Police DOG Suspended Over Charges Of RACISM [Racist Dog Alert?]

AP ^ | 2/4/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

Pa. Police Dog Suspended; Bit Black Child

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (AP) - A police dog has been suspended while investigators try to determine whether the animal has something against black children.

The dog, a German shepherd named Dolpho, was cleared two years ago of attacking a child because he was black. But Dolpho was removed from duty on Monday after biting another black child.

Dolpho attacked a 14-year-old black girl on Jan. 28 during a crime-prevention demonstration at a school but did not break the youngster's skin. The girl's parents said a white student petted the dog without incident before he attacked their daughter.

In 2002, town officials ordered a two-month investigation to determine if Dolpho was singling out blacks while on patrol after the dog escaped from police vehicle and bit a 9-year-old black boy playing nearby. The dog was taken off duty, retrained for two months and returned to the force.

City Councilwoman Wanda Jones Dixon, who is black, complained about the dog in 2002 and renewed her request that the animal be retired from the police force or put to sleep.

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[cyborg]

My poodle is an equal opportunity hater of all people.

[FITZ]

I still would wonder if a black, white, or hispanic who all grew up around dogs and were comfortable around them, all had the same mannerisms around the dog if the dog would care at all. My own dogs will chase a cat that runs from them --- and would likely injure it if they caught it, but a cat used to dogs who doesn't run and doesn't react to them or stands and hisses doesn't get chased.

When dogs smell us --- I wonder if they pick up on race in our odors or if it they categorize us in a completely different way. I wonder if they can pick out our relatives from related scents. I know one thing --- dogs certainly don't mind smells that we find offensive.

[JSteff]

So it's not smell?

[FITZ]

It's possible dogs can tell race ---- but the dogs who don't like Hispanics? That's not really a race --- maybe the dogs don't understand what they're saying, or they don't like the smell of chilis.

[FITZ]

I thought poodles liked everybody.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"A police dog has been suspended while investigators try to determine whether the animal has something against black children."

And here I thought maybe it was picking on chihuahuas.

[Servant of the 9]

I doubt dogs have any concept of race -- or breeds, I don't see dogs being at all fussy about their own "races" --- dogs have ways of sizing up people and will take to some people and not to others but it's based on something else.

I think it is based on scent and depends on what people the dog grew up with.

I have no explanation of why they don't like UPS Men.

SO9

[cyborg]

Not mine... Sophie is a toy poodle who thinks she's the pit bull from hell. She thinks she's a human being also. I will say I think she's smarter than most at DU.

[FITZ]

We had a German Shepherd when I was growing up who pretty much liked everyone but the newspaper delivers. She had a real unreasonable dislike of them, it didn't matter if they were older, younger, male, female, it didn't matter how they brought the paper -- walking, bike, or car --- she hated newspaper deliverers --- the mailman was okay. Finally one of my parents figured it out --- when she was a pup, they would discipline her with a rolled up newspaper.

[SouthernClaire]

"It's possible dogs can tell race ---- but the dogs who don't like Hispanics? That's not really a race --- maybe the dogs don't understand what they're saying, or they don't like the smell of chilis. "

- - -

You bring up an interesting point, but something I'll have to do a bit of reading on.

In my area (the South), we all eat pretty much the same foods. There may be jokes from time to time about Black v. White foods here.

"Chittlins," for example.

Trust me, there's no difference in taste in the South; it's all good! My daughter is a fan of a good plate of chittlins from time to time, and I love nothing more in the winter than a generous portion of turnip greens.

Going back to your words (Sorry! I'm hungry at the moment and got lost on the thought of food!), I don't think it's what we eat that makes a difference to dogs. I believe that dogs are capable of detecting a scent of difference in races that humans are incapable of.

Again, and I'll stick by my words, given a dog that's raised with one colour, he will not know the other colour by scent and therefore, fight.

To go a step further.... I am White, my neighbor Black. Last Winter when I knew my neighbor was down due to back surgery, I stupidly attempted - out of my neighbor's presence - to get his dog out the freezing rain. Bad mistake. The dog wanted to take me apart.

On the other end of it all, my dog my neighbor could never get around to pet even with me present. And my neighbor is one of the best friends I've ever been blessed to have and you could not find a better person to animals.

We all had a good laugh, a cold beer, and ended with the conclusion, "Don't we all want our dogs this way?" Meaning, to despise intruders.

Police dogs, in my humble opinion, are a different matter and should always be trained by and in the presence of all races. Period.

If we can say that it's the colour that causes the problem or the scent or the body language that differs, then run the entire scope and train appropriately. Innocents should never be victims.

Thanks very much for your response, BTW.

God Bless,

C.

[pax_et_bonum]

What does it mean if my dog is scared of balloons?

[lainde]

Did you ever see the movie? I have always wanted a copy and it's very difficult to find.

[dwd1]

I understand. I may have misunderstood but it seemed he was saying that the dog who did not like black people was a "coon" dog... I may have misunderstood his clever use of the word but I think you are familiar with the fact that "coon" gets used in less pleasant and polite ways when referring to black people...

Perhaps he did not mean it that way...

From what I know of dogs, they respond to their training (positive and negative reinforcement) and they have a strong instinct to be protective of their masters... In this regard, it has been my experience that if a dog owner gets nervous or reacts negatively, so will the dog.... If a dog attacks someone he is not supposed to, he can be trained not to with a little negative or positive reinforcement...

It is my humble opinion that perhaps the problem may not rest with the dog in this situation....

[dwd1]

As I stated before, I have no problem with the issues the dog may be facing but I am trying to say there is a possibility for misunderstanding with his potential double meaning use of the word "coon" when describing a dog that does not like black people...
I am not the political correctness police but I am stating that the poster is creating a situation where his meaning might be misunderstood....

[CovenBuster]

Yes, I saw it many years ago. It was very troubling. If I remember correctly, they taught the dog to hate blacks by getting homeless blacks to beat the dog in exchange for money. Sick. On every level.

[Annie03]

I'm not qualified to answer that. :) I know dog's have poor eyesight. Scent & hearing are the dominant senses. The problem with the dog in the article could be he hasn't accepted training properly. His flaw is not "racism"(LOL), but his personality make-up.

[ought-six]

You have got to be kidding. Now the PC crowd and the race-baiters are saying DOGS are racists?????????

[ought-six]

"I had a dog that I had to give away last year -- because he was hostile -- ONLY -- to black people."

Maybe it had been abused by blacks in the past, and it was just reacting accordingly. That doesn't mean the dog is racist, for God's sake. Racism implies deliberation of thought.

[ought-six]

"She doesn't like the UPS man who delivers to our house, though."

My God, neither does my dog! My dog goes ballistic when she sees that brown truck.

[P.O.E.]

This dog is definitely a racist. Or racer. Or something.