Rhode Island news
09:02 AM EDT on Friday, July 15, 2005
They are regarded as family members, routinely invited into bed,
pampered by doting owners and granted the run of the house.
But on the day after a Siberian husky killed a seven-day-old Coventry
girl, animal-behavior experts warned that even beloved and docile dogs
may react violently to a newborn baby.
"You've got two different species trying to live together," said Dr.
Alice Moon-Fanelli, of the animal-behavior clinic at the Tufts
University veterinary school. "The key is supervision."
Fatal dog attacks are rare in the United States. In Rhode Island, it had
been at least seven years since a dog killed a child, said Maria
Wah-Fitta, a state Department of Health spokeswoman.
But animal-behavior experts and dog trainers say longtime pets are
frequently wary of infants, whose sudden arrival can spark a potentially
deadly turf battle.
Nearly 4.2 million people report dog bites annually, resulting in an
average of 800,000 requests for medical help and 12 deaths, according to
the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a division of the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of those injured
are children 5 to 9 years old.
In all, 513 people have died from dog attacks in the United States since
1965, according to the National Canine Research Foundation. A recent
study found that 92 percent of dogs involved in attacks are male; 94
percent are not neutered.
Coventry officials say the town had not seen a fatal dog attack in at
least 40 years. But in April, an off-duty police dispatcher shot his two
dogs after the animals began fighting near his young child.
"Dogs are predators. Assume all of them may injure a child at some
point," said Katenna Jones, an animal behavioralist at the Rhode Island
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals.
The father of Alexis McDermott, who was killed on Wednesday in the
Coventry dog mauling, told the police that his family's Siberian husky
had not previously exhibited violent behavior toward the newborn.
The husky is not considered a particularly vicious breed; the American
Kennel Club describes the animal as graceful, furry, friendly and
gentle. Christy Burdick, the animal-control officer in Cranston, said
she has not quarantined a husky in her 10-year tenure.
But the Siberian Husky Club of America Inc., a national breed club, says
the husky's predatory instincts are strong. Small animals, the club
warns, may find the husky decidedly less than gregarious.
That predatory instinct, present in all dogs, can also result in
domestic tragedy, animal experts say.
Moon-Fanelli said a baby's jerky movements and high-pitched squeal may
resemble an injured animal's. "That's going to trigger a primordial
instinct," she said.
And as a child grows and begins walking, experts say, an infant's
behavior may become threatening. Daily competition for resources -- such
as exercise opportunities and the fawning of family members -- can evoke
hostility in a normally peaceful canine.
Youngsters may not recognize a dog's body language, ignoring its growls,
snarls and stares. A dog, meanwhile, may grow increasingly irritable,
disoriented by rapid changes in its routine, including shifts in feeding
time and exercise schedule, said Lisa Peterson, the American Kennel Club
spokeswoman.
DOG TRAINERS say they can ease the transition and improve an animal's
manners, discouraging a dog from jumping on a child or lunging for its
toys. Many pet owners acclimate their dogs to life amid crying young
humans before bringing home their infant, introducing their pet to
children and lavishly rewarding good behavior.
That preparation can transform a potential four-legged adversary into a
newborn's companion and protector, said Wendy Derby, a former dog
trainer in Massachusetts. Treating an infant like its own pup, many dogs
will guard a baby's crib as a child sleeps and scrutinize visitors who
approach.
"They take it on as their job," Derby said. "Some dogs have such
patience they should be canonized. [Kids] dress it up, pull its tail,
look in its ear. They're not enjoying it, but they'll put up with it."
Not all dogs are so forgiving, however, particularly older animals
placed in physical discomfort by a pestering child. The most skillful
training cannot guarantee consistently peaceful behavior, Jones said.
"You can't train out instincts," she said. "They're wolves, genetically
speaking."
The pulling of a tail, disturbing of sleep or interrupting of playtime
with a favorite toy can provoke even the best-trained pet. The animal's
swift response, Derby said, is hard to predict or defend against.
Marvin, a 70-pound black Labrador retriever that lives with E.J.
Finocchio, the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals director, received a perfect score on the Delta Society
temperament test. It visits the elderly, ill and disabled.
Still, Finocchio said yesterday, he never forgets that mild-mannered
Marvin is an animal.
"Do I trust my dog? No, I do not trust my dog," Finocchio said. "I do
not let my dog out of my sight."
Benjamin N. Gedan can be reached at
bgedan [at] projo.com
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