I own a large and/or (in this case AND) aggressive breed of dog; a Bull Mastiff.
She and her mom broke out of my brothers yard when I was visiting him last month and were running loose.
She does have a prior history of aggression against small dogs and (if they get in her way) the people who own them.
I try really hard not to have an unreasonable expectation of gentleness from her - and for the unsecured facility I blame my brother and his unreasonable expectations.
But other than that I was 4/4 of my own criteria!!!!!
And if those two hunted down and were violent to a person and/or a dog - I would think criminal charges and legal liability would be fully justified.
It isn't the breed. It is the type of person who thinks having four big mean dogs in a yard not sufficient to hold them, four big mean dogs who once loose would be on the prowl for blood - is a really cool thing and nothing to be worried about.
With four of them I suspect that the dogs NEVER got out and about unless they broke out. When the only avenue for fun and excitement is breaking out - guess what is mission #1 for the dog?
I gotcha. One of the coolest dogs I ever met was a bull mastiff named Music Man. Of course, he was being shown (I think he may have been number one at the time). He was awesome, very sweet and what a beautiful boy. A little too much dog for me, sizewise tho.
And yeah, dogs are a big responsibility, lots of people ought not. They get them for the wrong reasons, they toss them in the back yard, don’t socialize them, etc. Fortunately for me, if my golden did get out (can’t happen here as I don’t have a yard so she’s never out without me—but just supposing) she would not bite. But you know, she could jump up and knock someone down. And since we live in an area with lots of elderly they could get hurt. And guess what? My responsibility.
I just wish there weren’t so many stupid people who think it’s cool to have a mean or mean looking dog. It used to be GSD, then Dobies, then Rotties, now Pits.