OK, you know that I disagree with you and here's why...
To say that a dog who bites should automatically be considered violent totally dismisses the fact that they are thinking, feeling creatures. Do you honestly believe that ANY animal should be expected to live with abuse and continue to take it, never showing any signs of damage?
What about a dog who ends up in the system after being chained, neglected and abused, should they be expected to lay down and accept it, trust the next human....be put to death after what they've endured. The whole concept sickens me.
There are dogs that can not be rehabilitated, a very small percentage of the ones killed in shelters or euthanized by their owners decision fit into that category. It absolutely DOES happen and sometimes there is nothing anyone can or should do. But....to say that all dogs who bite should be put to death is not only absolutely ludicrous but shows a lack of understanding for canines entirely.
I've had and worked with the 'saints' of the canine world that you've described as the ones who, even when tortured, refuse to bite. I've also had and worked with the ones who you think don't deserve life because they were unable or unwilling to tolerate all of the horrid things that humans have expected them to endure without defending themselves or showing emotional/psychological damage. I've seen the latter do a complete 360 with proper rehab. In your book, they'd have deserved nothing but death.
I'm not suggesting that a level 5 biter can or even should be given that extra chance but do you know how few dogs fit into that category?
Over 95% of all bites fit into the level 1 (air snap - no contact) and level 2 - (contact - no broken skin) bracket. An extremely small number are level 3, broken skin, no medical intervention required. I do MOST of the bite cases in my area and I can count on one hand the number of level 4's I've worked with (always by OWNER REQUEST), in the past 2 years.
casablanca1 quote As to why the soft spot for biting dogs? I think a lot of people, particularly women, get off on 'saving' violent animals. It manages to be both nurturing (rescue a dog) and heroic (rescue a dog nobody in their right mind would rescue) and my theory is that it plays into a weakness women have for being martyrs
As for this last statement - how insulting to any of us in this end of the industry. When you confuse kindness for weekness you show a total lack of compassion, tolerance and understanding that you, with such conviction, expect dogs to possess.
Some of us could take a lesson from those canine 'saints'.