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AR Philosophy > Opinionatedly Yours
It was late in the afternoon of a perfect spring day, sunny, mild, with a delicate green filigree of budding spring foliage misting the trees and shrubs. Tulips were in bloom, and forsythia, matching the cheerful yellow of the dandelions in the green lawns. I did not know that less than 100 meters away there was a dead body, that of an 8-year-old girl. Less than three hours earlier she had been playing in the sun, with her youthful friends, in the safety of a neighbor's yard, and no one had any reason to believe she didn't have about 6 or 7 or more decades of life yet to live. Now her blood-splattered body, cooling, lay nearby. The child's killer, an adult male first-time offender, was in custody. I had taken my mother to the Markham-Stouffville Hospital that serves our community. Hers was a late appointment in the doctor's office building that stands next to the emergency room's ambulance bay. There were a couple of ambulances parked out front, and several police cruisers. It's an emergency room I've used often, and while people sometimes die there, one likes to think of it as a place of help and comfort. But for this little girl there was nothing that could be done. She was dead. Another Victim ... But this is about animals, so let us move a few miles to a dog pound where another death will soon occur. In this case the victim is a dog, a 5-year-old, 130-pound bull mastiff named Mosley. Mosley is, as I write these words, alive and apparently well, but confused, confined to a small cage at the Georgina Canine Shelter, in Keswick, waiting out a ten-day quarantine period to see if he develops rabies symptoms. That is the standard procedure for a dog who has bitten someone (although if rabies vaccinations are up to date and the owners are able to do so sometimes the dog can be quarantined at home). In his five years Mosley has apparently only bitten one person, and thus, under law, his death is not necessarily mandated. That's because the law is pretty progressive and understands that a mistake can happen. Even the gentlest dog can accidentally bite and Mosley is a gentle dog who has lived with young children without sign of aggression, apparently. Now, according to news reports, he looks up at you if you approach him, there in his cell, and whimpers and wags his tail, beseeching you to take pity on him, to take him out of there and back to his human family, the kids, the yard, his toys, and food dish, and all that is familiar. Mosley does not know that he will soon be dead. It does not matter if he develops rabies or not, his owners want him dead, and it's their choice, by law, even though Mosley only goofed once. The person he bit was an eight-year-old who, a few hours before her death, had been picked up by her mother at the Dickson Hill Public School, in north Markham, with its 250 students, and taken to the home of friends in nearby Stouffville, a farming community now more or less a bedroom community to the city of Toronto. Around two that afternoon she had been taken to the home of Todd and Kelli Reybroek. Kelli Reybroek was home with her own kids. She is 8 months pregnant. The girl went to the Reybroek's backyard, to play with two other children. One of them asked Kelli if the Reybroek's dog, Mosley, could come out to play. Sure. Kelli opened the kitchen door let the dog out into the yard. He ran straight to the girl and grabbed her throat. The kids were screaming, blood must have been spurting out in all directions as Kelli ran out and struggled to pull the dog from the dying child. The girl was rushed to the Markham Stouffville Hospital, but her carotid artery had been ruptured. She lost too much blood to live. The township will seek to have Mosley put down and the Reybroeks won't contest that effort. Although the tragedy happened more or less in my community, I didn't know any of the people involved. All I know of the girl is what the media have reported. She was a friendly, pretty little girl who loved animals. Everyone interviewed by the media about her emphasized her outgoing, cheerful personality. Her picture is on the front page of today's newspaper. All I know about Mosley, whose picture is also on the front page of the newspaper, next to the victim's, is that he has never before bitten anyone, and by all appearances is a big, friendly dog. I know a fair amount about dogs. But that kind of knowledge is not a requisite to owning a dog. What Went Wrong? My first temptation is to say that had Mosley been my dog, this would not have happened. But can I be so sure? Pamela Reid, a psychologist specializing in animal behavior and an assistant professor at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario, was quoted in today's paper as saying, "Dogs and young children should never be left together unsupervised." Really? We can all tell of stories about dogs saving children's lives precisely because they, the dogs, were present when the children were unsupervised. Things are never all that cut and dried. Let's talk about Laura, for a moment. She is not a bull mastiff. She is my dog, a 3-year-old mixed breed hound, about 60 pounds and full of energy and sweet affection and not a little mischief. She was a rescued stray who had been on her own in the woods. There are no children in my household, but they are not infrequent visitors, some very young, and all the youngsters of people who have no inherent fear of animals. The first time Laura was introduced to a human infant I was beside myself with worry ... how would she react? So far, perfectly. Laura does not bite, and slowly I began to hover a little less close to her in the presence of helpless babies and clumsy toddlers. She seems, as do so many dogs, to understand the inherent frailty of very young human children, and to make allowances. She tends to avoid them if they bother her, but we still try to supervise very carefully. I would say I worry much more than does the average parent, in spite of a clean record of absolutely no problem. On the contrary, Laura seems to be quite comfortable with children. If they don't try to go after her, she will sit beside them and invite them to rub her tummy. She's remarkably gentle. Of course she chases squirrels. We wish she wouldn't do that, but she does. And then there was that night, about a year ago, when Laura was let out the back kitchen door, into the yard. Suddenly she was writhing on the ground, rubbing her head into the lawn. I knew instantly what had happened: She had been skunked! I rushed out. There was a half-grown skunk writhing on the ground, next to Laura. I grabbed Laura and hauled her, stinking of skunk spray, into the house, then rushed back to see if there was anything I could do to help the skunk. But the skunk was dead, with not a mark on him. The movements I had seen were death throes; the animal's neck had been snapped in an instinctive move that dates back through thousands of generations of breeding to the time all dogs' ancestors were wild predators with instinctive skills that have never been bred to oblivion, through all the intervening millennia of domestication. Dogs are domesticated wolves, but they are still wolves. Laura, who loves to cuddle with me in bed and lay on her back and have her tummy rubbed; Laura who takes her toys out in the yard and then stands and waits to be ordered to bring them back in because she knows if she does she'll get a treat; Laura who allows small toddlers to crawl over her and who seems to love every single human she meets -- that Laura had, in an instant, killed. It seems in my work with animals that I'm divided between reassuring people that their fears about animals are groundless, and trying to convince them that there really are risks. Two days after the girl's death, a rotweiller in another part of the Greater Toronto Area was being petted by a man. The dog, friendly up to that moment, suddenly turned and bit the man on the face. The victim requires reconstructive surgery. Had he been an 8-year-old child he might well require a coffin, by now. Ah, but in this case there are extenuating circumstances, to say the least. The dog who bit him was a guard dog, in charge of "protecting" a compound housing tow-trucks. I am not a big fan of breeding and training dogs to be aggressive. When we hear of a tragedy such as the girl's death, I think that second only to the sorrow we feel for all concerned, those of us who care deeply about animals look for a non-animal cause. Was the dog abused? Was he trained as a watchdog? Was he inbred? Was he ill? Did he belong to a "problem" breed? Obviously more care should have been taken, but is it reasonable to expect anyone, before the fact, to make that realization? We recognize that there is no excuse for killing a child, at least not within the ethical fabric of anything daring to call itself a morally responsible society, but we also recognize that an animal is not a moral agent. In fact, our laws regard dogs and other animals as property, as entities having very few and quite transient rights. Yes, under the criminal code of Canada there are restrictions on how much you can abuse an animal, but they don't apply across the board, to all animal under all circumstances. At the same time, because the animal is not a moral agent, there is recognition that it not be held accountable. The reason that Mosley is incarcerated, is simply to protect society. That, too, is why his death is mandated. It is not punishment. It is not retaliation or revenge. It is not a deterrent. It is, however, death, just the same. To my surprise, the media's response has so far not sought "blame." And that as is it should be. In an editorial our local community newspaper, The Economist & Sun, after describing the horror of it all, put it this way:
Laura loves to play with stuffed toys. She has a basket full of them, and they're all over the house. She chews on them, yes, but her greatest fun is to play tug-of-war with them. At such times she growls loudly, and shakes them, just as I imagine she shook that skunk, and perhaps as Mosley in one, brief horrid moment, shook the girl. But as she growls, Laura's tail wags. It's all in fun, part of a game that can be easily stopped at any time. Her play is not unlike that of a wolfcub. The process of maturing does not preclude, in the adult dog or wolf, playfulness. But domestication places the emphasis on such behavior, over those other features that define "wolfness," thus "dogness." The most important of those behaviors are those relating to the relationship of the wolf with the pack. It is this highly social nature of wolves that made them ideal for domestication as human companions, where humans take the place of pack members in a hierarchy of respect. However, we can never fully put ourselves in the mind of another, human or animal. We frequently err in both directions, assuming either too much or too little. We can address some generalities that can, in turn, help us to build toward prevention of tragedy. It is not only the loss of the girl's life, nor that of a dog who has no concept of having done anything wrong, but the distrust and fears that such horrors evoke that are all the kinds of things to avoid. Elizabeth Sampson, a behavioral specialist who was part of a grief counseling team sent to help the girl's classmates cope with their feelings, was quoted as saying of the children, "Many of them had patted the dog (that attacked the girl), knew the dog, so they had very mixed emotions ... we have many children right now that are fearful of their own dogs because of this situation." It does not help those of us who work hard to protect animals to have those animals objects of fear. When I walk a dog I can tell by the reaction of children I encounter something of their parents' attitudes toward animals. If we are to achieve various reforms and abolition of cruelty toward animals, such attitudes, begun in childhood, are important. I'm most pleased by the kids who ask permission to pet my dog. They like animals, but have been taught that the animal has his or her own feelings to be considered. Those kids who rush right up to pet Laura worry as much as those who shy away in fear. Neither shows good judgment, meaning neither has been given good leadership by parents and the ability to better understand a world we share with animals. Both are at enhanced risk from animals. Who Is Dangerous? Animals are far less dangerous than people. Yes, the girl's death was a shock, but what of the little boy, I can't remember his name, who died one day about two years ago in a house a couple of blocks from where I live, in the heart of peaceful-looking suburbia. That youngster, about the same age of the girl, also had his throat slashed -- by his own father, who then set fire to the house and committed suicide. The mother and the slain boy's sister were, thank goodness, away at the time. They returned to the smoldering home to find their lives shattered in a reprehensible, unexplainable act of horror. The complexity of emotion, fear, irrationality that would lead a man to kill his own son is beyond what I hope most of us will ever know or experience, and certainly beyond the relatively direct thought processes of a "mere" animal. Statistics tell the tale. A dog killing a child is a horrid accident. Dogs are not moral agents, but we humans are supposed to be, and supposed to be possessed with abundant free will. According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University, the leading cause of death or injury among infants less than a year old is murder. One in three of these pathetic and quite helpless, innocent beings died of abuse or battering. Others were suffocated, strangled, drowned, cut, or shot. Many died of what was called "neglect-abandonment" done "with intent to injure or kill," according to John F. Conway's The Family in Crises. Studies show trends, with mothers who murder their own babies tending to be young and emotionally unable to cope with the responsibilities of parenthood. That does not mean that children should be kept from people, or that babies with young mothers should be taken into protective custody, but it does mean that there are factors to take into consideration. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "An estimated 18.6 % of inmates serving time in State prisons in 1991 for violent crimes, or about 61,000 offenders nationwide, had been convicted of a crime against a victim under age 18." It is also reported that more than half the violent crimes committed against children involved victims who were 12 years old or younger. Children who were less than 18 years of age accounted for a staggering 11 % of all murder victims in the year 1994, and nearly half of those were between ages 15 and 17. About 1 in 5 child victims were killed by another child. I mention all of this to underscore a point often lost on people who hate or fear animals; the most dangerous of all animals is the human species. That is not meant to trivialize the risk animals can pose. On the contrary, I think it behooves all of us who most care about animals to do what we can to minimize such risks. A good beginning is to not deny that they exist. I mention this because among "animal lovers" dog-bite stories are so often met with questions about what was done either by the victim to provoke the dog, or what had been done to the dog in the past to make that dog untrustworthy. In this case it is possible that the dog is sick. Dr. Gary Landsberg, a veterinarian behaviorist in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is quoted as saying that such medical problems as a brain tumor can't be ruled out. I agree. But I think the most likely explanation is that the dog was excited by the exuberance of the children, and rushed out to play. For a dog, any dog, the line between play and hunting is potentially thin. The fact that the woman hurt her hand trying to pull the dog off suggests father excitement, and by now the taste of blood. The dog was not "thinking", but reacting, and what he reacted to were stimuli that triggered instinctive responses millennia in the making. It can happen. It did happen. It might be more or less likely to happen in any given dog (or breed of dog, or gender or whatever). News stories about the tragedy are typically superficial and do not go into the kinds of detail most of us with more than a casual interest in animals would like to know. Was Mosley ever abused? Was he neutered? Had he received obedience training? Had he ever shown previous signs of aggression? Was the girl running and screaming? Was she eating something? Had she ever teased Mosley in the past? None of this is to imply "blame." An 8-year-old human child at play is barely more of a "moral agent" than a dog. I'm willing to concede that even if he had never been abused, was neutered, had received obedience training and had never previously displayed any sign of aggression that it does not mean that such a thing could not have happened. Even among our own species, which surely is more intellectually complex than a dog, and yet better understood by us, it is often heard of a murderer that everyone who knew him was surprised and never would have thought he could do such a thing. It's all a matter of probability. The "probability" of it happening is extremely remote, and there are things we can do to reduce even that, none of which can console those involved in such cases. Some Statistics ... According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Medical News & Perspectives, January 22, 1997, "Every year in the United States, almost 2% of the population is bitten by a dog. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, estimates that of those 4.5 million bites, almost 800,000 are serious enough to require medical attention. In extreme cases, about 18 people die from dog bites every year (Pediatrics. 1996; 97:891-895 and Injury Prev. 1996; 2:52-54)." As a guideline we Canadians usually reduce American statistics to 10%, meaning the figure for Canada ought to be somewhere between one and two dog-caused deaths per year. Local papers reported that the last such death in the Greater Toronto Area was in 1990, when a month-old infant was mauled to death in her home by the family's pure-bred chow chow. The infant was dead on arrival at hospital and the dog was subsequently destroyed. Chow chows are the breed most likely to bite. JAMA reports that about 60% of dog bite fatalities are in children who are 10 years old or younger. A study in Pennsylvania found that 45% of all schoolchildren had been bitten by a dog by the time they reached grade 12. Because children are smaller, dog bites tend to be relatively more serious, and more likely to be directed toward the face, causing disfiguring wounds and powerful emotional trauma. Dogbites are one of the top 10 causes of nonfatal injuries in the U.S. E. J. Mayeaux, Jr., M.D., Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Louisiana State University Medical Center, has made the point that dogs commit approximately 85% of all bite wounds, and that one third of all animal bites are suffered by children. Interestingly, about one half are considered "provoked," with no explanation given. Certainly anyone who has watched young children at play will understand that they often do, however innocently, impose stress on long-suffering family pets. If a dog really wants to bite, the ability is there to deliver from 150 to 450 pounds of pressure per square inch, enough to crush tissue and bone. Infections are another serious problem. When people are bitten it is most likely to be on the hands (48-59%), arms (16-26%), lower limbs (15%) and face (8-30%). Once again, to impose perspective, human bites are a more serious problem, statistically speaking, and most likely to involve the hands. What to Do ... National Dog Bite Prevention Week is in mid-June. The U.S. Postal Service in conjunction with a variety of animal welfare groups, promote dog bite awareness and prevention in the belief that most dog bites are preventable. There are guidelines to follow and they should be understood, practiced and preached by anyone who really cares about either animals or people. One I consider to be possibly the most important, the one that seems most difficult for some people to understand, is to never assume a dog won't bite. Biting is natural to a dog, and sometimes dogs find themselves in unnatural circumstances. We can't even assume that the most loving of companion animals won't somehow fail to recognize you. It could be argued that the "overpopulation" of animals is a situation that leads to the kinds of abuse of dogs that increases the risk of biting. There are too many dogs neglected and abused; too many dogs inbred to produce certain features at the cost of intelligence and emotional stability. For such reasons alone, dogs should be spayed or neutered. Neutered dogs are three times less likely to bite. Dogs are very protective of home environments, so it may well be necessary to use a leash and collar to keep a dog away from the door if there is a caller, particularly someone unknown to the dog. Obedience training, done calmly and professionally, will enhance the ability to control even a free-spirited dog, and introduce you to the principles of dog behavior. Approaching a strange dog is risky at best, but the dog that is most likely to lash out in defense is one who feels trapped, perhaps because of being tied or cornered. One reason is that the confinement may enhance the dog's fear. That's obvious. Ironically the opposite can happen. A dog on a leash feels a certain sense of security and protectiveness. Flight is not an option; the owner is nearby, and the dog is more likely to be aggressive. Most of us are aware that it is not wise to simply walk up to a dog and start petting, but children (not to mention too many adults) do not know this intuitively and should be taught to allow a dog to sniff them and become familiar with them. Never push the dog. If the dog looks up sideways, keeps tail or ears down or otherwise looks stressed, don't persist. For children, or perhaps anyone, one of the hardest lessons to learn is to not run, scream or flail arms about. Anything that excites the dog is likely to exacerbate the problem. While most experts warn against maintaining direct eye-contact, it is even more important not to turn your back to the dog. If more than one dog comes at you, try to put your back to a wall or tree. If possible, if you have a stick or umbrella or even a rolled up newspaper, hold it out in front of you. Unless trained to do otherwise dogs are inclined to bite that which is closest to them. A good idea, if you feel threatened, is to stay motionless until the dog tires and leaves. Otherwise slowly and carefully back off, away from the dog, but keeping the dog in sight. At least a percentage of dog bites are accidental. I was not amused at the time, but when Charm was alive I recall her inability to distinguish between the ball in my hand and my hand. She was a small-boned white and biscuit more-or-less German shepherd, rescued from the pound as a tiny pup. She was the gentlest dog I've ever known, except that she would grab a ball in my hand, to play, and not seem to realize that my hand was in the way. Children, particularly, should be taught not to get too excited in their play with a dog. The dog may well lack the judgment to know that the act of grabbing the child can cause problems. Dogs and wolves can only grab with their mouths, and that is how young dogs and wolves play with each other. But their fur protects their skin and there is less likelihood of causing a real bite than is the case when similar playfulness is applied to humans. Some dogs are more protective of "their" things than others. In this we've been fairly lucky, although I'm not sure that luck is entirely the answer. Any dog I've ever had in my family was taught from the beginning to share food and all else. Sometimes dogs are sick or in pain. Even a hidden burr beneath the fur or a thorn hidden between the pads of the feet can stress them, and we may not realize it. All the more reason to start gently with a dog. If the dog is acting sick, a veterinarian should be consulted, but children should stay away. Comfort the dog by all means, but realize that if you touch a tender spot he may instinctively bite before realizing what he's doing. Be careful not to startle a dog who does not sense your approach. Dogs' senses are so acute that we are inclined to think that they are aware of everyone around them, but they can be startled, just like a human. And the one thing that children do seem to understand if taught: Never touch a strange dog without first getting the owner's permission and second, to repeat, allowing the dog to sniff you and show signs of comfort. If all else fails and you are under serious attack by a large dog, drop to the ground and curl up, covering your face and head with your arms. Could the Girl Have Been Saved? Would knowledge of these guidelines have saved the girl, or would they even have saved the man who was bitten two days later by the guard dog? Frankly, I have my doubts. In the girl's case the dog was known; there was no reasonable reason for her not to be running (and, as little girls so often do, perhaps screaming or laughing) in order to allow Mosley to adjust to her; after all, they did know each other. It's possible that there might have been warning signs that Kelli Reybroek could have detected were she more experienced with dogs, or better educated as to the nature of dogs. But I doubt it. Based on the evidence to hand there is no reason to assume that Kelli acted any differently than most of us would have under the circumstances. "Mark my words," said a dog-owning friend from Stouffville, near the scene of the tragedy, "in time there will be a lot more come out of this." My friend cannot believe that a dog who had lived with and played with children would suddenly kill one; that there was no prior indications that might have been understood by someone attune to dogs. Maybe, but I think we have to realize that it is equally possible that sometimes dreadful things happen for a variety of small reasons, none of which, in itself, is cause to lay blame. But whether or not there is more to this tragedy than has been reported, my fear is that similar tragedies lay over the horizon, and more of them. The Fur-Covered Missile "Imagine," says the ad on the Internet, "having an 85 lb., 45 mph, steel-jawed, fur-covered, cruise missile in the house." That ad promotes the sale of guard dogs from a firm based in North Carolina. I found lots of ads like it, some illustrated by charming pictures of stern and noble looking large dogs being hugged by cute children. The message is clear: A guard dog will protect you and your loved ones. The statistics indicate otherwise. According to the Humane Society of the United States, "the likelihood that the victim of a fatal dog bite is a burglar is only 1 in 177." In other words, the dog that is supposed to protect your loved ones while ignoring others and only dealing with real bad guys will kill 177 innocent people for every burglar he kills. It is also estimated that 80% of the dogs who attack kids are either owned by the family of the victim, or by friends of the family, as was the case in the girl's death. There is a disturbing tendency to regard dogs as legal, lethal weapons, "the drug-dealer's weapon of choice" as one radio commentator put it. Breeds bred for one purpose are being pressed into other services. The public is being scared by the threat of "violent crime" without considering the greater dangers proposed by the solutions they seek, be it guns in the house, or dogs trained to attack people. Mitzi Robinson, president of Bulli Ray Enterprises, LTD, has trained dogs for many years, and produced products to promote a gentler relationship between dogs and people. She writes: Originally dogs were bred for a particular purpose -- bloodhounds for hunting or Labradors for retrieving fowl. During the past few decades this has systematically changed with the increase of interbreeding and genetic altering of dogs. Dog breeders have changed the evolution of dogs to fit the society we live in...For example, a pit bull was originally used in enclosed areas to fight other dogs. Now, people are using pit bulls as human fighters, completely ignoring the fact that these dogs were never meant for this purpose and how these changes will affect the dogs physically and mentally. We're now producing dogs that don't understand their own social hierarchy, let alone the pecking order humans command of them. To some people who are insecure, who want to be respected or feared, there is a very strong appeal to owning a dog that is powerful and dangerous. It's like owning a gun, or a souped up car or bike or bulging muscles...something that provides a sense of physical superiority, at least in their terms. The appeal of the "wolf-dog," supposedly companion animals that are part wolf and part dog, underlies this need in people. Most wolf-dogs I've seen have no wolf in them (beyond the fact that all dogs are, in a very real sense, wolves) but the people who need to have such trappings of power are usually not burdened by any great intellect and not bothered by mere facts. Wolves have not been domesticated, and to cross them with dogs is to lose the benefits that domestication has brought to dogdom. Some communities have passed legislation to ban ownership of certain breeds of dogs. Any such effort is bound to attract the wrath of dog breeders and fanciers who cherish such breeds. Given the number of perfectly healthy dogs killed in pounds and shelters each year as surplus to what society can accommodate in loving homes, I'm not too sympathetic with breeders' concerns. But I have to admit that attempting to ban a breed is probably not too realistic. For one thing, it is not a simple matter to define what is to be banned. All breeds are actually members of the same species, so the factors separating one breed from another are ultimately subjective. The standards that define breeds are arbitrary to the dog's temperament, and by crossbreeding a fiercer animal may be created who does not fit the criteria that define the banned breed. More to the point, it is not merely the breed that is the problem, but the training of the dog. Many people either don't know how or don't want to socialize their companion animals. Some may feel that it is unfair to do so. But what befalls both people and dogs when things go wrong is surely worse than the practice of socializing, provided it is done expertly, with care and consideration. That's the problem, of course; our relationships with animals remain based on subjective considerations no less than do our relationships with other people. That is why education and regulations are important. They may counter the idea that we tend to cherish -- that each of us knows what is best for all, however the fact it that we all do live in an increasingly complex and complicated community. We need to learn more and more about getting along, and we need to apply the lessons, whatever the species. Perhaps, as some philosophers say, there is no such thing as an accident. All is cause and effect. Somewhere the thing that is bad was set in motion, however unintentionally. There is no crime in that, no guilt. The guilt comes from not learning from past mistakes. A child's death can only be in vain, but the girl's death will be less in vain if it inspires us to learn more about our animal companions, and share our knowledge, in the interest of greater harmony. Mosley sits awaiting his end, never knowing what went wrong. He, too, will die less in vain if his passing inspires us not to take such things for granted, but to be more careful and caring. We can make a difference. |
