Is There Such Thing as a “Dangerous Breed”?

In 2012, animal lovers from all over the world were heartbroken when they learned Wicca’s story. Wicca was a pitbull from Canada, who was euthanized just for being a pitbull. The city of Montreal killed the dog, ignoring thousands of requests to save her life. It all started when Wicca allegedly bit a woman and subsequently nipped an ambulance technician who treated the woman. The dog’s owner claimed that Wicca only jumped on the two so called victims because they scared her.  According to the owner, “The lady never went to the hospital. She never got stitches”. The problem was that the city of Montreal is allowed to kill dogs considered dangerous, such as Pitbulls, without evidence. A law says so. And this type of breed-specific legislations exist in many cities around the globe.

Breed Specific Legislation (BLS) is to use the law to regulate and restrict dog ownership based solely on their breed. It’s based on the idea that certain dog breeds are bad by nature and are innately more aggressive than others. Is that so?

Many people believe that no breed should be labeled as “bad” or “dangerous”. Patricia Abala, who organizes dog shows, stated “Pitbulls are not dangerous, as long as you handle them correctly since they are puppies, like any other dog”.  And she added, “Many people think that to have a good guardian dog it’s necessary to abuse him, to have it always tied or get him used to beating. The only thing you achieve with this is potent the aggression. In every case where a dog attacks a human there’s always a history of abuse and wrong training. The animal is first a victim, then an aggressor”.   

The truth is that all dogs have the same number of chromosomes. Hence, they are the same from a genetic point of view. “No dog is dangerous per se. It depends on its inheritance and stimuli (positive or negative) he receives”, affirmed Dr. Fernando Catrina, director of the Center of Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Problems in Canine and Feline Behavior”, in the city of Cordoba, Argentina. Catrina also explained, “The most important is the sensitive period of the animal’s development. The first four months of his life. It’s when the dog adapts to the stimuli he gets. The dog is born with an immature nervous system and its sensorial capacity augments through the maturity of its sensorial organs, such as smell, vision and hearing”.

In a forum where this topic was heatedly debated, a woman identified as Gigi Monzón stated, “I worked on a pediatric ER, and most of the kids attacked by dogs were attacked by small dogs. More than once those small dogs disfigured kids because the kids put their faces in the dog’s mouth. The thing is that with big dogs the attack tends to be fatal, so they get more media attention”.

“There are no dangerous breeds, only irresponsible owners”, concluded another woman called Mescalita Vero. “If you raise it properly the dog will be wonderful”.

The Top Exotic Yet Bad Pets

 Credit: PattybrdarPhoto           

Potential pet owners will have a large variety of animals at their disposal when they go pet hunting, but this wide range makes it difficult for them to actually settle on one. A number of animals out there will prove to be a great addition to the household and will become part of the family in no time at all. However, there are plenty more animals that shouldn’t be kept and if, at all, there should be special circumstances to warrant that. A horde of animals are a good bet for a pet and are less dangerous to care for, although they might not be as exotic.

Nonetheless, listed below are some of the animals that may seem exotic pets, but aren’t actually a wise or good choice:

Primates

Baboons, chimpanzees, lemurs and monkeys are part of this category. They are child-like and cute; no doubt about that. However, they should never be considered a substitute for babies. Owners may insist on treatment them like one by taking them out in strollers and putting them into diapers, but the problem is that they permanently act like babies. They throw tantrums, scream and get angry. Also, they lack moral conscience so they can go on a rampage without cause and even attack the owners. This is dangerous as they are known to transmit diseases like HIV-1 and Hepatitis A.

Large Cats

Most of the large cats that may be chosen as pets include tigers, cougars, leopards and lions. They are dangerous and strong and de-clawing them will not turn them into Fluffy the housecat. De-clawing involves removing their bones from the body and if not done properly, the cats will not be able to walk properly and may become paralyzed. Plus, tigers and other large cats don’t use claws for killing their prey. They use their teeth for biting into the throat. If not the teeth, then the jaw pressure of the cat is enough to kill.

Venomous Snakes

It takes only a single bite for an individual to die. Get safer species because you might not have anti-venom handy. Some snakes are also known to cause blindness and immense pain.

Foxes

People may tame foxes, but they will never be fully domesticated. They are dangerous and untrustworthy, especially around children. In addition, they give off a musky odor that’s even worse than that of a ferret. Their canine teeth are very sharp and they switch on their wild instincts and inflict harm if they become scared in any way.

Bears

People think that bears are just like teddy bears i.e. cuddly and cute even though they are around 1500 pounds. For many reasons, bear cubs may be appealing, but they definitely don’t stay that size for long. They can be trained, but cannot be considered trustworthy. Just by using their paw, a bear can inflict serious damage and even kill people with a single blow.

These pets may seem exotic and exciting, but are very dangerous, especially if pets for families are being considered.

Make Sure Your Cute Little Bunny is Not an Exotic Pet

When people hear the term “Exotic pet” they automatically think of a Capuchin monkey, an alligator or a raccoon. Some are baffled to find out that bunnies are exotic pets too.

According to Dr. Kevin Wright, a vet specialized on exotic pets, “an exotic pet is any species that is not one of the nine major domesticated species that comprise the majority of the curricula of veterinary schools”. That means any animal that’s not a dog, a cat, a horse, a cow, a sheep, a goat, a swine, a chicken or a turkey, can be exotic.

The first thing you should consider before welcoming a rabbit into your home is that they are prey animals, which means that they’ll interact with their environment differently than animals like cats or dogs  which are predators by nature. For instance, if you bend over a bunny and grab them the animal might feel like he’s being picked up by a hawk. Imagine how scary it must be for the cute little rabbit. That said, bunnies are indeed very sociable creatures. They not only like to interact with humans, they need to. But the best way to interact with your bunny is on the floor. If you sit on the floor while he plays he’ll soon approach you to investigate you. And he’ll want you to pet him as he sits next to you; at least at first. With a lot of time, love and patience he might like to be held. Some bunnies grow to become “lap rabbits” after some time.

If you are going to hold your rabbit, you should be familiar with the right ways to do so.

First of all, you should approach the rabbit so he sees you coming and then pet it to help him relax.  Then place your writing hand under his arms and hold his chest. After that, put your other hand to scoop up his bottom. Finally lift the rabbit to your chest.

You can also pick your bunny up from the midsection. In this case, place both hands around the rabbit’s midsection between its front and back paws.

For all the aforementioned characteristics, bunnies are not suitable pets for toddlers or small children. A little kid will likely want to hold the rabbit right away and won’t be patient enough. Besides, a little child won’t know how to properly hold it in a gentle manner. A dog, on the other hand, will love to play rough.

Rabbits are also not recommendable for households with dogs or cats, considering that canines and felines have natural hunting instincts.

Buying or adopting any pet means making a commitment for as long as the animal lives. It’s crucial to do the proper research before becoming responsible for the well-being of a living form that doesn’t reason but definitely has feelings. This is of particular importance when it comes to an exotic pet, since people generally don’t know a lot about them and information about these particular animals tend to be scarce.