So, I will let the other thread die a natural thread. But I seem to have picked up a very negative and destructive attitude towards "aggressive dogs". As the owner of an aggressive dog and as I have dedicated my life to animal behavior, I feel I must defend aggressive dogs for the marvelously complex creatures they really are. I often cringe when I see the "All aggressive dogs must be euthanized!" statements. I cringe because it hurts and it's a completely asinine statement to make. Before you judge and exclaim, unequivocally and without exception that an aggressive dog MUST be killed, consider this:

First: What is an aggressive dog? People overuse this term TOO much. One must understand that there is a distinction between reactive dogs and aggressive dogs. And if you can't tell the distinction or it is not clear, please, do NOT suggest or endorse euthanasia.

Second: How much of the dog's behavior is inherited or biological? If you cannot determine this, do not suggest or endorse euthanasia. Do you know if the dog has neurotransmitter deficiencies? Do you know if the dog has a health issue, such as a brain tumor or seizures? Hormonal imbalance? Most of the physical causes that exacerbate aggression can be managed. Aggression is an illness of the mind. Too much aggression is abnormal and dysfunctional. So, like a physical illness, we seek to manage aggression - not eliminate the animals that display such behaviors.

Third: Is there really such thing as "unprovoked" aggression? Most dog owners have inadequate knowledge of dog body language. Additionally, most people believe there must be a specific, tangible "provocation" to initiate an aggressive attack. And when they miss the transmission of body language leading up to the attack, they assume an attack is "unprovoked" - when, in fact, it CLEARLY has a cause. There are *extremely* few and *extremely* rare cases in which a dog actually has unprovoked aggression. People, we need to remember that "unprovoked" means absolutely no cause at all - in other words, a dog who LITERALLY flies off the handle at random times of the day toward random people in random situations. But if there's even the slightest rhyme or rhythm to a dog's aggression, then the attacks DO have a cause and DO have provocation and DO have a trigger/stimulus.

So what am I trying to say? Before you make a blanket statement that "all aggressive dogs should be euthanized", consider, just for a moment, that, perhaps, there is more to the issue than meets the eye. And consider, for just a minute, that, perhaps, the dog deserves more than derision and euthanasia.

--- Alright. Off my soap box. I've just really really had it with these blanket statements regarding aggressive dogs.----