I would like to draw your attention to a social menace that has been gathering momentum unchecked in our society. I have watched, with growing unease, an increasing trend in keeping large, ferocious dogs in residential areas. Recently, an attack on a friend by a pair of Rottweilers brought the issue into sharp focus. The attack was on public land, entirely unprovoked and the victim was savaged to within an inch of his life. What followed, however, was nothing short of farcical. The dog owner was very reluctant to relinquish his dogs let alone put them down. The local authority, DHA in this case, was least interested in coming to the resident’s rescue. It ultimately came down to social pressure and the impending threat of a law suit that convinced the owner to relocate his prized dogs. The incident highlights several issues.
Dog breeds have been developed after decades and centuries of careful breeding to produce an animal fit for a particular task or purpose. Rottweilers, for instance, evolved in Germany as herding and guard dogs. They are known to be extremely intelligent but assertive dogs who require very careful handling. When these conditions are not met, the result can be similar to the one described above. Rottweilers are not the only breed becoming commonplace and may not be the worst offenders. One only has to search on the internet or speak to dog breeders to discover that several breeds which have been banned in various European and Asian countries are easily available here. One can obtain Pit Bulls, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, to name but a few of the breeds considered too dangerous to be kept as pets overseas. In the face of this trend, it’s important that appropriate checks are placed on the import of such animals and the prospective owners are carefully wetted beforehand.
As a dog owner myself, I am of the firm opinion that ultimately, it’s the owner and not the dog who is at fault when things go wrong. Whilst there are responsible breeders and owners, unfortunately, many of these dog breeds are falling into wrong hands. Either those of puppy farmers who are only in it for the money or novice and deluded owners who see these dogs as macho symbols that somehow enhance their masculinity.
The most sobering lesson of the tale is that had there been a child instead of my adult friend, the consequences would have been far more tragic. Surely it’s time for our authorities to either enact new legislation or begin enforcing old ones in order to protect the general public from this menace and also perhaps protect these animals by preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.
IRFAN CHEEMA
Lahore