In recent weeks, numerous reports of dog attacks have surfaced on the Sunshine Coast.Two accounts of such attacks have appeared in the letters section of Coast Reporter. In both cases, the owner of the animal was nowhere to be found. I wonder why these dogs were running loose, and where was the sense of responsibility on the part of the owner?One of the incidents occurred on the school grounds of West Sechelt Elementary School and involved two children. While trying to protect her friend from a dog that was trying to steal some lunch, a young girl was bitten by the animal but, fortunately, not seriously injured.After speaking with Patsy Rothenbush, chair of the Parent's Advisory Committee at the school, I learned this particular dog has expired tags and frequently wanders through the school grounds. It would appear the dog is being neglected as it displayed aggressive behaviour in pursuit of food.This poses a potentially scary situation for the students at the school. It's hard to imagine that a child could intimidate a dog, forcing it to back away. If the dog was unbalanced in any way, I think the young girl was quite lucky in the fact that she didn't sustain any serious injuries in the attack. Another incident involved a woman being attacked by a Rottweiler during a jog in a West Sechelt neighbourhood. As the dog approached the woman, she became fearful of it, and while backing away, she subsequently tripped and fell to the ground. The dog proceeded to latch on to the woman's arm until her screams alerted a neighbour, who chased the dog off with a shovel.Again, why was a dog running loose in this neighbourhood? The dog involved in this incident was no lap dog either. Rottweilers often instill fear in people because of their fierce image. I would have backed away from it too.This may well have been an isolated incident, but in general some dog owners need to take more responsibility for their pets. A Rottweiler is a large, muscular breed that needs to be in the right hands and requires proper training and socialization. These animals sometimes find their way into the care of inexperienced or irresponsible owners who fail to positively channel the Rottweiler's protective instinct.People should be held accountable for their pet's behaviour. If you can't devote enough time to properly care for an animal, you should reconsider owning one in the first place.
