Who Is Responsible For Dogs That Bite?

A friend of mine who grooms dogs called me the other day. She was trying to catch her breath from wrestling a 4-pound Poodle. The dog bit her when she tried to remove it from its crate.

My friend was shocked and irritated, not because the dog bit her, but because the owner never suggested that the dog was a bite risk.

After the incident, my friend called the owner to let her know she had been injured and would require medical attention. The owner responded casually, “Oh, again? She does that all the time!“

Apparently, not only does the dog attack its caregivers, it attacks the owners as well. This dog is 4 years old.

Later that same evening, another friend of mine called me about a mature adult Rottweiler attacking one of her employees. Thankfully, another employee was able to stop the dog from what could have been a gruesome event.

The Rottweiler was a new client and the owner never mentioned any potential risks when they dropped it off. The shop owner’s investigation revealed that there had been multiple incidents at several other shops, involving similar acts.

The Poodle had no previous training. It is unknown whether the Rottweiler had. The owner of the Poodle feels no urgency to change her behavior, and apparently they have an infinite supply of money for lawsuits.

It may be easy to excuse the Poodle because of her size, but that didn’t stop my friend from needing medical care. The Rottweiler could have easily killed his groomer. Both of these dogs represent a risk to the communities in which they reside.

Accountability For Dog Bites Rests With The Owner

The responsibility for aggressive dog behavior isn’t with groomers or vets or any other caregiver, it’s with owners. The fact that neither of these two owners were willing to disclose their dogs’ defensive behavior is negligence at the least, criminal at worst.

The local news and social media are filled with conversations about dogs. How good they are, how bad they are, how cute they are. Our collective consciousness cannot help but share anecdotal evidence on the behavior of dogs, their silly acts, acts of altruism, naughty acts, and their violent acts.

Somehow our conversations never address our obligations to safe dog-keeping. We seem to exempt ourselves from any liability relating to aggressive dog behavior. “It’s a dog! Dogs are unpredictable! The dog just turned!”

We don’t hesitate to take credit for a dog’s heroism, comedic attributes, or gentle nature. We are reluctant to assume responsibility for the dog during its dogness. The chewing, the barking, the pulling on the leash, all emotional observations peppered with “He’s just a puppy, he’ll grow out of it!” My personal favorite is “He knows better, but sometimes he can be so stubborn!”

When it becomes growling, snapping, and other outward displays of violence, owners are convinced it’s always some attribution of the dog. “He was protecting me!”. “He doesn’t like it when I [insert act here]” or some other misguided trope that deflects their responsibility (and maybe placates their guilt) for their dogs’ behavior.

When Aberrant Dog Behavior Becomes Social Currency…

Facebook groups for dog owners are littered with excuses about why dogs act a certain way. Most dog aggression occurs because dogs find themselves in situations where they think they have to defend themselves, and aggressive behavior influences the behavior of others. But try explaining that to Suburban Sally with her 7 year old rescue Presa that was neutered the night before she brought it home, to her 80 year old mother, and her three kids, all under the age of 6.

People blaming some external force for one’s actions is not new. Either way, it does not exempt us from our obligation to manage our dogs safely.

When Animal Control appears on your doorstep with a writ to seize your aggressive dog, it ensures it. You will be required by law to endure the embarrassing and expensive process of a lawsuit for the damage your dog has caused to some person or their property.

Aggregate Increases In Aggressive Dog Behavior

A quick look at my personal client database from pre-pandemic 2019 to 2023—over 50% of dogs were presented with issues related to acts of aggression. The mean average age was roughly 2 years, predominantly male, neutered, mixed-breed dogs acquired from shelters or rescues. Most of these dogs were recidivist shelter ‘adoptees’, with a litany of unsuccessful homings and subsequent returns. The earliest onset was within one month of acquisition and present for 6 months or more before the owners decided they needed help. An aggressive act on a family member, guest, or in one case, a police officer, compelled them to look for help.

Several of these clients were court-ordered by a ‘dangerous dog’ panel on the municipal level. Some were owners seeking alternatives after failed training attempts (either unsuccessfully on their own, or from other professionals). Some just decided it was time to address a problem that had diminished their dog-owning experience. Many of these people were permanently scarred, or members of their families were sporting new dog tooth tattoos. As the behavior escalated, they all became afraid of the potential for serious injuries, or lawsuits.

But, Why Do Dogs Bite?

Permissiveness leads to bad dog behavior.

The pervasive assumption that the dog will ‘outgrow’ the behavior will only lead to more heartbreak in the future. Dogs don’t grow out of behaviors. They grow into them.

Dogs are not ornaments. Dogs are companions to be enjoyed, not endured. Ownership of little dogs does not eliminate the responsibility for the dogs’ behavior. Small dogs are capable of drawing blood, too. What we allow, will continue. That cute jumpy, mouthy behavior in the puppy becomes problematic as that puppy grows in size and strength. Do not encourage the youngster to do what might potentially hurt you by the adult your dog will eventually become.

The responsibility for dangerous dog behavior rests with owners, not the dogs. If you want to own a dog, any dog, regardless of size, or breed, you must assume the full weight of that responsibility.

When an aggressive dog bites someone, destroys another person’s property, attacks and/or kills other animals, not only is it *not* representative of “all dogs”, it’s the responsible owner that ends up footing the bill. It’s responsible dog owners and their well-cared-for, trained dogs that inevitably suffer.

Dog Aggression Is A Symptom…

Dog aggression is a symptom, it is not a disease. Training is the cure. People still cling to their superstitions about dog behavior. Changing perceptions at this point may require a lobotomy.

Owners must be held accountable for their inability to control their dogs effectively. If a dog can escape a house, yard, or other enclosure, and mauls/kills/defiles property, that becomes a public safety concern.

Every one of these things is preventable with a little bit of planning and a sense of social responsibility. All of these things are well within the realm of every owner and every dog. If you want to own a dog, you must assume liability for that dog’s actions.

Aggressive Dogs Are A Public Safety Concern

Veterinarians are entirely within their scope to deny services to owners of dangerous dogs. Sedation may be an option, but I see it as a stopgap because it enables owners to continue allowing their dogs to act dangerously. Veterinarians should expect owners to present mannerly dogs, or encourage them to find help from a qualified* professional trainer. Veterinarians are not community hospitals that must take emergency patients regardless of ability to pay. Veterinary hospitals are privately owned and are within their rights to define standards for service and have the right to refuse service to any animal that threatens their safety.

Boarding facilities are under no obligation to accept or house dangerous dogs. Unless they have secure facilities and are willing to assume the liability, there is no reason a boarding kennel should be made to accept additional risk without considerable increases in compensation. They have employees and guests to protect. They are entitled to demand hazard pay.

A dog’s behavior isn’t the responsibility of the groomer who bathes, trims, and manicures, either. Every dog owner** has a moral and ethical obligation to inform their dog’s caregivers of that animal’s willingness to bite, and if it poses a risk. Groomers are entitled to charge exponentially for the risks they assume while handling potentially dangerous dogs. Disfigurement is a real concern. Groomers and vet med run the greatest risk of injury in the pet trades.

An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure…

Dog trainers cannot cure aggression*** primarily because aggression is a tactic. Training is designed to control behavior, and that includes aggression. It is used as a means to accomplish an end. Knowing how to work with dogs that exhibit aggressive behavior is important, as is having the skills to relay effective strategies to the owner. The trainer must possess knowledge that enables them to communicate effectively. That doesn’t mean the trainer can ‘cure’ aggression. It means the trainer understands how to effectively control it.

Trainers should have enough experience and skill to determine what makes the dog respond with aggression. Owners who seek trainers to remediate aggressive behavior must also be aware of their role in their dog’s actions, and their ability to redirect the dog’s inclination to behave aggressively.  A dog trainer may be able to install new neural pathways to render that dog safe for an experienced handler, but if the handler fails to maintain the training necessary, the dog is not exempt from using that behavior in the future.

What then?

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* 1a : fitted (as by training or experience) for a given purpose : competent. b : having complied with the specific requirements or precedent conditions (as for an office or employment) : eligible. 2 : limited or modified in some way qualified approval.

** owner or person in charge of any dog- in layman’s terms

*** 1 : a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. 2 : the practice of making attacks or encroachments especially : unprovoked violation by one country of the territorial integrity of another warned that any act of aggression could start a war.