Okay, since Critter asked that voters leave opinons, you all get to hear mine! And I have a few.
timwcol2: Like you, my job ("phone guy", but more into DSL these days)takes me into others' back yards. If you've been doing your job for over a year and still haven't learned how to "read" dogs; you just might want to look into another career field! After only six months, I could look at a Pit or a Rottie and tell
exactly how they're going to react to a stranger wearing a tool belt. The smaller or "friendlier" breeds are the only ones that have nailed me.
oboe: I guess you wouldn't rent to me, then. My 11-year-old "Chow puppy" actually would have rather crawled into your lap (and lick your hand until it wrinkled up from the constant moisture) when she was younger. As she's aged, she's stopped doing that - arthritis has made it impossible for her to climb into laps anymore. Ditto for both of Mrs StDr's Rotties (both RIP).
Referring back to timwcol2's comments, and just for the record: During my tenure with "The Phone Company"; I have been bitten by poodles, chihuahuas, dachsunds and one collie-mix. I back-kicked most of the front teeth (including all four canine "fangs") out of that last one when he tried to take a second chunk out of my @$$ as I was walking away. BTW, he hopped the fence to come after me at a terminal-box in an alley; I never even
considered entering "his" yard. Absolutely no regrets - I know that he's not gonna do that damage to anybody else.
EDIT: Actually, if the collie-mix hadn't originally nailed me in the hamstring of my right leg; I'd have been able to extend a bit higher and snapped his head up, likely breaking his neck. Then I'd know
for sure he wasn't gonna hop the fence to attack anybody else.
The
last dog that bit me was during the off-hours. I was talking to my across-the-street neighbor, and reached over the fence to to pet his "Heinz 57" dog - ugly, but everybody's friend! One of his other dogs -the wife's
AKC registered Cocker Spaniel ("Isn't she just sooooooooooo cute!")- left four punctures in my forearm before I realized what was going on! Taught me (finally) to
never let my guard down around other people's dogs - even if I think I know them.
Yet another EDIT:
Sorry, I have to argue that point as well. When I lived in Tucson, one of my best friends had a seeing-eye dog (came from "Seeing-Eye Foundation") that was half German Shepherd, half Timber Wolf. Other than a propensity to "clean out" cat litter boxes, he had ZERO bad traits. As I have already said (or is it "will be saying"?) at the end of this post, "It's nurture, not nature!"
My dogs (including Trish's Queensland Heeler) are the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet. Our meter reader even asked what happened to the Chow when she was at the vet's being "fixed". On the other hand, I have no doubt they would fight to the death anybody that was messing with my wife and/or kids
-just like I would. It isn't "nature", it's "nurture". Anybody that thinks otherwise is sadly misinformed.
