The number of dog bites 鈥� dog on dog and dog on human 鈥� is way up this year in the capital region. Officials wonder if one factor in the rise in complaints is the number of rescue dogs brought in from outside the region, and even outside the country.
Whatever the reasons, it鈥檚 not a dog problem, it鈥檚 a people problem.
Dogs are products of how they have been bred, treated and trained by humans. What a dog does is the owner鈥檚 fault, although the canine can pay for its mistakes with its life.
Don Brown, the Capital Regional District鈥檚 chief bylaw officer, emphasizes the importance of responsible ownership. Owners need to spend time with their dogs, socializing with them, training them and exercising with them. Not to do so is to invite trouble.
鈥淪ome of the dogs we鈥檝e had trouble with are dogs that are chained up all day in their yard,鈥� he said.
A pet dog should be part of the family, not a status symbol to be stashed away and trotted out only when convenient.
To keep a dog chained or confined in a house all day is cruel. Failing to train an animal properly is neglect.
If your dog doesn鈥檛 come the first time you call, or if it jumps up on people it meets, it is not properly trained. That鈥檚 your fault. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just a big puppy鈥� doesn鈥檛 cut it.
If you can鈥檛 control your dog, it should be on a leash. You might know, and your dog might know, that it doesn鈥檛 bite, but no one else knows, and no one should have to wonder if that dog running down the path is dangerous.
Owning a dog requires a commitment of time, affection, training and responsibility. If that鈥檚 too much for you, get a goldfish or, even better, a stuffed toy.
