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I would like to take a moment and explain why I chose the dogs I did when designing this site.
The first people I contacted regarding pictures for this site were people who own dogs from a group of breeds called Molossers (Molossians - dogs in the Mastiff Family). Many of these dogs are breeds often mentioned in Breed Specific Legislations, a.k.a. "Breed Bans."
Sadly, these breeds are getting an undeserved bad rap thanks in part to a minority of very visible bad or irresponsible dog owners. For some great examples of kids and dogs and what can happen in the right homes, please visit the photo album page.
I am a firm believer that there is a correlation between dog bites and Breed Specific Legislation. Much of it has to do with the media's portrayal of dog bites. Rarely if ever do we hear of a small dog biting a child.
I can think of just a handful of cases where a small dog injuring a child ever made the news. Yet I can think of many more incidents where a large dog made the news. Do larger dogs really bite more? Are they really more dangerous? This is a qualified no. Big dogs have bigger mouths, are closer to face level in regards to children and are stronger. A big dog biting can do more damage than a small dog. But, there have been cases of children being seriously injured and even killed by small dogs. When the media focuses on one thing, so does the public. When the media gets the public going, lawmakers jump on the bandwagon and come up with "feel-good" laws that are effectively useless.
If we want to really increase safety, we will do so through education and not banning breeds.
We should all encourage communities to adopt fair dog laws, change existing laws to non-breed specific and develop dog safety programs.
I am willing to help provide any community with information to help develop dog safety education programs and do all I can to help get
them implemented.
Our children and our dogs are worth it!
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