[GovernmentShrinker]

I'm really surprised to St. Bernards on the top ten list. I don't think I've ever read of a St. Bernard attack. They're large and somewhat broad-jawed, which gives them the physical ability to inflict serious bite wounds. But every one I've ever come in contact with seemed to have the personality of a bored Persian cat. I've always sort of classified them with English Sheepdogs -- like big harmless teddy bears, or walking rugs.

[Slings and Arrows]

I hear ya. Every Rotti and Great Dane I've ever met has been a teddy bear too. I suspect it's the owners more than the breeds.

[TheGeezer]

Only the drool of St. Bernards is dangerous.

[Godebert]

"I'm really surprised to St. Bernards on the top ten list. I don't think I've ever read of a St. Bernard attack. They're large and somewhat broad-jawed, which gives them the physical ability to inflict serious bite wounds. But every one I've ever come in contact with seemed to have the personality of a bored Persian cat. I've always sort of classified them with English Sheepdogs -- like big harmless teddy bears, or walking rugs."

Ya....but watch out if they get rabies.

[Ditter]

The only St. Bernard I have ever known lived across the street from us. He was a monster & had to be destroyed before he killed someone. A real life Cujo.

[RightOnline]

"I don't think I've ever read of a St. Bernard attack."

I witnessed one........but not on a human being; on our chihuahua we had with us when my family stopped to visit at the home of some distant relative (on my mother's side..............figures). I'm a kid at the time, ya see, and we pull up to the house of these old folks. Have the chihuahua with us (we were in the process of a cross-country move, so had the dog along), and we get out of the car with me holding his leash. The visitees open the front door, and out bounds the BIGGEST St. Bernard you have EVER seen in your life (found out later that they fed him a whole chicken every day). Just HUGE. You could literally ride this guy using a saddle. He sees the chihuahua......looking like a tasty little morsel, I guess.......and just pounces. To his credit, Chico the chihuahua bared his fangs, snarled, and decided to give it a scrap.

So here I am holding onto the leash of a little chihuahua while the Largest Dog on the Planet decides to attack him. People screaming, arms waving, lots of "Stop! Stop!", yada yada. All I could think to do was yank that leash for all I was worth to extricate the chihuahua from the brouhaha.

It worked, thank God. Little sucker practically flew threw the air and I caught him; got him away from The Monster from Hell.

No harm done, but poor little dude was shaking for hours. Couldn't help but think what it would be like to have that bruiser attacking a person; ugly doesn't cover it.

Of course, there was always this St. Bernard:

[CaptRon]

I'm really surprised to St. Bernards on the top ten list.

When I was in college I took a course in animal behavior. We had a visiting professor from the University of Chicago who had made a study of wolves. He told us that he would show off when he visited the zoo and walk into a cage of wolves at feeding time and bring them the food. He said the only time he had a problem was when he inadvertenly walked between a female and her pup, and even then it only knocked him down.

He explained that he was able to do this because he knew their body language. He said that domesticated dogs have learned to hide their body language so he would never do this in a cage of dogs. He further said that he would neve, ever do it in a cage of St. Bernards. He said that they were the most vicious of all dogs.

[mean_people_suck]

Just ask my Dad. When I was a kid we had a St. Bernard that was never abused and had been properly socialized. My parents did everything right by the dog...
One day the dog got into a fight with the neighbor dog and my Dad tried to break it up. He sprayed them with the hose and our sweet lovable St. Bernard turned on my Dad and picked him up by the thigh and held him up against the fence! My Dad needed 22 stiches and almost lost a testicle. That was the end of our sweet lovable family pet. Up until that day my parents also believed St. Bernards were harmless teddy bears.

[CommandoFrank]

Didn't you watch the movie "Kudjo"?

[c-b 1]

I'm really surprised to St. Bernards on the top ten list.

I am not, they were very popular in the 70s, they were inbred, which tends to bring out a mean streak in any breed. I encountered several mean St. Bernards back in the 70s, one tried to take my daughter when she was about 4, fortunately for him he stopped when my wife hollered at him, I would have killed him on the spot. Eventually he bit a couple of people before he assumed room temperature.

[rintense]

This list is nothing more than political correctness at its best. Rotties are excellent dogs with children, as are Dobies. The problem is, the folks who put this list together failed to realize that these breeds are notorious choices for people of ill-repute. While some dogs are naturally aggressive, I blame the people who train them for bastardizing and unfairly maligning the breeds.

[FLCowboy,]

When my son was a toddler, the neighbor's St. Bernard got loose and entered my yard where my son was playing. For no reason, the St. Bernard became aggressive, and actually grabbed my son by the head. I grabbed a shovel from the garage and convinced the dog to drop my child. My wife got the the child to safety, and I beat the dog all the way to his yard, while my wife called the sheriff.

The neighbors got rid of the dog, or I would have eliminated it.

[Trust but Verify]

My youngest sister has a scar on her face that came from a Saint Bernard. She was only 5 or 6 and went near the dogs' pups.

[cinFLA]

St. Bernards are bulldogs (no pun intended). I had a friend that had one and he would go through a door if you closed him alone in the room. He was mostly playfull but had no idea that what he thought was play was dangerous to any kids nearby. I think he had no pain threshold and thought that noone else felt pain.

[Pure Country]

St. Bernards many times turn mean as they get a little age on them. We had one that never caused us any problems, but then attacked a visiting 6 year old. She had to have many surgeries. We felt so awful and put the dog down right away. There is no dog that is worth scarring a child for life.

[susiep64]

Last night I went to a friends house and she had a Saint Bernard. I am like you, my sister raises Saints, and when the dog came up I started petting it. All of a suddent it snapped at me and bit me on the face. I can’t believe it.

[jewels1979]

haven’t you ever seen CUJO....That movie scared the Sh** out of me when I was little...I know it’s just a movie but it’s gotta come from somewhere....I have a sister whose BF has two female Pits...they claim their not bad...You tell me why then so they tear up everything they see...from toys to purses...one of them is Spayed the other not...the one that’s not is fighting for the Alpha role female...My sister wants to get rid of that one cause it messes up her stuff and her BF says that he wants to Breed her...my problem is if this female is fighting with the other female..and she is trying to act dominate female of the house...what do you think will happen when she has puppies!

[dawsoncat]

To Ambrose

I guess you Haven’t seen Cujo ......LOL....