Nelson: It’s time to jail owners of vicious dogs

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In terms of asinine phrases, “don’t fear, he by no means bites” is true up there with, “I’m from the federal government and I’m right here to assist.”

As a result of canine can and can chew — it’s their nature to take action, being descendants of the gray wolf — even when they’re known as Fluffy, put on socks when it’s freezing outdoors and have pleasure of place of their proprietor’s pockets the best way youngsters’ college photographs as soon as did.

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The variety of canine which have tried to take a bit out of me is definitely within the excessive a whole bunch, though solely two have been capable of sink their enamel into flesh.

So, in a world teeming with self-labelled consultants, I’d declare to be considerably of 1 myself in terms of the aggressive habits of canines. This data was hard-earned over 20 years, throughout which I ran sufficient miles in coaching for numerous highway races to have twice circumnavigated the globe on foot. And sometimes, when operating previous somebody out strolling a canine, the animal would lunge at me.

Runners shortly perceive, as do posties, that you have to go past the gap of the hooked up leash. Miscalculate, as I did on these two events, and prepare to be sewn up and given every week’s value of antibiotics out of your close by well being clinic.

The attention-grabbing factor is, if you happen to cease and query the proprietor about this assault — as a result of that’s what it’s — it shortly turns into your fault. The truth is, I’d wager many canine lovers are already composing hate mail for my future studying pleasure in addition to offended missives to the Herald editor demanding my dismissal. (I’m not on employees, in order that route’s a bit pointless.)

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They’ll argue I startled the canine, so what did I anticipate? Gone is the earlier fatuous declare that their beloved pooch would by no means chew anybody, to get replaced with a searing indictment about my stupidity in operating previous the animal within the first place. Such reasoning was as soon as frequent in sexual-assault circumstances, by which the sufferer was deemed partly liable for the assault as a result of she wearing a lovely method.

Nonetheless, they’re proper in a circuitous means, even when the logic is twisted. Ultimately, in terms of canine, you’re the one needing to watch out as a result of it’s your conceal in danger. And a few dangers are much more harmful than others. Which is why I by no means ran previous a pit bull or a type of related mastiff-like breeds. Turning round and retracing your steps might sound just a little cowardly, however contemplating the injury these animals can do to a human physique, such discretion is certainly the higher a part of valour.

Tragically, we’ve had yet one more instance of the ferocious energy of such animals with the current loss of life of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton. On this unhappy episode, the canine have been Cane Corsos, a breed with the doubtful distinction of getting a jaw able to inflicting much more injury than that of the common pit bull. (Some cities in Alberta have outlawed such canine, however not right here in Calgary the place metropolis council appears too preoccupied with the hazards of plastic spoons and paper baggage to hassle tackling that contentious query.)

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Anyhow, the response from defenders of such breeds is at all times the identical: there aren’t any unhealthy canine, solely unhealthy homeowners. Effectively, given what number of occasions I’ve evaded lunging pooches, there should be an enormous assortment of unhealthy homeowners on the market.

But when that’s certainly the case, then when one among these mastiff-type animals kills or maims some harmless sufferer it must be the proprietor who pays the worth — and never one involving some picayune fantastic for violating a tepid bylaw. They need to be charged with manslaughter or aggravated assault and thrown in jail.

In spite of everything, it’s by no means the canine’s fault.

Chris Nelson is an everyday columnist.

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