‘Dog whisperer’ wants face to face with mauling dogs
By CAROL MATROO (Newsday)
Sunday, April 17 2011
Animal behaviourist Kristel-Marie Ramnath has offered to help in the assessment and possible rehabilitation of the two dogs which mauled four-year-old Ezekiel Renne Cambridge almost to death on April 12.
The child is now said to be in a stable condition after being listed as critical at the San Fernando General Hospital. Yesterday, Ezekiel was taken off of life-support and was breathing on his own.
Little Ezekiel’s attack came just five days after a homeless man was mauled to death by two Rottweilers after scaling a wall to steal in the compound where the dogs were kept.
Police have taken a statement from the German Shepherds’ (one dog was mixed breed) owner Vidya Emrith, who has decided to give the dogs up to a security firm.
“If we find that the animal attacks for a certain reason then we can rehabilitate. I would advise behaviour modification. But, if the dog is truly aggressive and a threat to the public, then it should be euthanised,” she said.
Ramnath said there was absolutely no excuse for anyone to own an animal that could be called dangerous.
Ramnath said any pet owner must realise that they are responsible for the behaviour and actions of their animals as they should be for their own children.
She said while dogs were domesticated and were known as “man’s best friend”, there could also be a sinister side to this relationship.
Ramnath said with the close association of dogs and humans in daily life, dog attacks were not uncommon. She added that animals, regardless of domestication, were governed by the laws of nature.
The homeless man had intruded on the dogs’ domain and were therefore protecting what was theirs. However, in the case of Ezekiel, the dogs had escaped from their confined area.
Ramnath bemoaned the fact that the Dangerous Dogs Act, which was still awaiting proclamation after being passed in the Parliament on May 12, 2000, was only limited to three breeds of dogs: the Pitbull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa and the Fila Brasiliero.
“How many of us in Trinidad and Tobago have ever even heard of the last two breeds, let alone own one? Any breed of dog can bite. All animals retain their instinctual, wild nature, however deep it may be hidden.
“An animal will therefore react to any perceived threat instinctively rather than logically.
“They do not possess the same capacity for reasoning that humans do and they live outside of human laws. It is therefore vitally important that we understand our pets’ behavioural constitution and their limits,” Ramnath said.
What causes aggressiveness in and attacks by dogs?
She said behaviour was shaped by a dog’s genetics, and aggression was a trait which could be selected for or selected against when assessing the temperaments of two dogs used for breeding.
Ramnath added that there was considerable debate on whether or not certain breeds of dogs were inherently more prone to aggression than others.
“Certainly, large-breed dogs are capable of inflicting more damage quickly due to sheer strength and size, but dogs of all sizes and breeds have mauled and killed humans and other animals. The onus lies with the dog breeder to practise more responsible selective breeding for temperament,” she said.
She advised that dog breeders should be registered with a regulatory body such as the Federation for Canine Registration of TT, or the Kennel Club of TT whereby rules pertaining to responsible breeding were adhered to.
Ramnath said a dog’s environment also played a major role and included human actions such as neglect or aggression training; and inactions such as carelessness in confinement and control, and not providing sufficient exercise or enrichment.
She added that owners must ensure that the animal could not escape the boundaries of the home as dogs had the instinct to defend themselves; members of their “pack” (human and animal); and their territory.
Ramnath noted, however, that what a dog perceived to be its own may not coincide with the property lines that the owners and the legal authorities recognised.
A dog may therefore see the street outside of its home as its territory and this was one reason so many dogs rushed outside to confront passers-by, particularly those dogs that were allowed to roam the streets, she said.
“The responsibility thus lies with the owner to make sure that the dog is adequately fenced in with no route of escape,” said Ramnath.
This was also the stance of certified dog trainer Jean-Paul Llanos, that it was the owners’ responsibility to properly secure their premises, especially if their dogs were considered to be overly aggressive.
“Proper infrastructure is essential. In this instance with the child, reports said the dogs hit the gate and ran out. With these dogs, the owner should have ensured that there was a latch at the top and bottom of the gate in case one gave way,” he said.
Ramnath said when first acquiring a puppy, this was the opportunity to raise it as a happy, well-adjusted companion. This also went for any animal one may own that was growling or biting or chewing everything in sight.
“It is never too late, provided you are willing to expend the time, energy and resources needed to modify your pet’s behaviour,” she assured.
Ramnath noted that in TT, there is no data on the number of dog bites occurring per year, and fatalities as a result of dog attacks were not recorded by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
Both Ramnath and Llanos did not agree with the Dangerous Dogs Act saying that any dog had the potential to inflict damage on humans, with Llanos calling for owners to be more educated about the types of dogs they had.
On the euthanisation of dogs who mauled or killed humans, Llanos said this was definitely not the answer, adding that the dog be assessed by a professional first. He advised owners to stop taking their dogs for granted.
“Too often people become too informal with their animals and they need to take them more seriously,” he said.