Dogs, Cats, and Other People by Matthew Margolis

A big part of my job is talking to people about their dogs. Now more than ever, many of those conversations require me to interject for the sake of clarification: "Wait, are you talking about your human child or your dog child?"

Take for example this recent letter from a reader:

"My puppy is very possessive of me. I am the primary parent. I also have two other dogs, and anytime they come near me, he runs over, jumps on me and barks at them until they leave. This also is starting to apply to people: My husband can't come near me, and he recently nipped at my 3-year-old niece. I want to break him of this jealous behavior but don't know how. My husband says to smack him, but doesn't that just compound the issue? Other than this, he is a very good boy and an absolute joy to have around."

Oh, maternal love! Its blindness knows no bounds.

If we took a poll and aimed it at the "parents" of aggressive dogs, asking why they live with a dangerous dog, the results would make for a hearty denial soup:

— He doesn't mean it.

— We shouldn't disturb him.

— He doesn't do it all the time.

— He was provoked.

And the knee-jerk reaction when faced with a shy, fearful or aggressive dog is: Abuse! This dog's been abused!

Sadly, that is sometimes true. But personality traits are sown in a number of ways, many having nothing to do with abuse. Improper socialization or a lack thereof, defective genetics and even simply being the runt of a litter can tip a dog's personality toward the timid end of the spectrum.

The problem with leaping to an assumption of abuse is that people then believe that because a cruel human being caused the problem trait, a loving human being holds the power to reverse the effect. But all the love in the world is no match for the brute force of bad genes.

Not even the love of a pet parent.

I recently talked with a young woman who just had a baby — she's highly educated and intelligent, with a very promising legal career ahead of her. She also lives with an aggressive dog and cannot bear the idea of losing him. I asked her what made the protection of her dog as or more important than the protection of her newborn child. She explained that she knows what it's like to feel unloved and unwanted, and that she loves her dog and doesn't want to give up on him — adding that nothing and no one loves her as much as her dog.

That's powerful stuff.

It may be true that some will never know another love like the love of a dog. But that doesn't excuse bad judgment.

I spoke this week with another woman, whose dog is lunging at people and dogs, has to be walked with a muzzle on, and has already been quarantined by the health department once for biting someone. And she knew he was aggressive before she brought him home. The dog wasn't trained when she adopted him and she hasn't trained him since. She brought home a bundle of dynamite and exposed everyone to the danger. Now she wants to be able to take him to the dog park.

If a single person wants to live with a dangerous dog, that's their choice. I can help modify the aggressive behavior and offer suggestions on how to create the best possible life. But there will be sacrifices. And the dog park is just one of many.

But pet parents who are also the parents of little humans are a different story — one that can only have a happy ending if the parent protects the right child.

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.