Okay so here’s the thing. I love dogs. Dogs are amazing wonderful creatures. But we have to stop acting like dogs are perfect, or safe to be around every one and every thing.
I just watched a gif of a man walking his dog when they came upon kittens. The dog immediately lunged – only to have the mother cat barrel in and scare the dog off. I was furious, because the owner sat and watched as his dog lunged at a kitten – and had to be beaten off of it by its mother.
In the comments people were discussing it, saying “That dog just wanted to play! He wasn’t going to actually *hurt* the kitten!”
And I’d really like us to stop this.
“He just wants to say hi,”
“he’s just trying to play”
are two phrases commonly said by people who do not understand their dogs behavior, and make excuses for them.
That dog did not want to play. When dogs want to play, they change their body language and start using different behavior – most obviously the play bow. They sniff first, and get introductions out of the way. If your dog lunges for something the moment they set its eyes on it – they do not want to play. Just imagine, if you were a kid who had never met someone before and they just straight up attacked you. That would be different from someone walking up and saying “hey, do you wanna play/wrestle?”
And here’s the thing. There’s nothing wrong with that dog, it just should not be allowed around animals smaller than it. Cats, hamsters, rabbits, hedgehogs, even toy breeds of dogs, I wouldn’t consider safe. And thats OK! You can have a perfectly happy life with your dog never harming any animals as long as you know this and make sure to pay attention. But if that dog harms a kitten or other small animal, I blame the owner, who should have known better.
We have to be responsible owners and know our dogs. And as people, we need to stop making excuses for other animals and instead do our best to make sure everyone in the situation is safe, not just the dog who “just wants to play” or “was just trying to say hi”, while barreling straight for something.
Just because you love your dog doesn’t mean its not aggressive in specific situations. Doesn’t mean its safe for all to be around. Doesn’t mean its incapable of fault.
some dogs have a strong prey drive and some don’t. some breeds are hunting dogs and some breeds are herd dogs. some breeds will protect and nurture basically every small thing they encounter (including socks and plastic cars) and some will quite efficiently kill small creatures. they’re being true to their nature, and it’s your job as a human to choose a dog whose nature fits with your lifestyle.
for instance, don’t get a lhasa apso if you live in a place where strangers come and go a lot, because they were bred as temple guards and when they see someone they don’t know they lose their shit like it’s their job, because it is. they are little furry burglar alarms. if you make them deal with strangers all day, they’ll be a psycho bark machine and you’ll resent them for it. don’t get a guarding dog if your space isn’t secure for them.
don’t get a herding dog if you live alone and leave the dog alone in your apartment while you’re at work, they’ll go insane from boredom and start doing neurotic behaviors neither of you will enjoy.
and don’t get a hunting dog if you’re going to be around kittens, babies, etc., because their prey drive is very strong and they’re not protective of small creatures. terriers were bred to hunt rats, for instance, and their instincts don’t stop to distinguish whether that little skittering thing is actually a silky pet ferret with a jingly collar, they just see Prey Item. it’s not their fault. it’s how they were bred.
respect the dog’s nature. they’re purposeful creatures. let them live up to their purpose.
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