Should You Muzzle Your Dog?
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By Kate Garvey
Last year the average insurance pay-out for dog bites was $62,000. If your insurance company doesn’t cover dog bites, and your dog bites someone, you are likely to be stuck with an enormous bill.
Unfortunately, we live in a time when people do not take responsibility for their actions and the actions of their children. You can be enjoying a nice walk with your dog when a two year old comes and pokes your well-behaved pet in the eye, or someone’s dog escapes the backyard and runs up to you and your pet. When your dog snaps back, you’re the one footing the bill, even though the parent of the child or the other dog parent is the one to blame.
My dog is dog aggressive. She loves people, she is manageable on a leash, and our city has a stringent leash law. Despite this, there are times when other dogs get loose. Because my dog is powerful, she could do substantial damage to a “friendly” dog that is running loose.
Last month I went to see a dog behaviorist to see if there was anything else I could do to control my dog in case of a loose dog. My anxiety level was high. She said she could work with me, but could never guarantee my dog would not bite another dog if given the chance. Since my dog loves to walk and is very powerful, she advised me to walk my dog with a muzzle. This has reduced my stress level dramatically.
If you have a dog that’s strong and dog aggressive, I’d encourage you to walk your dog muzzled so you will never be the one paying the $62,000 bill. Furthermore, you’ll never have to say, “I’m sorry my dog hurt your pet or child.”
Topics: pet care tips, kate Garvey |
April 4th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Hello,
My dog is very strong and aggressive…and big!
He get very nasty with other people and dogs…I want to muzzle him when we go on walks but will that make him even more aggressive w/ me or family??
Please help!
Thanks.