Why is everyone afraid of my dog?

[cobraboy]

Unfortunately dog is attack is a problem in the DR. I have been bitten in the ankle just riding my bike on the public roads.

States than have invoked fairly strict dog control laws have met with success.

E.g. Calgary has reduced dog attacks from 3000 per year to less 158 last year.

I would guess that in many areas of the US rates of attack are low - in the DR much higher. Hence the fear and caution necessary with dogs in the DR.

In the UK breeds have been banned also elsewhere.

Part of the problem has been that unsatisfactory dog owners are attracted to macho breeds.

So I would suggest caution with unknown dogs.

Yanandu

Well, duh! I don't care if the state is responsible for all dogs, ALWAYS approach a dog you don't know with caution...and even dogs you know.

You talk about regulations. Guess what Bubba: this ain't Cananada or UK or US. Not many laws get enforced here...and, frankly, that's one of my favorite charms about the DR: more freedom, whether by policy or implementation.

The best way to avoid a dog attack here is to stay away from them.

 

[InsanelyOne]

Well... I understand being careful around unknown dogs... especially large ones. What I don't understand is the exaggerated fear of a puppy. Even from other dog owners.

 

[yanandu]

A puppy is characteristically small with the native breeds. The dog most likely doesn't have a placard round its neck 'friendly puppy'.
Many people who have been attacked by dogs or know someone who has been killed by a dog are afraid of all dogs for a long time afterwards.
I guess that the only reason local people can think of why someone keeps an overlarge and expensive to feed dog is to attack people ; not for companionship etc. as this concept is not too strong in the culture.

As has been mentioned there is little regulation so I suspect attack rate is high even for people going about legitimate business.

Yanandu.

Yanandu

 

[jrhartley]

are there many people killed by dogs here

 

[cobraboy]

I guess that the only reason local people can think of why someone keeps an overlarge and expensive to feed dog is to attack people ; not for companionship etc. as this concept is not too strong in the culture.

Yanandu

Good! That's the point! It's like wearing a gun stuck in your pants. Deterrence.

 

[yanandu]

I don't know. In the US dog attacks account for 5% of emergency room treatments.

Dog Bite Statistics - Attacks, Deaths, and Dangerous Dog Breeds

They have more of the more dangerous breeds for sure, the DR less control.

In 2010 34 fatal dog attacks in US - most often children.

Yanandu

Yanandu

 

[cobraboy]

I don't know. In the US dog attacks account for 5% of emergency room treatments.

Dog Bite Statistics - Attacks, Deaths, and Dangerous Dog Breeds

They have more of the more dangerous breeds for sure, the DR less control.

In 2010 34 fatal dog attacks in US - most often children.

Yanandu

Yanandu

You use an ambulance chasing lawyer as objective proof? Seriously?

 

[Acira]

Get yourself a big dog, no matter that you can't even handle a little dog, but get yourself the biggest dog you can get. Not matter that you can't control it yourself, no matter that you have to lock it up when you have visitors because either the dog will bite uncontrolled towards adults or children (you just don't know) or either they just run your visitors over or give their nasty scratches because they haven't been teached self control by their owner(s). When putting them away, you are almost dragged across the yard because you cannot control that big dog but hey there is something called a pinchain which works miracles.
Make sure that your fencing is descent because you just don't know what they will do once outside the gate towards innoscent passing by families with children.
Still better : make sure you have a guard or gardner who takes "care" of the dog(s), no attachment needed for you as owner for the dog, gets fed by the guard or gardner and still remains uncontrolled and "free", but hey that's not really your problem is it?

 

[expatsooner]

Yanandu is right - the difference is in our cultural understanding of why someone has a dog. I found the attitude towards dog ownership similar in the DR and Pakistan - very few of the people you meet while out walking a dog will have ever seen a dog kept for companionship - if you own a dog it is because the dog has a job to do for you. It guards the house, livestock, catches rats or is used in dogfights to earn money.

I believe you will find this to be true in most countries with a limited middle class. The wealthy keep big dogs to hurt people while the dogs guard their owners possessions - this is a given. The poor can't afford to keep big dogs fed unless the dog makes money (unfortunately usually in dogfighting).

You are also not likely to run into a wealthy person walking - most of them do their exercising in a gym. So the people who keep companion dogs are there just not known unless you are part of their social circle. But even then they usually have a smaller companion dog and a large guard dog that isn't really part of the family - just doing his job.

 

[belgiank]

while having a big dog might be, and is, a big deterrence, a lot of those owners of untrained dogs seem to forget that this dog might also turn against them one day, or even worse attack some innocent people. I have seen plenty of examples over here where this was the case. Who, with even one braincell, wants to own a 100+ pound dog, which is not trained and not obedient, while weighing less themselves?
Who wants a murderous dog loose on his grounds? Well, a lot of people over here, expats and locals alike. But they all forget one thing. That same dog can do ferocious damage to his owner when he returns from a good night out, sounding differently, walking differently, whatever... That same dog will do untold damage when taken out for a spin and an innocent child startles the dog... etc...
Dogs offer top security, but with the dog comes the responsebility to train it (yourself, not your guard or gardener), to take care of it, to spend time with it, to bond with it, etc...

Oh, and yes... they are not the cheapest protection either. The damn animals need food, inoculations, heart worm medication, etc... as well

A trained dog is a formidable security force, an untrained dog a formidable hazard to yourself and people and kids around...

 

[Chirimoya]

The dog of choice for the middle class here is the Mexican thyroid rat aka chihuahua. Several of our neighbours have them and it's a real problem with the relentless screechy yip-yapping. They are rarely exercised and left locked up in the house or on the balcony while the owners are at work. I swear that one day the lady opposite us is going to come back to an apartment with bits of chihuahua splattered everywhere when the poor thing finally self destructs. It barks for hours on end at times.

As expatsooner says, they are still not considered a companion, rather a toy, fashion accessory or cheap guard dog (alarm system). Another friend summed it up: the heart of the problem is they appeal to folk who are not dog people. This applies to many dog ownership situations here in my experience.

 

[Celt202]

My Chihuahuahuachi doesn't bark much. For months I thought he was mute. A Chiwi that doesn't bark much is worth its weight in gold.

Five pounds at 16 ounces per pound and gold at 1477 USD per ounce is 118,160 dollars or 4,454,632 pesos. If he were a house I think he'd come in just under the luxury tax threshold. :laugh:

Of course in some circles he looks like 'lunch'. :lick::dead:

 

[cobraboy]

I've had dogs, large and small, my entire life. Like the rest of the world, I've known thousands of people who have owned dogs their entire lives, again, large and small. I'm hard pressed to think of one instance where a family pet actually "turned" on it's owner and did any real damage beyond a frustrated nip.

To say a dog not "professionally" trained is a hazard to even the owners is absurd. Humans have owned dogs for thousands of years and not all were professionally trained.

It is rarerarerare for a dog to "turn" on it's owners. Yes, it happens, prolly more to high-strung dogs meant for security work than the average mutt...

If you get a high-strung dog bred for attack work then you're an idiot to not have it trained, like having a dog bred to fight in a pit. Problem is in the DR few want to spend the $$$ on that sort of training. They shouldn't have that sort of dog. The first step in responsible dog ownership is the selection of the right dog for the circumstances.

The very fact you have a dog in the DR is a deterrent to Bad Guys. Unless you have something they want badly enough to poison a dog, they'll move on to the next potential target.

And I don't care how well trained a dog is. If I put rat poison in a chunk of meat and throw it over a fence, 99.9% of dogs will eat it. That .01% may exist and might resist, but I wouldn't count on the others. A dog resisting food from a stranger makes for a cute exhibition trick, but IRL I wouldn't count on it working on that chunk of poisoned meat.

If somebody wants your stuff, a dog isn't going to stop them.

 

[mountainannie]

The dog of choice for the middle class here is the Mexican thyroid rat aka chihuahua. Several of our neighbours have them and it's a real problem with the relentless screechy yip-yapping. They are rarely exercised and left locked up in the house or on the balcony while the owners are at work. I swear that one day the lady opposite us is going to come back to an apartment with bits of chihuahua splattered everywhere when the poor thing finally self destructs. It barks for hours on end at times.



As expatsooner says, they are still not considered a companion, rather a toy, fashion accessory or cheap guard dog (alarm system). Another friend summed it up: the heart of the problem is they appeal to folk who are not dog people. This applies to many dog ownership situations here in my experience.

I really have trouble with the folks who keep their dogs in the apartment all the time without exercise... When I take the Shihtzu for her walk.. twice or three times a day (she is also paper trained) there is a howl that goes up from the other dogs on their balconies... like from a prison cell block.. crying out "hey, she gets to go out,, why not me? why not me? why not ME!!!!!!

Granted that Americans are nuts over their dogs.. with the dog parks and all... (not as nuts as the French, god bless em which is why the Shihtzu can come into the restaurants on the beach in LT, like the beach dogs)

but here,,, I see an aisle full of WARDROBEs for the little howlers.. I mean DRESSES....as in are they keeping the little four paws locked up and playing Barbie Doll with them?

I have also seen little dogs here walked.. well not WALKED.. put pushed in an enclosed sort of carrier like a baby carriage..

Hey.. really.. dogs need to Exercise!!

 

[SKing]

I've had dogs, large and small, my entire life. Like the rest of the world, I've known thousands of people who have owned dogs their entire lives, again, large and small. I'm hard pressed to think of one instance where a family pet actually "turned" on it's owner and did any real damage beyond a frustrated nip.

To say a dog not "professionally" trained is a hazard to even the owners is absurd. Humans have owned dogs for thousands of years and not all were professionally trained.

It is rarerarerare for a dog to "turn" on it's owners. Yes, it happens, prolly more to high-strung dogs meant for security work than the average mutt...

If you get a high-strung dog bred for attack work then you're an idiot to not have it trained, like having a dog bred to fight in a pit. Problem is in the DR few want to spend the $$$ on that sort of training. They shouldn't have that sort of dog. The first step in responsible dog ownership is the selection of the right dog for the circumstances.

The very fact you have a dog in the DR is a deterrent to Bad Guys. Unless you have something they want badly enough to poison a dog, they'll move on to the next potential target.

And I don't care how well trained a dog is. If I put rat poison in a chunk of meat and throw it over a fence, 99.9% of dogs will eat it. That .01% may exist and might resist, but I wouldn't count on the others. A dog resisting food from a stranger makes for a cute exhibition trick, but IRL I wouldn't count on it working on that chunk of poisoned meat.

If somebody wants your stuff, a dog isn't going to stop them.

I wish I could "like" this more than once!

SHALENA

 

[Acira]

Dog is wandering in the garden, owner wants to get out. The owner is looking very nervous around...where is the dog? because I want to get out and I don't see the dog and I don't want him or her to escape...because they do not listen very well.

Visitors come ringing at the gate...ow the dog is still loose in the garden, lets put him quickly into his kennel or room. Hmm...where is my pinchain because my dog cannot follow on a leash and will drag me over the whole yard so have to have that pinchain!

A pack of dogs together, sleeping all day, wandering around the yard, thats what they do all day long, day in, day out. And at night or very early in the morning they start to howl, one starts and the others fall in...we are bored!

A dog hears a noice and starts to bark...nothing wrong with that, thats a warning signal, hey boss, something is not right here!
A dog that starts to bark and barks and barks and barks, thats not normal. That dog is feeling lost, unsecure, you name it.

All above examples are situations with "symptoms" that are so easy to overcome with a little bit of training from the owner with the dog. This has nothing to do with the extensive training we and other professionals do with our dogs. This is basic, very basic training/bonding with your dog and is something that is so obvious for me but maybe not for the average dog owner.

What the chihuahua is concerned. I wasn't a big fan of them in Europe but here and especially in rural area's, they are just great little dogs. They do a heck of a guard job with barking at the right time and surprisingly (well, not to me), they are not the continuous barkers, they stop when the threat is gone, they can give you a nasty pinch if you still do dare to come on their property (not that that will stop any burglar but hey, they do it anyway), the heart of a lion in a very small body and they are very agile and intelligent. Love them!

One more thing to add : in my limited time here (still almost two years now), I learned that a lot of Dominicans are really afraid of dogs but the ones who are not, have the amazing ability to interact with almost any dog. Dominicans have a natural talent to set a dog at ease without giving any commands...because when they like them, they are relaxed (very important for many dogs), they like to play with them and stroke them (attention) without loosing control and alway's with the necessary respect and patience towards the dog (mutual respect, dominant dogs as well as very insecure dogs pick that up very easy)...now what do most average dogs love more then that...we have a winner here says the dog

 

[Reese]

The dog of choice for the middle class here is the Mexican thyroid rat aka chihuahua. Several of our neighbours have them and it's a real problem with the relentless screechy yip-yapping. They are rarely exercised and left locked up in the house or on the balcony while the owners are at work. I swear that one day the lady opposite us is going to come back to an apartment with bits of chihuahua splattered everywhere when the poor thing finally self destructs. It barks for hours on end at times.

As expatsooner says, they are still not considered a companion, rather a toy, fashion accessory or cheap guard dog (alarm system). Another friend summed it up: the heart of the problem is they appeal to folk who are not dog people. This applies to many dog ownership situations here in my experience.

This is very true I was visiting a friend for Christmas and the family next door had given there 4 year old son a Chihuahua as a present the dog was terrified of the little boy because he was so rough with it. The dog was running to any and everyone like save me.

 

[dv8]

lemme tell you something. DR ain't kansas. i read all bad news (3 different newspapers, every day) and i have never seen a story about a kid killed by a dog. it just does not happen here. even our local policeman could not remember any case of dog attack and he has been working in different barrios all his life. sure, dogs will bite occasionally but it is not a big deal.
the thing is dominicans do not like big dogs much and street dogs are street wise - they know that attacking anyone would get them killed.

there are three factors that cause dogs to bite.
firstly: a stupid owner. they may mistreat the dog, lock it up, starve it and set it against other people. only last month there were two cases in PL of dogs attacking people. a rottweiler, locked up all its life, starved and beaten has dug a hole under a fence and attacked a child. in other case an almstaff has suddenly attacked owner's son. owner was fined before for setting the very same dog against strangers, for fun.
two: a victim. that is especially true when it comes to child who knows no better and pulls tails, grabs ears, pokes eyes. hey, i was a kid myself and our dog (small viralata) bit me many times.
three: a dog itself. comes very last because dogs may be dogs but rarely they turn against humans with no reason. the only reasons for a dog to attack (providing he was not provoked by a victim or mistreated by an owner) is a disease or fear. rabia comes to mind, of course but a dog may be in pain because of unknown health problem like ulcers or cancer.

i have two large dogs. i would love to train them to make them a bit more obedient but it comes too expensive, i cannot pay for a trainer to come to POP and i cannot drive my dogs anywhere as they vomit. admittedly they eat the vomit straight away but that makes me a bit queasy so that option is out.
we provide our dogs with a big yard so they can run around. we walk them every day so they also go out and interact with outside world. they see people and other dogs and they learn how to behave.

 

[cobraboy]

i cannot drive my dogs anywhere as they vomit. admittedly they eat the vomit straight away but that makes me a bit queasy so that option is out.

:laugh:

Dorota, you make me laugh. I love how you say things.

My Miracle Perla girl that does the exact same thing...

:classic:

 

[mountainannie]

You can watch the Encantador de Perros .. Cesar .... on local tv.. at least in the Capital

I watch it a lot

and I make my Shihtzu watch it along with me.

Rotties are gorgeous dogs but they are a breed which has been used as attack-guard dogs here.

I felt really bad for a local hotel owner in LT who had these two Rottweiller puppies who looked suitably terrifying but just crawled all over me licking and hugging when I got out of the car.

MANY folks here.. foreigners mostly.. have dogs which they really have used to protect them and MANY local Dominicans are rightly afraid of big dogs for this reason---

I saw three street dogs in LT who went after two men walking outside of Big Dan's.. and I yelled at the dogs.. and then at the French lady who lived next door whose own dog was also barking at these two.. AND then said something to Big Dan.. whose response was "Oh, they only go after Haitians"

think it was my last hamburger there