I wouldn’t be comfortable living next to someone with a tiger or a lion. I’ve got small kids. I wouldn’t live next door to a zoo. I wouldn’t build next door to an active volcano. I wouldn’t search for the worst neighborhood known for gun violence and drive by shootings. You know personal responsibility and all.
All it takes is one mistake and bingo, dead kid. Dead anyone.
I love tigers but they’re wild animals, not pets. I don’t have anything against tigers, after all it’s never their fault if a person gets killed or someone’s mauled and nearly killed like that guy Roy from Siegfried and Roy; BUT when one is near, like with a pit bill coming near me, I don’t automatically assume the idiot with the leash is going to be “responsible”. I remain alert.
I’m even for people owning them responsibly. Tigers too.
But not in our neighborhood. I do believe we have covenenants about wild animals and I’m sorry tigers or lions just don’t make good pets. No more than say sharks, wolves, bears, cougars or hyenas would.
If you live out in a rural area, and don’t mind living next to a zoo for instance, that’s your call.
I’m all for personal responsibility too.
But what I all too often see, is people ARE NOT reponsible and all too often to find this out, a kid ends up dead.
It’s not like we can go back and tell people they had a bad dog with no warning signs or their tiger wasn’t properly fastened and by doing so NOW will bring back a dead kid. It won’t.
So until people know more about pit bulls and quit trying to make pets out of wild and dangerous animals, we’re ALL stuck.
Personal responsibiltiy is all fine and dandy but it’s certainly no given!
And exactly what recourse DOES a person have if an otherwise known pit bull with no history of aggression suddenly snaps and kills a kid or a tiger or lion gets loose and kills a kid?
They sue?
Even if the owner had alot of money, or the zoo or whatever was THEN held accountable and responsible, it sure won’t bring the kid back and the animal will be put down.
Did the person next door have ANY regulation over owning a tiger? or lion?
The lions are in a wildlife Park in Downtown Cave Junction. They are regulated and well maintained. The tiger was a personal pet of a neighbor outside of Grants Pass,Oregon she had to get permits but was not routinely inspected.( she moved near me, I didn’t move near her, she had the cat legally so it was none of my business.)
I take issue with the idea that any dog just snaps. If a person thinks that their dog is wonderful
and not aggressive and one day it attacks, they are lying to you, to themselves or both. Except in cases of a medical problem, which is fairly rare, there are always signs of aggression. Dominance issues, jealous behaviors, possessive behaviors with food or toys, and so on up to growling or biting someone. It never comes out of the blue. I raised and trained German shep. hybrids for 12-13 years. I know a little about canine behavior.