Are Rotties born to be bad?
By NICK BARNETTSix puppies died this week for one reason: they happened to be Rottweilers.
Invercargill dog control officers impounded the puppies after their mother had barked at some children. The council, despite having a low opinion of the qualities of the dog owners, returned the adult dog to them.
So the menacing dog is still out there. But the puppies, which had done absolutely nothing and for which the SPCA was trying to find homes, were given lethal injections.
The council, you see, believes that Rottweilers are inherently dangerous. It must have thought it was doing the world a favour (and no doubt some of you will be tempted to agree).
I guess there could always be unreported factors in cases like this. But to me the council look callous and syringe-happy. No wonder the SPCA is upset.
Basically, the council is saying that all Rottweilers are born to be bad, and can't be redeemed. (And maybe it's also saying, under its breath, that there's no point in adopting out Rottweilers, because the only people who'd adopt the dogs are the kind of folk who'd turn out to be problem owners.)
How bad are Rotties? I've never lived with one but my partner grew up with them and was outraged by news of the puppies' killing. I've met a number of Rotties while out walking my dog, and without exception they've been gentle, and their owners seemed peaceful, pet-loving people.
Which confounds the stereotype of Rottie owners (and owners of other powerful dogs) as being strutting macho idiots. That stereotype scarcely helps the reputation of Rottweilers, which some people see as dogs that only brutes could like.
But is that stereotype completely unearned, and is the Rottie as docile and loving as its champions say?
They are incredibly powerful and even daunting-looking dogs. If I wanted a dog that would make me feel safe while out on the street, then a 50kg Rottie is what I'd choose. And I guess, if I were the kind of person who wants a dog to reflect (more likely magnify) his macho, screw-you personality, I suppose I'd choose a Rottie. And someone with that kind of personality is hardly likely to spend much time training his dog to be gentle, is he?
And training is the key. Dog Breed Info says this about Rottweilers:
The Rottie is calm, trainable, courageous, and devoted to their owner and family. They have a reliable temperament. Protective, he will defend his family fiercely. These are strong fighters that seem immune to pain. Serious, steady and confident. Firm and careful training is essential for this breed, otherwise you may end up with a very powerful and overly aggressive dog. Yet they can, with proper handling, also be loyal, loving and very rewarding companions.
"With proper handling", note. Handled wrongly, any dog can be made dangerous - I read yesterday about a baby mauled to death by a 4kg Pomeranian. But can a dangerous dog be made safe?
A Rottweiler is not a Pomeranian. In a scrape with a Rottie, you're likely to be badly hurt. Hence, the rottie is responsible for half the dog-bite deaths in the United States, going by 1990s figures.
In New Zealand, Rotties are one of the four breeds most commonly identified in attacks on people; the others are German shepherds, bull terriers and Labradors, though the type of dog most often identified is the crossbreed. But do city councils also practice pre-emptive euthanasia on German shepherds and Labradors? I think not.
Most Rotties live their lives without attacking anyone. When properly trained, they're apparently fine. Are there Rottweiler lovers reading today who can bear this out?
Which is why I believe that Invercargill City Council over-reached cruelly when it had those puppies put down. At least some of those puppies could have been raised by clued-up, committed owners and been wonderful pets. Couldn't they have been given the chance?
UPDATE: The Southland Times has a story today on the controversy, with comment from the owner and more from the council's chief executive. It seems the council has had a number of dog aggression alerts lately, which prompted the council to "err on the side of caution". That is, kill the dogs first.
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Yep, get rid of them and there dodgy owners. It's a bogan dog for a bogan owner.
Bob
I think that ALL dogs have the ability to be dangerous and it's the owners that determine how agressive they end up being. It's all down to training. The council should definately NOT have put the puppies down, especially as it was down to the adult dog barking??? what's all that about, did it attack anyone? If not then what right did the council have to take the puppies? WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!
I live with my flatmate's Rottie and she is the sweetest, most lovable and cuddliest dog I have ever known. I own a pug and a griffin and she is exceptionally gentle with them. I agree with kazz, all dogs have the ability to be dangerous. a tiny chihuahua can be worse than the biggest dog. Invercargill City Council should be ashamed for putting down those puppies! Yes some types of people may be attracted to Rotties because of their looks (which is unfortunate) but all the Rottie owners I know are most definitely not bogans. What an ignorant comment.
I am a mother of three children and we have always had rottis as pets, They are loving loyal pets, easy to train and very gentle around children. Just because there are people who don't know how to treat animals around doesn't mean certain breeds are dangerous. ALL BREEDS of dangerous dogs should be looked at on a dog by dog basis!
I have grown up around Bull terriers, german Shephards, Labradors, and Boxers. I have never been attacked by others or my dogs. I have not seen them attack someone either. Trained properly they are loyal, family dogs. Untrained or trained badly and they are pack dogs who will kill. Put down the owners, not the dogs. Humans are more likely to be bad than the dogs. Dog owners should need a certificate to say they've learnt how to train a dog.
This is outrageous!! I'm furious to know that people could be so cruel and judgemental. Rotties are beautiful, infact my favorite breed of dog, my partner has one, and has many before the one he has now, and they have all been amazing beautiful dogs. A dog will be what the owner will make it. It has nothing to do with them being "born to be bad". And what did the pups do?? If it was down to the adult dog barking, (which is just stupid, aren't dogs meant to bark at strangers?) then why return the adult to the owners if the pups didn't have the privilege? and im sure these children wouldn't be the first to be barked at by a rotty before. and as for you "bob", your as sad dissapointing as the people who put those pups down. what do bogens have to do with anything. Sounds to me like you don't deserve to own a dog, and if you did, it would be danderous!
Thats disquisting! rotties, like any other dog, are fantastic with the right owners. i had one as a family pet, when i was a kid. the most peaceful gentle girl i have ever owned. she had beautifully natured puppies. how dare they kill innocent lil pups. who gives humans the right to pick and choose what and who lives on this earth?????????
My understanding of the situation (outlined in todays paper - details missed in the article yesterday) was that the dogs were not purebred and were in fact Rottie / Mastiff crosses. I was speaking to the dog controller from the council just last week and he advised that attacks stemming from Neo / Bull Mastiffs in Invercargill were dramatically on the increase and the majority of these were coming from the cross breeds. Invercargill has had a spate of attacks featuring Neo Mastiffs especially and most of the dogs involved are descendants from from a Neo owned by a gang member in town. This dog has now been destroyed after it attacked an elderly gentleman who had the misfortune of walking past the property. The councils actions may have been heavy handed, I do not condone it myself, but I can understand the reasoning behid the actions they took
I totally agree with plummja. I'm sick and tired of dogs being blamed for their owners incompetence. No one should be allowed to own a dog without being registered and training should be mandatory. Stop blaming dogs for the stupid humans that own them. Also, if you live in the Invercargill district, I would make a stand by not paying your rates until the council apologises for their blantant murder of defenceless puppies and make restitution of some kind. They should be ashamed!
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I Love Rotties! Have never owned one myself but have known some. Yes they CAN be dangerous when bought up the wrong way but the ones I've come across are the moset dopeist loving dogs I have ever met. They are huge puppies when in a loving home. I think that putting these puppies down was a horrible thing to do! And the council really should be ashamed that they did this.