People with little dogs, look away
Every so often, we hear the report of some large dog (usually a pit bull, which is actually a medium sized dog) killing a small dog. A few weeks back, a pit bull killed a Maltese and, in Australia this week, a pit bull killed a man’s Pomeranian (a man has a Pomeranian?). I’ve often wondered if large dogs confuse smaller dogs with prey animals.
Dogs typically have a fairly sophisticated method of communication that includes butt sniffing, play bows, submission signals and a variety of other things that let other dogs know whether they want to play or whip their ass. Granted, an 8 pound Maltese may not get a chance to submit quickly enough.
It seems to me it would be pretty easy for a large dog to confuse a small, furry dog with a bunny or a rat or something. Dogs rarely just attack other dogs without some sort of warning.
And, full disclosure, Politically Incorrect Dog has a Pomeranian girlfriend. She weighs about 12 pounds and he weighs about 75. The play, chase balls and generally have a good time.
November 4th, 2004 at 1:00 pm
My parents have a pomeranian, and know lots of other people with them. They tend to be very aggressive and territorial if they haven’t been raised right with proper limits and pack structure within the family. If they also aren’t brought around other dogs to socialize with, they don’t learn how to give the proper cues. I’ve seen more than one pommie go after a huge dog like a Golden Retriever. (It is kind of funny, in a way, because the big dog, if he has been tamed and knows his place in the pack, will look really embarrased.) The big dog usually can’t get them to stop until they give them a pretty good bite. It is is a well adjusted dog, they will stop there. If the big dog is just as mal-adjusted as the pommie, then you end up with a dead dog.