Recently a four-year-old was attacked in Detroit. There is nothing new about this attack, we see articles about dog attacks every week. What is interesting is the wordsmithing calling the dog a mastiff shepherd. Is this someone’s attempt at avoiding the term Pitbull mix? As of this writing, no owner has come forward.
Also interesting is Detroit’s Animal Control pronouncement of reducing the number of dog bites from 400 to 200. This going to be extremely difficult because we are coming out of the Pandemic in which children have been isolated for a year. Many of us are coming out of locked doors to enjoy the fresh air. There is something about playing children and loose dogs that don’t mix.
During the Pandemic, we were so focused on mask-wearing that pet owners did not take this opportunity to discover the art of responsible pet ownership. The best way to bring about a reduction in dog bites is to put more officers on the streets to round up stray dogs. I don’t know how this is going to play out when we have entered an era of defunding the police. Many people will see the need to take up firearms to protect themselves, but, let’s face it, an inexperienced gun owner is more likely to hit the child than the dog. And shooting a dog that is loose seems excessive.
I don’t know what prompted Detroit Animal Control to announce efforts to reduce dog bites. Isn’t that something that they should have been doing all along? Was this announcement just a response to the media when asked what they are doing to keep children safe? We all know that the only way to keep children safe from dogs is for the dog to have a responsible owner. Unfortunately, dog owners are not moving quickly towards this end. Whatever Detroit’s plan, I wish them every success.