I recently learned from a client that she had to remove her dog from an apartment complex here on Daniel Island because a neighbor expressed concern that the dog appeared to be a "dangerous breed." A corporate landlord, taking measures to keep tenants safe, produced a list of prohibited dog breeds. The owner was required to DNA test her dog to prove that she was not one of those breeds in order to keep the dog in her apartment.
The dog in question has a friendly, outgoing temperament and shows absolutely no aggressive tendencies at Daniel Island Animal Hospital. We recently had her in for surgery and she was well-behaved for many invasive and somewhat painful procedures; she was never a problem around new people or other dogs.
A dog’s appearance or breed is not an indication of potential problems. Those assumptions are akin to racial profiling – not only unfair to pet owners, but also inadequate for purposes of reducing the risk of aggressive dog activity.
Temperament testing individual dogs is a much more effective way to determine which dogs are safe in a community setting and which dogs should not be allowed. Giving all dogs, regardless of their appearance, a temperament test enables identifying aggressive individuals of "safe" breeds (i.e. Labrador retriever) as well as determining which individuals of a "suspect" breed could be a problem. Breed assumptions are very inaccurate, more "wives’ tale" than fact. In actuality, most "pit bull" appearing dogs are sweet and safe.
Certified trainers can administer the temperament test in about 10 minutes, and the results are far superior to using appearance alone in predicting dangerous dogs. After over 20 years in veterinary medicine, I can personally attest to the fact that individual temperament is not determined solely by breed!
A smart and effective community policy is to require owners of dogs involved in any aggressive incident to have their dogs tested and certified before allowing them to stay. This policy protects everyone. When owners are required to present proof of temperament only after a problem arises, no one is targeted for their pet’s appearance, and the cost to the community is nothing.
The US Army at Fort Jackson and the US Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune have begun using temperament testing to determine which dogs are eligible for residency on their bases. Breed specific lists were found to be inadequate for safety purposes.
A good resource on temperament testing of dogs is the American Temperament Testing Society. Their web site address is http://www.atts.org/index.html. By reading the breed statistics page, you will note that breed is not a reliable indicator for temperament. AKC Good Citizen testing is described here: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc. I am aware of several area trainers who are certified and offer local testing.
As a resident of Daniel Island, I wanted to share this information to educate community leaders and residents, helping to make our island town both safe and well informed on the subject.
