Probably the most emotionally devastating dog behavior is that of biting. Sometimes a bite is a simple “nip” and sometimes bites are far more serious, maybe even fatal.

When is a bite an “attack”?

Why does a beloved pet dog suddenly want to kill?

Truth is, the answer can be quite complex.

A few minutes ago I was just interviewed on KTAR radio about the Chow Chow that bit and killed a small baby, while the mother was home.

I was actually in the process of writing a newsletter; but the events today changed that. So I decided to write about aggression and why we need to pay more attention to what we see everyday.

This is a traumatic and devastating case. According to KTAR, (Phoenix radio station), as told to them by the police, the mother left the child in a bassinet  and went to the bathroom. When she returned “a few moments later” the family dog had gotten a hold of the baby and had pretty severely bitten the baby.

According to KTAR, police received a 911 call about 7 p.m. (3/4/2009) from "a woman who was quite frantic. "She made statements that her child, her daughter, had been bitten by the family dog."

He said the child had severe head wounds and was unresponsive when paramedics arrived. The baby girl was pronounced dead at the hospital later.

Some other “facts”.
According to KPHO news when police arrived the baby was in the living room.
According to neighbors, the mother had also run outside screaming.
According to neighbors, they had two other dogs.
Where were the other two dogs during this? No mention of them thus far being involved.
It appears the Chow show jumped into the bassinet, and bit the infant on the head.

What could cause this?
Was this prey drive?
Or maybe the baby was crying, and this triggered a response.
Or maybe the dog was being territorial about this new addition to the home.
Was the chow reacting to the other dogs, if they were even in the picture.
Or was the dog trying to “move” the child, by carrying her as a dog would a puppy.

I can speculate, or make an educated guess.
Based on the limited facts I have, my guess is the Chow was being territorial, and letting the baby know this was his domain.
The truth is we may never know!

They say our behaviors in life are molded by our experiences. 

I have to agree!

I have been a consultant and trainer in the animal behavior field for some 30 years, and have seen a lot. But sometimes things happen that change our perspectives, and bring us to new realizations.

Last Sunday while practicing baseball with my 11 year old son, I threw a fastball that glanced off his glove, hitting him in the face. In a split second my life changed! He dropped to the ground, with that “quiet” scream we all dread. My years in Search& Rescue taught me that often the quietest victim is the most seriously hurt. I rushed to him, expecting the worst.

Fortunately, he was ok apart from some swelling and a black eye.

But it reminded me of the anguish of seeing a loved one in pain.

Which brings me back to yesterday’s attack.

I cannot imagine the pain the family is feeling. I feel terrible even discussing this knowing how they may perceive my comments. I apologize if I come across as being cold and factual) Truth is as a parent I cannot imagine something happening like this happening to my child.

Now comes the second-guessing.
Could this have been prevented?
Were there any warning signs?
Had they had any warning signs?

Allegedly there were no prior incidents leading up to this.  However, my experience is that when owners state “my dog has never done this before”, they are not being completely honest with either me, or with themselves.
In fact, having conducted hundreds of aggressive behavior evaluations, I have become a little skeptical of what I am told.

Experience has shown me:

a. Most dog owners don’t recognize the cues, or if they do, don’t realize the seriousness of the situation. Some will state “he nips at me, but that’s not too bad”.

I have seen many people with wounds on their arms, deny there is a problem.
All dogs nip, right?

b. Some owners  don’t want to reveal bite histories for fear it will “influence” my evaluation and thus skew my opinion. This is unfortunate.

Firstly, we are doing an aggression evaluation for a reason, and hiding valuable data from me may lead to incorrect conclusions.
Secondly, aren’t you paying me for a professional opinion. If you visit your doctor, do you disclose all your symptoms or do you hide them so that you get a “clean” bill of health.

I believe in being completely honest in my opinion, and do my best to explain my conclusions. I also believe in being fair, kind and compassionate. As a professional, I believe we need to be safe, responsible and accurate. State the truth, no matter the political correctness.

c. A few owners are just simply brain dead, and have no idea what a warning sign is. They either ignore, suppress or deny there is a problem, until:
They get bitten.
Or someone else gets bitten.
Then they claim it was “the first time”.

d. And finally, there are those “parents” who immediately recognize a warning, and get help. Fortunately they are the majority, and we are able to help most of these people obtain long lasting results.

I need to make a point here!
If I give the impression of judging people  I apologize. I make a living from evaluating and training dogs with issues. So finding solutions and working with people is something my staff and I love to do. And yes, we are good at it. Be get results few others achieve. But we work at it; there are no quick fixes, and you have to be patient, realistic and constant.

Make no mistake, my motivation comes from helping people and dogs.
I love seeing good dogs become better; seeing families learning to understand and love their dogs, and saving dogs from certain euthanasia.

But every so often something happens that reaffirms my determination to keep educating my clients.

This baby girl is one of those things!

But I digress. Lets talk about breeds. This attack was a Chow Chow, a dog with a reputation of being aloof, independent, difficult to read, and yes, higher than average risk. But not all Chows are bad. Just like not all Pit bulls are bad.

Certain breeds do present a higher risk. Some of this is a result of poor breeding, and some due to a lack of proper training. But it would be irresponsible to label a breed “dangerous” when the onus must fall on us to be better educated.

I know of countless Chihuahuas, Dachshunds and Miniature Pinchers with bite histories. Doesn’t make the breed bad! In fact the dog with the highest number of bites is the Cocker Spaniel, but they barely make headlines.

Their bites are considered non-life threatening. They do not display as much pack instinct or prey drive as the more powerful breeds.   

Tonight I was interviewed by Joe Crummey of KTAR radio.
He asked whether parents should be held accountable for something like this happening. I have contemplated this question before, so no surprise here.

This is extremely difficult to answer, as I am the last person to want to add to the incredible trauma this family is suffering. Besides, what possible punishment could be worse than losing a child.

So I guess my answer is No! No charges should be filed.

Having said that, I have experienced many dog owners who should be “prosecuted”. They are “warned”  countless times by their dogs of impending bites and yet take no action!

I have seen dozens of cases of people being bitten seriously, needing hospital treatment.

Yet when they are told their dogs need to undergo behavioral training, their attitude is “its not that bad”. Or we cannot afford it.

Do you know what the financial cost of a serious bite is? Tens of thousands of dollars. But wait, what is the price of a little girls life?

What about pet owners that justify their dogs being aggressive by saying they are being “protective”? What about those bites? (By the way, these dogs are not protective but possessive, also known as territorial)

Should these people be prosecuted?  Mmmm.
And guess what, the vast majority of dog bites occur as a result of “fear-based behavior”. This is a genetically based behavior, that is probably common in about 75% of dogs.

Should those owners also be accountable?

As a former police officer, I have a different approach to law enforcement. I don’t believe in prosecuting people to create a fear based response, where people obey the law in fear of punishment.

I prefer the educational approach, where people are taught from childhood to obey the law because it is who makes us who we are. We are a socially educated people that learn the difference between wrong and right through positive encouragement.

Do you maintain the speed limit because of safety, or due to a fear of being prosecuted?

Do you watch your kids around water because of safety, or due to a fear of being prosecuted (should something go wrong)?

We should all maintain a safe and respectable society, where we live, work and play together.

My hope is that from this absolutely tragic incident all dog owners recognize these are animals with genetically based drives (behaviors). They are not humans, so stop humanizing them.

Understand that leaving a small child with a dog with a high propensity towards prey or hunting drive is risky.

And while not all breeds have the levels of hunt drive that Chow Chows have, I would apply this rule to most dogs.

SO what have we learned?

The first is that we need to educate! Talk to friends and family. Get help from a professional with experience, knowledge and a good reputation.

The second is to be proactive. Take note of warning signs. Don’t sweep them under the rug! They rarely go away, in fact they escalate in most cases.

And thirdly, be realistic in your expectations. Just like some people don’t like kids, some dogs don’t like kids.  Appropriate training can often correct inappropriate behavior, but not always.

Finally, a personal word. As a professional behavioral trainer, writer and consultant I am supposed to be…, well, professional and impersonal.

But for some reason this tragedy triggered something in me.

Maybe it was my child being hurt last week.
Or maybe that my brothers daughter is the same age as this little girl.
Or maybe just imaging that poor mother finding her child all bloody.
Having to call her husband with the terrible news.
(I have had to make “that” phone call! You never forget!)

Maybe my emotion is influenced by the fact that writing this article was interrupted three different times by talking to reporters on and off camera.

Or that it is midnight and I sit here in my office thinking of all the dogs sleeping in their kennels not fifty feet from me.

Many with the same potential problems.

I sit with tears in my eyes, and a prayer in my heart!

For that little two-week old girl.

That’s just too short a life to live!

Rest in Peace little girl.

You will forever always be in my heart.