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I may be able to still find the link, and if I do I will post it, but a few years ago I read about some cougars killing horses on a few farms. Only one example, but they went on to say that it was pretty normal for the big cats, and they weren't surprised that they did it, except for the fact that they did it to such large animals. I believe a search was done and the cats thought to be the offenders were destroyed. It happens more than most people think. It just doesn't get national attention.

Any dog will chase something if it runs, territory or not, vicious or not. I have been chased on bikes, in cars, jogging, you name it. Most dogs that chase like the act of the chase. Some get worked up and will try to attack if they can catch you, some will stop if you stop. That's just dogs. I have even seen some dogs attack the wheels of cars when they drive by.

And then, of course, there's always the undersocialized dog that never sees anyone because it lives in a yard chained up, and doesn't have any idea why it's chasing the person/dog/whatever, and is just plain unpredictable. I don't understand why those dogs do what they do, because they're dysfunctional.

And in this case, two dogs, probably a breeding pair, owned by a child for God's sake, escaped their yard and went after children. They were intact, and having a breeding pair of any breed of dog around, especially when the female is in heat, can be a very volatile situation if the dogs are strong. It's so sad that this 18 year old was in charge of two strong dogs and probably thought it would be cool to breed them. I know when I was bitten by a pomeranian and the dog ate my thumbnail off, it was because he was studded out to my friend's mother's dog. The pom was not normally like that, but being around a female in heat made it nervous and territorial. Not saying this was the case with the pit bulls, but just an example.

Here's my solution: Any dog, no matter the breed, unless it is for show lines and must be kept intact, needs to be speutered. Every dog should be registered, and I believe it would make all the difference if the government put a required animal caretaking course in schools. That way, the kids will know how to handle animals, a little about their behavior, and even if they never plan to have pets, how to react to strays so they don't become a statistic.

I think for large or strong dogs there should be a registration system that is slightly different. I think if people want that type of dog enough, they will do this and it won't hurt at all. Just like aliens coming into this country to be citizens have to take a test, people like me should have to take a general knowledge test. It can be breed specific, but must contain several very important questions to ensure the one wanting this dog is appropriately educated. It has to have questions about breeding, where the animal will be kept, what the person's training methods will be, what the reason is to have the dog, etc. much like many adoption agencies have now. If you aren't willing to take the test, register and speuter your pet, then you aren't really that into it, and can get a corgi.

There are lots of people, however, that would shoot this idea or any like it down, and it may never be a reality. In that case, it would be nice to see a law that states that if a dog is reported running loose more than one time and the owner has done nothing to prevent it, the dog will automatically be speutered, regardless of the breed. With the muscle dogs, many of the owners causing problems would never snip the dogs, so this is a great threat to them. Perhaps they might try harder to keep their pets contained. But these ideas require money, and as much as I would love to be the first to donate, I really don't think there will be enough other people like me out there. But I guess that is the current problem anyway, isn't it?