posted
As a canine advocate of sorts, and an advocate of Doberman Pinschers (Dobies) in particular, allow me to point out that nowhere in that article was the Doberman breed mentioned.
quote: One study found in the last 20 years two breeds, pit bulls and Rottweilers, were responsible for 44 percent of human deaths by dogs. But one of the co-authors of that study recently warned against breed-specific legislation. Quote: "Before pit bulls and Rottweilers," she said, "it was Great Danes and German shepherds."
Rottweilers are not Dobermans. IMO Dobermans have the much more stable temperments and are far more genetically sound than Rottweilers. Rottweilers became amazingly popular, and have been overbred and inbred leading to instabilites in their temperments and health. The incidence of hip dysplaysia is much higher in Rotties than Dobies.
Any dog that has ever been used for fighting (and dobermans sometimes are) should be put down for safety. No matter how much one can try to rehab, they just can't be trusted, particularly around children. One obvious sign that a doberman has been used for fighting is if they have no ears. Not just the normal Dobie-cut erect ears, but the ear having been cut off entirely.
Are their good dogs of all breeds, of course there are. However irresponsible owners can cause things like what happened in France where all of the breeds in the equivalent of the "Herding" and "Working" groups have been put on lists of "dangerous dogs" where the owners now have to spend an arm and a leg in liablity insurance to keep the dog they have had for years!
posted
I lied, I thought I had read the entire article, and then there was more. Ok Dobermans are in there but way way at the bottom in comparison of # of bites. I would venture that Cocker Spaniel bites are much more common even if they do less damage. Also Doberman breeders are given kudos for breeding away from aggression.
quote: Dr. DODMAN: Well, I disagree with a ban on the dog breeds that we currently have in the United States. There are some breeds abroad that I'd like to reserve judgment on. Presa canarios, for example- -I don't know that I've seen a--I hadn't seen one, let alone a well- socialized one. But I agree with Wayne that, you know, there are a few breeds who keep coming around and around in the bite and mortality figures. It's, you know, like a scene from "Casablanca." Round up the usual suspects, and it is pit bulls and Rottweilers and shepherds and malamutes and Chows and Dobermans and so on.
WILLIAMS: And...
Dr. DODMAN: But there is a genetic input, is what I'm saying, I believe.
WILLIAMS: All right.
Dr. DODMAN: But it's possible to change that. Doberman breeders, for example, have done--in the last 10 years they've bred away from aggression, and that breed has been, you know, largely cleaned up.
posted
Sure, you can say that Doberman Pinschers are not bad, but that's because your name isn't Doberman. Imagine being scared all your life that some dog is going to sneak up on you and ...
PINCH
Then hearing the dog laugh and say, "I pinched a Doberman. ha ha."
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