Bad dog behaviour: maybe sometimes people deserve it

It breaks my heart when a dog ends up on death row not just because the dog is going to die but because too often the dog is responding to what people have done, writes Andrea Macleod. Why do we expect that dogs won’t bite and why do we kill them when they do?

Bandit is a symptom.

He is a reminder that dogs bite.

It happens. Dogs are not always on their best behaviour and why should they be.

Are we?
Red cattle dog Bandit remains on death row at a Scenic Rim Regional council pound after being accused of biting three people.

He has been at the centre of tribunal and court action since that council issued a dangerous dog destruction order in late 2017.

Owner Paul Cutbush claimed the biting incidents were staged or did not occur or, if they did, were caused by the victims and not the dog, the tribunal has heard.
We expect this A+ model of behaviour from dogs at all times. Sit, heel, don’t move, drink your puppy latte and don’t bark at other dogs. I can’t tell you the number of times people have glared, frowned, screamed and generally been condescending, rude or just plain horrible when they are the ones who have run straight at or walked aggressively towards my border collie and my border collie has barked at them.

Yes she barked at them for invading her space and I’m okay with that. If you are going to be rude enough to walk straight at me on a narrow path that I am already on and not give me two minutes to get through the narrow path and move to the side when I have two dogs with me, well expect to be barked at.

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Bandit has been at the centre of tribunal and court action since Scenic Rim Regional Council issued a dangerous dog destruction order in late 2017. Picture: Supplied

Sometimes the barking isn’t warranted. Sometimes it’s because sunglasses and hats are weird and hard to work out what to do with.

Sunglasses, hats and scooters are literally terrifying, right. But that is very different and there are tools to deal with this behaviour and help her to understand but sometimes she still reacts, sometimes she forgets.

Don’t get me wrong I didn’t always know this about dogs.

I had a sweet-natured border collie who didn’t bat an eyelid at a thing and taught many children to trust not just her but other dogs. She was incredibly calm, wise, easy going - I thought she was perfect. Then after her devastating passing, a new pup arrived; a bold, brazen, strong willed, fiercely protective, incredibly kind, loving, sweet and funny dog. But she has really taught me that all dogs are different and we need to understand them all better. Every day I learn something new.

She doesn’t like strangers to touch her. She’s really happy if you just stand nearby. If she doesn’t know you she might bark first but then once she is told it’s all okay, she will sit and wait. She can sound fierce when she barks but then turn around pick up her toy unicorn and wander off for a walk.

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Bandit has been at the centre of tribunal and court action since Scenic Rim Regional Council issued a dangerous dog destructionorder in late 2017. Picture: Supplied

Every day I see human behaviour that is so disrespectful of dogs and then people wonder why dogs get upset.

I’m not saying sometimes it doesn’t go dreadfully wrong but a nip or a bite at the ankles, even torn skin was once a common place side effect of living around dogs.

It didn’t kill us. We healed. So why should a dog pay for its mistake with its life.

Seriously.

I understand serious injury is a serious matter but it needs to be fully understood - why did the dog do that and is a nip or a puncture wound enough to warrant death?

I know a family that killed a cattle dog pup simply because it nipped their daughter once. There was no effort to train the pup. No consideration that they weren’t the right people for this pup.

When will we stop enforcing our impossible standards of behaviour on everything and stop punishing dogs with death.

How vicious is Bandit really? Can he be rehabilitated. Could very strict regulations for his environment remedy the problem. Is his family willing to do this?

I bet there’s plenty of dog owners whose beloved pets have bitten them once or twice or more.

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If Bandit had been tormented by strangers then it’s likely he’s remembered that and got one back.

Why should the price of Bandit’s mistake be his life?

Some animals, once they cross the line, have perhaps created a situation where they can no longer live with people. Perhaps that is Bandit and my heart goes out to him and other dogs who find themselves in this place. But just like people, dogs make mistakes. Surely we have moved on from where a dog’s mistake is punishable by death.

It must be a last measure to kill a dog. It must be a last measure to leave a beloved pet separated from its family for 18 months.

However, it’s unlikely any of this is Bandit’s fault. Bandit is responding to his circumstances. He is going to chase. He can’t help it. He’s definitely going to be interested in ankles - again he can’t help it.

I wonder has every possible option been considered for Bandit? Can those options always be considered fully whenever it comes to the life of any animal on death row for biting? They are not disposable simply because we don’t like all their behaviours.