12/10/2017
: I read a worrying quote from Sophie Gaillard who is a lawyer for the SPCA on the case against Montreal. It was published in a few stories and said: “We know, thanks to scientific research, that behaviour is unrelated to physical appearance. What leads dogs to develop aggressive behaviour is not at all their breed, but it’s the way they’re treated, whether they’re sterilized or not, how they’re trained.”
This is immensely worrisome to me.Whilst, for Pit Bulls and for BSL this sentiment is a lovely idea - that looks dont mean anything - but sadly it is a fantasy.
Im not someone who wants BSL to change because of some far gone idea that Pit Bulls are not any different from King Charles Cavalier Spaniels - Im someone who wants BSL to change because I do not believe it improves the safety of the public, I think it is ill conceived, poorly executed and detrimental to dogs as sentient beings. I love my pit bull and I love that I get to work with so many and I adore the breed. I cannot imagine my life without a pit bull in it but Im not deluded and it is SO important - with Montreal case being at the forefront of BSL news at the moment - that the case is executed based on facts and modern, realistic ideas - not based upon mis-truths that all dogs are the same, or that genetics don't play a part in behaviour.
In his early experiments Balyaeve found that by selecting foxes based on their flight distance (their behaviour toward a gloved hand) he could change the way they looked and behaved. By selecting purely for this one trait (curiosity as opposed to aggression toward the glove) he bred foxes with floppy ears and patchy coats; foxes that wagged their tails and barked; creatures that responded to their name and interacted socially with people.
Scott and Fuller did a 13 year study and found that behaviour was related to breeding. Scott and Fuller (and latterly Saetre et al in 2006) explain in their book that behavioural characteristics are passed from one generation to the next.
Houpt (2007) reviewed a whole range of behavioural studies by different researchers (from lots of different sources – labs, questionnaires, experiments etc) and found there was significant evidence that different breeds exhibit consistent differences in behavioural tendencies, particularly in terms of reactivity/emotionality, aggression, activity and predatory behaviour. Further studies by Bradshaw and Goodwin (1998) and Hart (1995) ranked dogs by these traits.
The study by Daniel Mills doesn't suggest there is no genetic component to behaviour - he looked at variation from different types dogs within breed (two breeds of gun dogs bred for looks and then the same breeds but the type bred to work) and found that the variation in behaviour between these dogs who had been selectively bred to look and behave a different way for some time now also showed a massive variation in behaviour despite being the same breed.
The more we study genes, the more we find out that by breeding dogs with a certain physical characteristics, we are accidentally breeding certain behavioural tendencies as well. We are even able to locate the genetic variation of certain types of behaviour now - social behaviour in dogs as well as types of aggression for example. And last year neuroscientists, Dias and Kerry Ressler showed us how the fear of a certain smell could be passed down via genetics - from one generation of mice to the next (via another mean experiment on mice).
We are learning more and more each day that suggests genes DO matter. That suggests breed DOES matter - how and why and where and who with.
SPCA I beg you DO NOT stand in court and suggest that a dogs physical characteristic has no baring on his behaviour. Do not replace one ill conceived notion with another and mislead the public that these stunning, intelligent, courageous, tenacious, athletic and affectionate dogs; these dogs that thrive on social contact with humans but tend to struggle with other animals; these beings that investigate with their mouths and get so much intrinsic stimulation from grabbing and pulling that training in this area is essential - please do not suggest that these are easy pets and that they are for everyone. What we can say it that knowing all these, we also see that studies do not find pit bulls likely to show aggression towards humans. In fact quite the opposite. And this means we must spend further time and effort looking into why many do get into trouble if they are unlikely, genetically, to show this trait.
These dogs, like so many specialist breeds require a program of breeding that takes into account all the evidence about how important genetics are. What we need is a decent piece of legislation to ensure that breeding is restricted and follows a standard that reflects the dogs modern usage as a domestic pet and no longer as a fighting or guarding breed. They need sensitive and loving breeders who will only breed the animals with the best possible temperament; dogs with the calmer disposition; dogs with more dog-dog sociability.
Let's be realistic about what the pit bull is; about why he does tend to get into trouble; and let's write legislation that is not blinkered of the facts and that sets out a realistic way forward to make the best of the true goodness we see in these dogs. - Let montreal be the ones to write a blueprint that works and that we can follow. Please allow for ALL the facts to be considered so that the judge sees the truth and comes up with a solution that will save our beautiful dogs for generations to come.
