Racist Dogs?
More anthropomorphizing: I suppose racism was next since dogs can also be gay. A K9 (not a unit, the actual dog) is under investigation for being a racist dog. Apparently, the dog has attacked two black kids in the last 19 months.
An account of one bite:
The dog bolted from the K-9 wagon when the door opened and bit a 9-year-old boy who was playing nearby.
[Insert smarmy remark about how it’s a good thing this isn’t a pit bull]
I have had an experience such as this with my dogs. Sadly, I have very few black friends. It’s not on purpose. The result is that my dogs have little exposure to black people.
Politically Correct Dog was walking with the Mrs. one day (I wasn’t there) and a black guy was walking the other direction and PCD raised his hackles and started barking. Even after the Mrs. informed PCD that everything is OK, he persisted with barking. Also, one day Politically Incorrect Dog barked at a black man who was passing by. However, once he was told everything was OK, he calmed right down.
I honestly don’t know why my dogs (who ordinarily wag their tails when they see strangers) would react this way to black people. I assume it’s because they are not used to seeing a person with darker skin since my dogs react favorably to light skinned people (even my Japanese neighbors). I don’t think dogs are capable of racism and think the investigation is crap. This dog is just poorly trained and my dogs haven’t had exposure to darker skinned people. I do find it odd though.
February 9th, 2004 at 3:57 pm
My dogs do the same thing. Must be a “southern” thing. lol
On another note, maybe some of the black people our dogs have ran into arn’t comfortable with dogs and give off a weird “only a doggie can detect” aura thing that freaks the dog out? Kind of like when my dogs jump on my whitey friends who dont like dogs. They ignore all the other dog lovers in my house and …pounce/lick/vie for attention… on them vs dog lovers…
February 9th, 2004 at 4:53 pm
You beat me to it. A lot of black people aren’t comfortable around dogs, and some dogs may pick up on it.
February 9th, 2004 at 4:56 pm
I’ve heard the stereotype about black folks being afraid of dogs. But a lot of black folks own pits and rotties.
February 9th, 2004 at 5:09 pm
Personally, I think it probably has to do with the way dogs see colors in general. It is not, obviously, some type of socially learned behavior (prejudice).
February 9th, 2004 at 6:29 pm
I’ve seen the same issue with people in hats, people on bikes, etc. You hit the nail on the head, SU, it’s all about socializing pups while they are still young.
February 9th, 2004 at 6:38 pm
Dogs are pretty perceptive. I have no doubt that if a group of racist cops specifically set out to train their dogs to attack black people, it could be done. Do I think they actually did it in this case? Well…
February 9th, 2004 at 6:54 pm
The reverse is also true. Visit a black person’s home who has a dog and that dog will react to white skin. I think Easycure’s got it. The phenomena is due, I think, to how they see color. An unfamiliar color is more suspect to the dog, hence he barks. It’s a new visual stimulation; i.e., postmen, UPS, etc.
March 11th, 2004 at 7:42 pm
It is also human and animal nature to be suspicious of what is unfamiliar to us. It may either be lack of socialization, a bad experience, or both. The actions or behavior or these dog attack victims may also caused the animal to become defensive. Was the 9-year old boy that was attacked running? This could trigger a the dogs natural or trained response to chase.
Maybe these dogs just need to take a “sensitivity” class. (joke -with a bit of truth) Training programs for service dogs should include more socialization to prevent these types of incidents. Please, also keep in mind the many positive contributions that dogs have made. Especially service dogs.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:34 am
[…] Well, I’m not surprised that Ivy’s dog is homophobic. After all, mine are racists. […]