you. Also like wolves, Shibas may not give any warning that they are about to attack if they are really serious, and the threat is a stranger. There is no growling, the hackles will not be up, there will be no showing of teeth. Just that eerie long stare, and then they go for it. If you're looking for normal dog body language, the Shiba may take you very much by surprise. Just a heads up.
A note on the Shiba Scream. Shibas scream. Just so you know. If you're a prospective Shiba owner, this is useful information. I was aware of the Shiba scream before I brought my Shiba home, but I wasn't fully aware of what the Shiba scream is. It sounds like a woman being murdered. No exaggeration. Shibas tend to scream at anything they think is unjustified impingement on Shiba Rights. This may include putting a leash on the Shiba for the first time, putting a Gentle Leader on the Shiba, or trying to clip the Shiba's nails. Knowing that it sounds like a woman being murdered and that you will be concerned that your neighbors are going to call the police and report a domestic disturbance the first time your Shiba emits a Shiba Scream, you are still unprepared for the Shiba Scream. It will make you jump. The intensity and volume are just amazing out of such a little animal.
A note on the Shiba 500. Shibas are dogs of incredible energy. Unless the Shiba is getting a two mile run every day, they will do a Shiba 500 around your house at least once a day for adult dogs, sometimes more for puppies. This is a burst of high speed running amok that can happen at any time. Sometimes it seems entirely unprovoked, other times something as innocent as a human sneeze brings it on. The Shiba will uncurl it's tail, drop it's back end, and a maniacal gleam enters their eyes as they proceed to run laps as fast as they can around your living space. A Shiba 500 lasts.. until the Shiba decides it doesn't want to run anymore. They can corner really well, but in tight quarters they will go horizontal on your walls or furniture. This is also no exaggeration. It might be a see-it-to-believe-it thing, but it's true. It's actually pretty funny as long as you have no fragile, expensive antiques or Italian leather couches.
My Shiba is a big talker. This is something I was unprepared for. Everyone mentions the Shiba Scream, but nobody tells you about the Shiba Yodel. My dog yodels in the morning when I'm coming to let him out of his cage, he yodels when I'm about to feed him, and if I say something to him, chances are, he's going to yodel back at me. I thought, since it was never mentioned in anything that I'd read, that perhaps my Shiba is just more vocal than others. But after discovering some insane man in the Netherlands who has about 10 and watching his YouTube videos, I found out.. they're all that way. The best thing about the Shiba yodel is their glorious sense of timing with it. Kitsune's yodels are often the punchline to a very funny joke, and delivered with killer precision. A well-timed Shiba yodel can have you laughing so hard you cry.
My fiancee swears that our Shiba is a Japanese chaos spirit sent here to teach him the art of patience. Kitsune thinks he's a slow learner.
I never knew my life was dull until I brought home a Shiba Inu. Now I can't imagine life without one.
For more information on the Shiba Inu, please visit these websites:
National Shiba Inu Club of America
National Shiba Inu Rescue
Shiba Sports dot com
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
A Tale of Two Dogs
One was the best of dogs. One was the worst of dogs.
Two Shiba Inus, brothers, went to live with their new families on the same night. Both families were non-dog households until the Shibas. Both families had one child. Both children were boys, the same age, a few months apart.
A few months later, the Shiba owners ran into each other. They compared notes. One family said their Shiba was great. He never chewed the furniture, he loved his kennel. Except for some submissive urination, he was easy to housebreak. The dog got along great with their son. The cat was another story, but it wasn't a big deal. The other couple described their dog as a nightmare. He could not be crated or he would howl until released. If he wasn't crated, he went on destructive rampages through the house. He had destroyed a couch, two dining room chairs and one leg of the dining room table. They had tried to keep him confined in a bathroom and he destroyed the flooring and walls. Their son was afraid of the dog, and the dog knew no commands and seemed completely unable to be trained.
How did two littermates end up with such drastically different lives?
The only difference between the two is that in one household, someone was home with the dog virtually all the time. In the other, both people worked 8 to 10 hours a day, and the dog was alone for that time. One family had unlimited time to spend with the dog, the other did not.
The lesson: Good dogs aren't born. They're made. And it takes time. (A whole lot of precious time.. you know you were thinking it, too.) Time is the most valuable thing you can spend, right? If you're getting a new puppy, invest your time in the dog. You will never be sorry that you did.
This is a true Tale of Two Dogs. It's the tale of my Shiba Inu, Kitsune, and his brother, Bear.
If you and every member of your household is out of the house for 8 hours a day, maybe you should look into adopting an older dog. A dog can't be potty trained on that schedule, let alone learn any manners. By the time most people realize that, they've already got a monster of their own making on their hands.
Many people think this can be worked around via the use of doggy daycares. In some cases, it can. It still requires an investment of time (and a monetary investment, most doggy daycares aren't cheap) on the part of the owner. Why can't someone train a dog for someone else? Because dogs aren't dumb. Just because I can get a dog to listen to me doesn't mean it will listen to a damn thing anyone else says. Dogs, like children, know who they can put one over on and who is going to make them tow a line. They act accordingly.
Two Shiba Inus, brothers, went to live with their new families on the same night. Both families were non-dog households until the Shibas. Both families had one child. Both children were boys, the same age, a few months apart.
A few months later, the Shiba owners ran into each other. They compared notes. One family said their Shiba was great. He never chewed the furniture, he loved his kennel. Except for some submissive urination, he was easy to housebreak. The dog got along great with their son. The cat was another story, but it wasn't a big deal. The other couple described their dog as a nightmare. He could not be crated or he would howl until released. If he wasn't crated, he went on destructive rampages through the house. He had destroyed a couch, two dining room chairs and one leg of the dining room table. They had tried to keep him confined in a bathroom and he destroyed the flooring and walls. Their son was afraid of the dog, and the dog knew no commands and seemed completely unable to be trained.
How did two littermates end up with such drastically different lives?
The only difference between the two is that in one household, someone was home with the dog virtually all the time. In the other, both people worked 8 to 10 hours a day, and the dog was alone for that time. One family had unlimited time to spend with the dog, the other did not.
The lesson: Good dogs aren't born. They're made. And it takes time. (A whole lot of precious time.. you know you were thinking it, too.) Time is the most valuable thing you can spend, right? If you're getting a new puppy, invest your time in the dog. You will never be sorry that you did.
This is a true Tale of Two Dogs. It's the tale of my Shiba Inu, Kitsune, and his brother, Bear.
If you and every member of your household is out of the house for 8 hours a day, maybe you should look into adopting an older dog. A dog can't be potty trained on that schedule, let alone learn any manners. By the time most people realize that, they've already got a monster of their own making on their hands.
Many people think this can be worked around via the use of doggy daycares. In some cases, it can. It still requires an investment of time (and a monetary investment, most doggy daycares aren't cheap) on the part of the owner. Why can't someone train a dog for someone else? Because dogs aren't dumb. Just because I can get a dog to listen to me doesn't mean it will listen to a damn thing anyone else says. Dogs, like children, know who they can put one over on and who is going to make them tow a line. They act accordingly.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Don't You Just Want To Take Them All Home? -OR- How To Pick A Puppy
Confession #4. Is it four? I think it's four.. It's been awhile.
Confession #4 or possibly 5: No, I do NOT want to take them all home.
At least once a day, someone asks me this question. Don't you just want to take them all home? I used to just fake a smile and say, "Yeah!" as enthusiastically as I can muster. Just for the sake of the customer. Because I thought, people won't understand if I say no. Then one day, I thought, eff that, I'm just going to be honest. Now I'm sort of in the middle. I'll try to judge if I should be honest or just smile and nod.
How can I possibly NOT want to take them all home?
Because I know myself. I love dogs. But there are some breeds whose traits I could not handle on a full time basis.
Let's take Basset Hounds as an example. Just because there is currently one in the store, and so Basset Hounds are on my mind.
When I say I'm not a Basset person, true Basset people will immediately smile and know why. The traits they have had bred into them since 1561 include a very loud, yodeling voice, the desire to use that voice frequently (very VERY frequently), and a nose that can smell things with such intensity that they never want to stop smelling things.
The noise. The noise of a Basset is incredible. They yodel and bark and howl when they're happy, when they're not happy, when they're excited, when they're bored, to tell you they've found something, and sometimes, I swear, just to hear their own voice. I call the one at the store Elvis not only because he ain't nothin' but a hound dog, and he's cryin' all the time, but also because he just delights in "singing."
When I rub his ears, he grunts. When I'm cleaning his kennel, he howls. When I talk to him, he yodels and murmurs and whimpers and whispers. They make a really interesting range of sounds that you just won't ever hear out of any other breed.
BUT OMFG IT DRIVES ME INSANE. I can tune it out at the store. But if I had to go home and in my free time when I'm relaxing, hear that.. Holy crap, I would be pulling my hair out. I love him now, while he's mine. But I would never, EVER, want one.
I know myself (and Basset Hounds) well enough to know that we can get along great, as long as we go to sleep in separate houses. Some people love the Basset voice. They think it's great. More power to 'em. I love them for it. Me? No.
So it really bothers me when people come in the store looking for a puppy, ask if Bassets bark much, and upon being told they do, say things like, "Well, but they can be trained."
Listen. This dog has been bred to have that loud of a voice and use it all the time for HALF A MILLENIA. There's no training 500 years of selective breeding out of them. It just don't work that way. And this isn't just with Bassets, mind you. I get it every time someone just wants, and expects instant gratification, with regards to a dog.
Sometimes I want to tell people, hey. If you want an exercise in futility, that's fine, go sit on the beach and try to hold the tide back. But don't bring any other living creature into it. Especially not one that's going to suffer when you finally realize your folly.
Because who is going to be the loser in the end? Not the people who weren't honest with themselves about what they can deal with when bringing home a puppy. It'll be the dog. The dog will be out a home, and possibly a life.
I love it when the rare moment comes that a customer says to me, "I really don't know anything about dogs. I know our family wants a dog, but I know nothing about the different breeds and I don't want to just bring anything home. How do I pick out a dog that's right for me?"
I want to jump around and hug them and tell them, "You. You are the greatest thing ever."
Picking out a dog that's right for you is like finding God. You have to be brutally honest with yourself, about yourself. Can you handle the incessant barking of a Basset Hound? Do you have the time and patience to train good ground manners into a dog that's going to be 120 pounds someday? Are you really willing to give up your passion for cute fuzzy rodents in order to have a dog that's been bred to kill them?
Be honest with yourself, and then start looking. And when you find a breed that you think fits you, and that appeals to you, call the first breed specific rescue for that breed, and ask them, "What is the number one reason these dogs get surrendered?" And then ask yourself if you can really handle that. Honestly.
And if what they tell you doesn't sound too bad, then you've got yourself a winner. Congratulations, you've just found a God. Err. Dog.
As for myself. No, I don't want to take them all home. There's a long list of dog breeds I'd love to own, and some surprising individuals of breeds I never thought I'd enjoy who just endear themselves to me while they are with me. (Yorkies, I'm lookin' at you.) But when I think about it, and I'm really honest with myself, even the ones I think I'd love I know better than to bring home. It just wouldn't be fair to THEM.
And there are some dogs I know would work out splendidly for me.. just not right now.
I've waited half my life for an Irish Wolfhound. Someday, I will have one. But the time is not now.
Confession #4 or possibly 5: No, I do NOT want to take them all home.
At least once a day, someone asks me this question. Don't you just want to take them all home? I used to just fake a smile and say, "Yeah!" as enthusiastically as I can muster. Just for the sake of the customer. Because I thought, people won't understand if I say no. Then one day, I thought, eff that, I'm just going to be honest. Now I'm sort of in the middle. I'll try to judge if I should be honest or just smile and nod.
How can I possibly NOT want to take them all home?
Because I know myself. I love dogs. But there are some breeds whose traits I could not handle on a full time basis.
Let's take Basset Hounds as an example. Just because there is currently one in the store, and so Basset Hounds are on my mind.
When I say I'm not a Basset person, true Basset people will immediately smile and know why. The traits they have had bred into them since 1561 include a very loud, yodeling voice, the desire to use that voice frequently (very VERY frequently), and a nose that can smell things with such intensity that they never want to stop smelling things.
The noise. The noise of a Basset is incredible. They yodel and bark and howl when they're happy, when they're not happy, when they're excited, when they're bored, to tell you they've found something, and sometimes, I swear, just to hear their own voice. I call the one at the store Elvis not only because he ain't nothin' but a hound dog, and he's cryin' all the time, but also because he just delights in "singing."
When I rub his ears, he grunts. When I'm cleaning his kennel, he howls. When I talk to him, he yodels and murmurs and whimpers and whispers. They make a really interesting range of sounds that you just won't ever hear out of any other breed.
BUT OMFG IT DRIVES ME INSANE. I can tune it out at the store. But if I had to go home and in my free time when I'm relaxing, hear that.. Holy crap, I would be pulling my hair out. I love him now, while he's mine. But I would never, EVER, want one.
I know myself (and Basset Hounds) well enough to know that we can get along great, as long as we go to sleep in separate houses. Some people love the Basset voice. They think it's great. More power to 'em. I love them for it. Me? No.
So it really bothers me when people come in the store looking for a puppy, ask if Bassets bark much, and upon being told they do, say things like, "Well, but they can be trained."
Listen. This dog has been bred to have that loud of a voice and use it all the time for HALF A MILLENIA. There's no training 500 years of selective breeding out of them. It just don't work that way. And this isn't just with Bassets, mind you. I get it every time someone just wants, and expects instant gratification, with regards to a dog.
Sometimes I want to tell people, hey. If you want an exercise in futility, that's fine, go sit on the beach and try to hold the tide back. But don't bring any other living creature into it. Especially not one that's going to suffer when you finally realize your folly.
Because who is going to be the loser in the end? Not the people who weren't honest with themselves about what they can deal with when bringing home a puppy. It'll be the dog. The dog will be out a home, and possibly a life.
I love it when the rare moment comes that a customer says to me, "I really don't know anything about dogs. I know our family wants a dog, but I know nothing about the different breeds and I don't want to just bring anything home. How do I pick out a dog that's right for me?"
I want to jump around and hug them and tell them, "You. You are the greatest thing ever."
Picking out a dog that's right for you is like finding God. You have to be brutally honest with yourself, about yourself. Can you handle the incessant barking of a Basset Hound? Do you have the time and patience to train good ground manners into a dog that's going to be 120 pounds someday? Are you really willing to give up your passion for cute fuzzy rodents in order to have a dog that's been bred to kill them?
Be honest with yourself, and then start looking. And when you find a breed that you think fits you, and that appeals to you, call the first breed specific rescue for that breed, and ask them, "What is the number one reason these dogs get surrendered?" And then ask yourself if you can really handle that. Honestly.
And if what they tell you doesn't sound too bad, then you've got yourself a winner. Congratulations, you've just found a God. Err. Dog.
As for myself. No, I don't want to take them all home. There's a long list of dog breeds I'd love to own, and some surprising individuals of breeds I never thought I'd enjoy who just endear themselves to me while they are with me. (Yorkies, I'm lookin' at you.) But when I think about it, and I'm really honest with myself, even the ones I think I'd love I know better than to bring home. It just wouldn't be fair to THEM.
And there are some dogs I know would work out splendidly for me.. just not right now.
I've waited half my life for an Irish Wolfhound. Someday, I will have one. But the time is not now.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Dog Lover Says: Justified Force
On Sunday, September 12th, police shot and killed a dog at the Adams Morgan festival in Washington, D.C.
Here are a few accounts:
Washington Post
Dcist
TBD
Washington City Paper
Before we go any further, let me just ask one question. How many of you honestly think that the veteran K9 officer who killed Parrot woke up that morning and thought, "Hmm. I feel like killing a dog today," and went out looking for a dog to kill? If you're one of those people, stop reading right now and go back to your anarchist blog.
The facts that are clear:
1. The Shar Pei is 2 years old and a rescue.
2. The handler had only had knowledge of the dog for a month prior to the incident.
3. A Shar Pei attacked a smaller dog.
4. In trying to separate the dogs, the Shar Pei's handler is bitten by the Shar Pei.
5. There is a struggle to separate the two dogs.
6. A K9 unit police officer intervenes.
7. The officer incapacitates the Shar Pei by kneeling on it.
8. The officer threw the Shar Pei down a flight of stairs and shot it.
In all reports, Aaron Block, the handler of the Shar Pei, made some pretty bad decisions with regard to Parrot. They are:
Taking a rescue dog with an unknown history to a large gathering of people which will include small children, other dogs, and food.
You don't do that. You don't take a dog with an unknown history to a large gathering of people which will include children, other dogs, and food until you first know two things: You have complete control over the dog at all times, and that you have demonstrated beyond a doubt in numerous test situations in which you are prepared for the dog to act crazy that the dog is not likely to do anything nutty. And even THEN, things happen.
Taking a large dog into a large group of people which will include children, other dogs, and food on a harness.
In his statement to the DCist in which Aaron Block claims he is "a spokesperson for the owner of the dog," he claims the dog was on a harness. I find this hard to believe because in pictures of the police officer subduing the dog, it doesn't look like he even has a leash on, much less a harness. But I digress. A harness gives a dog MORE leverage to yank and pull you around with, it does NOT give you control over the dog unless it is a harness specifically designed to stop pulling, and I can tell you those aren't very effective either. If you want control over a large, unruly dog, you're setting yourself up for failure using a harness. There's a reason they put sled dogs and weight pulling competitors into a harness: So they can pull BETTER. Taking a dog with an unknown history into a potentially volatile situation, he should have been using a Gentle Leader. If you have control over the dog's head, you have control over the dog.
At any point during this incident, letting go of the leash.
Originally I thought this dog wasn't on a leash, and I was highly incensed. In none of the news reports is there mention of a leash, and in the pictures, as before stated, the dog does not appear to have a leash on. Aaron claims the dog was on a leash. Why in the name of anything you hold dear would you have let go of it? The officer would not have been able to throw the dog anywhere if he had the leash. At least, not without dragging him with the dog.
Trying to hold the dog's mouth open.
This whole bit just sounds shady as hell to me. Aaron claims, when speaking to the Washington Post, that Parrot did not bite him. He "cut his hand in the dog's mouth."
That's a really weird way of saying the dog bit you, otherwise why would your hand be in the dog's mouth at all? If he was trying to cover for Parrot, why didn't he just claim the other dog bit him? I'm guessing because at this point the other dog was clear, and Parrot was the only dog involved. Aaron clarifies in his e-mail to the DCist, saying that "he placed his hands in Parrot's mouth and held it open, which he has done when Parrot gets overexcited when romping in the apartment. As it had in the past, this calmed Parrot down."
The hinge that holds a dog's lower jaw to the upper is actually very fragile. And doing what Aaron claims he was doing is just the way to break it. Besides that, drawing on years of dog handling experience, I can tell you, holding a dog's mouth open is no way to calm it down. I don't know of any dog who would become calm while having it's mouth held open. Usually, they struggle. A lot. Even my sainted Labrador, a dog with a CDX title, did not particularly enjoy someone holding his mouth open. He put up with it. Grudgingly. And only because he trusted me A LOT.
Who puts their hand in the mouth of a dog while attempting to break up a dog fight, anyway? Who does that? Putting your hand in the mouth of a dog that is in ANY way aggressively excited is just BEGGING to be bitten! I don't even put my hands near the business end of a hamster fight if I can help it. I mean c'mon. At some point, self-preservation kicks in, even in those of us who don't have much of a sense of self-preservation. Assuming Aaron has absolutely no sense of self-preservation, and did indeed stick in his hands in Parrot's mouth in whatever misguided attempt to calm him, what the hell do you expect to happen? "I cut my hand in the dog's mouth." BS. Just call it what it is. The dog bit you. It was your fault for sticking your hand in there, yeah, but the dog still bit you. That's lamest cover-up for it I ever heard.
At this point, Aaron's story seriously conflicts with the officer's story, as well as that of on-lookers. One witness says that Aaron was on the ground, "struggling, really struggling" with Parrot. One says that Aaron's hand was pretty seriously injured, making him unable to control or subdue Parrot. The officer, who let us remember, is a K9 officer with dog experience, steps in. According to the officer, Parrot bit him, and was still attempting to bite him, when he threw the dog down the stairs. And when the dog got up and tried to come back up the stairs, he shot the dog.
I've been in that situation. Have you? The situation where a very large dog REALLY wants to hurt you. I never assume anything is the dog's fault, I know better. But in a case where a very large dog really wants to hurt you, for whatever reason, and you know what you're doing, you can get a tentative control over the dog, by doing just what the officer did. Or something like it. But then what? You can't sit there forever, and as soon as you let go you know where that dog is going: Right back at you. There's a moment when that realization comes over you that you wonder who really has who, especially if the dog is struggling hard enough that you're losing whatever grip you had on it.
In my situation, it was a dog I knew, I was by myself, I did something in the dog's eyes that was wrong and could have been avoided (I grabbed his dish to fill it up instead of bringing the food to the dish, my fault) and luckily for me while we both sat there and wondered who had who, we both calmed down, the dog's brain came off of auto-pilot, I saw and acknowledged the change in his posture and I trusted him enough to let go. If my trust had been misplaced, I was the only person who stood to be hurt by it, I was alone.
This officer was in a crowd of people, with a dog he did not know, that was trying to bite him. When he got to the realization that this dog which was acting aggressively and had already bitten one dog and at least one person might get loose in a crowd of people that included small children, he made the decision to throw the dog down a stairwell. This accomplished three things. The officer tried to non-fatally injure the dog enough to back the dog down. It got the dog far enough away from the officer in one movement that the dog could not bite him immediately. It gave the officer enough distance to judge if the dog was going to come back aggressively and the distance to take a shot if need be, and the dog was down a stairwell, so he wouldn't be shooting into a crowd of people. That's some damn good fast thinking. 90% of us wouldn't have been able to do that. He neutralized a threat without harming innocent bystanders. Just what he was trained to do. Good job officer.
Was the shooting justified? I think it was.
Did the dog deserve to die? No, of course not. I think the only reason he was trying to bite the officer is because he was scared at that point. Who knows what his background was. Dogs do tend to react differently to military personnel and police officers than they do to other people. They are people in positions of authority, and the dogs know. They walk differently, have a different timbre in their voices, and act very decisively. They've been trained to do that because civilians subconsciously react to those cues as well. In dogs that have been abused or have not been well socialized, the reaction to a person with that body language usually is aggressive. Defensively aggressive, yes, but aggressive just the same.
Dogs are dangerous. We tend to forget that because we share our lives with them every day. But they can kill us. If this had been an unstable person waving a weapon around who had already injured two people, nobody would question the police officer's actions. The police officer would not give that person a second chance to calm down in which he might kill someone. And he didn't in this instance either.
I think the blame rests solely, as it usually does, on the dog's owner. Aaron may have been completely well-meaning, but he made some truly terrible decisions that the dog paid an ultimate price for.
Here are a few accounts:
Washington Post
Dcist
TBD
Washington City Paper
Before we go any further, let me just ask one question. How many of you honestly think that the veteran K9 officer who killed Parrot woke up that morning and thought, "Hmm. I feel like killing a dog today," and went out looking for a dog to kill? If you're one of those people, stop reading right now and go back to your anarchist blog.
The facts that are clear:
1. The Shar Pei is 2 years old and a rescue.
2. The handler had only had knowledge of the dog for a month prior to the incident.
3. A Shar Pei attacked a smaller dog.
4. In trying to separate the dogs, the Shar Pei's handler is bitten by the Shar Pei.
5. There is a struggle to separate the two dogs.
6. A K9 unit police officer intervenes.
7. The officer incapacitates the Shar Pei by kneeling on it.
8. The officer threw the Shar Pei down a flight of stairs and shot it.
In all reports, Aaron Block, the handler of the Shar Pei, made some pretty bad decisions with regard to Parrot. They are:
Taking a rescue dog with an unknown history to a large gathering of people which will include small children, other dogs, and food.
You don't do that. You don't take a dog with an unknown history to a large gathering of people which will include children, other dogs, and food until you first know two things: You have complete control over the dog at all times, and that you have demonstrated beyond a doubt in numerous test situations in which you are prepared for the dog to act crazy that the dog is not likely to do anything nutty. And even THEN, things happen.
Taking a large dog into a large group of people which will include children, other dogs, and food on a harness.
In his statement to the DCist in which Aaron Block claims he is "a spokesperson for the owner of the dog," he claims the dog was on a harness. I find this hard to believe because in pictures of the police officer subduing the dog, it doesn't look like he even has a leash on, much less a harness. But I digress. A harness gives a dog MORE leverage to yank and pull you around with, it does NOT give you control over the dog unless it is a harness specifically designed to stop pulling, and I can tell you those aren't very effective either. If you want control over a large, unruly dog, you're setting yourself up for failure using a harness. There's a reason they put sled dogs and weight pulling competitors into a harness: So they can pull BETTER. Taking a dog with an unknown history into a potentially volatile situation, he should have been using a Gentle Leader. If you have control over the dog's head, you have control over the dog.
At any point during this incident, letting go of the leash.
Originally I thought this dog wasn't on a leash, and I was highly incensed. In none of the news reports is there mention of a leash, and in the pictures, as before stated, the dog does not appear to have a leash on. Aaron claims the dog was on a leash. Why in the name of anything you hold dear would you have let go of it? The officer would not have been able to throw the dog anywhere if he had the leash. At least, not without dragging him with the dog.
Trying to hold the dog's mouth open.
This whole bit just sounds shady as hell to me. Aaron claims, when speaking to the Washington Post, that Parrot did not bite him. He "cut his hand in the dog's mouth."
That's a really weird way of saying the dog bit you, otherwise why would your hand be in the dog's mouth at all? If he was trying to cover for Parrot, why didn't he just claim the other dog bit him? I'm guessing because at this point the other dog was clear, and Parrot was the only dog involved. Aaron clarifies in his e-mail to the DCist, saying that "he placed his hands in Parrot's mouth and held it open, which he has done when Parrot gets overexcited when romping in the apartment. As it had in the past, this calmed Parrot down."
The hinge that holds a dog's lower jaw to the upper is actually very fragile. And doing what Aaron claims he was doing is just the way to break it. Besides that, drawing on years of dog handling experience, I can tell you, holding a dog's mouth open is no way to calm it down. I don't know of any dog who would become calm while having it's mouth held open. Usually, they struggle. A lot. Even my sainted Labrador, a dog with a CDX title, did not particularly enjoy someone holding his mouth open. He put up with it. Grudgingly. And only because he trusted me A LOT.
Who puts their hand in the mouth of a dog while attempting to break up a dog fight, anyway? Who does that? Putting your hand in the mouth of a dog that is in ANY way aggressively excited is just BEGGING to be bitten! I don't even put my hands near the business end of a hamster fight if I can help it. I mean c'mon. At some point, self-preservation kicks in, even in those of us who don't have much of a sense of self-preservation. Assuming Aaron has absolutely no sense of self-preservation, and did indeed stick in his hands in Parrot's mouth in whatever misguided attempt to calm him, what the hell do you expect to happen? "I cut my hand in the dog's mouth." BS. Just call it what it is. The dog bit you. It was your fault for sticking your hand in there, yeah, but the dog still bit you. That's lamest cover-up for it I ever heard.
At this point, Aaron's story seriously conflicts with the officer's story, as well as that of on-lookers. One witness says that Aaron was on the ground, "struggling, really struggling" with Parrot. One says that Aaron's hand was pretty seriously injured, making him unable to control or subdue Parrot. The officer, who let us remember, is a K9 officer with dog experience, steps in. According to the officer, Parrot bit him, and was still attempting to bite him, when he threw the dog down the stairs. And when the dog got up and tried to come back up the stairs, he shot the dog.
I've been in that situation. Have you? The situation where a very large dog REALLY wants to hurt you. I never assume anything is the dog's fault, I know better. But in a case where a very large dog really wants to hurt you, for whatever reason, and you know what you're doing, you can get a tentative control over the dog, by doing just what the officer did. Or something like it. But then what? You can't sit there forever, and as soon as you let go you know where that dog is going: Right back at you. There's a moment when that realization comes over you that you wonder who really has who, especially if the dog is struggling hard enough that you're losing whatever grip you had on it.
In my situation, it was a dog I knew, I was by myself, I did something in the dog's eyes that was wrong and could have been avoided (I grabbed his dish to fill it up instead of bringing the food to the dish, my fault) and luckily for me while we both sat there and wondered who had who, we both calmed down, the dog's brain came off of auto-pilot, I saw and acknowledged the change in his posture and I trusted him enough to let go. If my trust had been misplaced, I was the only person who stood to be hurt by it, I was alone.
This officer was in a crowd of people, with a dog he did not know, that was trying to bite him. When he got to the realization that this dog which was acting aggressively and had already bitten one dog and at least one person might get loose in a crowd of people that included small children, he made the decision to throw the dog down a stairwell. This accomplished three things. The officer tried to non-fatally injure the dog enough to back the dog down. It got the dog far enough away from the officer in one movement that the dog could not bite him immediately. It gave the officer enough distance to judge if the dog was going to come back aggressively and the distance to take a shot if need be, and the dog was down a stairwell, so he wouldn't be shooting into a crowd of people. That's some damn good fast thinking. 90% of us wouldn't have been able to do that. He neutralized a threat without harming innocent bystanders. Just what he was trained to do. Good job officer.
Was the shooting justified? I think it was.
Did the dog deserve to die? No, of course not. I think the only reason he was trying to bite the officer is because he was scared at that point. Who knows what his background was. Dogs do tend to react differently to military personnel and police officers than they do to other people. They are people in positions of authority, and the dogs know. They walk differently, have a different timbre in their voices, and act very decisively. They've been trained to do that because civilians subconsciously react to those cues as well. In dogs that have been abused or have not been well socialized, the reaction to a person with that body language usually is aggressive. Defensively aggressive, yes, but aggressive just the same.
Dogs are dangerous. We tend to forget that because we share our lives with them every day. But they can kill us. If this had been an unstable person waving a weapon around who had already injured two people, nobody would question the police officer's actions. The police officer would not give that person a second chance to calm down in which he might kill someone. And he didn't in this instance either.
I think the blame rests solely, as it usually does, on the dog's owner. Aaron may have been completely well-meaning, but he made some truly terrible decisions that the dog paid an ultimate price for.
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