Quote:
Originally Posted by frozenchief
Shepherds are well-represented on the dog fatality list but they are also used extensively as police/protection/guard dogs. I have not seen any breakout of how many fatalities are from pets compared to working dogs.
And I’ve had a couple of mastiffs. They were great, loyal dogs and really mellow. Surprised to see that they are a breed of concern. Maybe mine were outliers but all they wanted to do was lie around the house, although they were really protective. Neighbor across the street had a pit that came into the street barking at my daughter and my mastiff came barreling down barking at that pit. I think those barks registered at the Tsunami warning center. But he was just the most loyal, faithful, mellow dog I have ever had and I’ve never heard of them being aggressive.
But it is odd how such a large percentage of fatalities can be attributed to one breed of dog that is such a small portion of the population. It’s like propensity for violence is a genetic trait or something.
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Dogs like Mastiffs and yes, Rottys, aren't inherently aggressive.
But what they have is zero margin for error. They're less likely than some shitty little terrier to get a wild hair and try to truly aggressively bite someone. But if they do get that wild hair, the damage is immense.
Beagles, for instance, aren't on anyone's 'dangerous dogs' list, but they can be real shitheads. For my experience, they're more hair trigger and inherently 'aggressive' than a rot. But when they get shitty, they can't rip anyone's throat out.
That's why mastiffs end up on those lists. Very few of them lose their shit, but if they do, the damage is extraordinary. Those jaws are just so powerful that even a small, seemingly momentarily lapse in judgment, will do far more damage than a designed, prolonged, aggressive episode from most any other breed.