Since late last month, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota has been the subject of fierce bipartisan attacks over her decision to shoot and kill her family dog, a 14-month-old human retriever. Germany’s name is Cricket. Noem has repeatedly defended her actions, detailed in her forthcoming memoir, in which she said the dog was “ferocious,” “untrainable” and “dangerous.” with anyone she comes into contact with.”
On Sunday, she suggested President Biden should have been considered kills his own dog, Commander, a German shepherd has been expelled left the White House last year after repeatedly biting Secret Service agents.
“Joe Biden’s dog attacked 24 Secret Service agents,” Ms. Noem, a Republican, said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “So how many people is enough to be dangerously attacked and hurt before you make a decision about a dog?”
Experts say that there are some cases where dogs are so ferocious that they require death. But euthanasia should be an option of last resort, they say, used only when a dog poses a serious danger and other potential solutions have been ruled out. In the case of both Cricket and Commander, there are plenty of reasonable, non-lethal approaches.
Erica Feuerbacher, a dog behavior and learning expert at Virginia Tech. “That’s what I want, is for them to truly value their dog’s life and give their dog the best chance at a long and fulfilling life.”
Guard first report based on excerpts from Ms. Noem’s memoir, scheduled for release Tuesday. In it, she allegedly blamed Cricket for ruining a pheasant hunt, killing another family’s chickens, and biting or trying to bite her.
Although it may not be desired by humans, some degree of aggression – growling, baring teeth and even biting – is normal in dogs, says Clive Wynne, a dog behavior expert at , which is descended from gray wolves and shares some of their hunting habits. Arizona State University is writing a book about the history of dogs.
That hunting instinct likely explains why Cricket chases the chickens, Dr. Wynne said. However, he said a dog that kills chickens is not necessarily dangerous to humans. “That really doesn’t have any predictive value as a way of assessing whether that dog is going to cause you harm,” he said. “Because you don’t look like prey, you don’t seem like prey, and dogs form these strong emotional bonds with members of their human family.”
More often than not, dogs bite people because they are stressed or scared, Dr. Wynne said. “In most households with humans, a dog bites because its other attempts to communicate that it is uncomfortable or afraid have failed,” he says.
However, even a dog that bites defensively can be dangerous and should be evaluated by a veterinarian, experts say. Dogs that are sick or in pain may be more likely to attack; IN a 2021 study Of nearly 1,000 dogs exhibiting aggressive behavior, researchers found that 15% had underlying medical conditions that could contribute to misbehavior.
“We are quick to say our dog is aggressive instead of taking a step back and saying, Why is my dog reacting like that?” said Vivian Zottola, author of the study and a dog behavior modification specialist in Boston. (She is also a research associate at the Canine Behavior Research Center, a nonprofit organization.)
Dogs that receive a clean bill of health may benefit from working with a certified animal behaviorist or dog trainer. These professionals can also help owners determine whether there are specific triggers for their dog’s anger. “We often ignore our dogs’ stress, and it can be very difficult for them to detect stress signals,” Ms. Zottola said.
Often, owners can eliminate aggressive behaviors simply by paying attention to these triggers and by keeping their dogs away from situations that might trigger aggressive behavior – which Dr. Feuerbacher describes it as “just making the right decision on your dog’s behalf.”
For example, dogs that seem nervous or reactive when meeting strangers are not good candidates for a farmer’s market — and may also not be suitable for living in the White House. “Obviously, it’s not the right environment if the dog bites multiple times,” Ms. Zottola said.
In cases where stressors cannot be removed from the home environment, it may be necessary to find a new home for the dog.
Medications, including anti-anxiety medications, can also help calm some canines.
If all else fails, there are circumstances in which an owner may consider what experts call euthanasia. In such cases, Dr. Feuerbacher said, the dog’s aggression is so unpredictable that it cannot be controlled or its bite is so strong that it causes serious physical damage.
In some of those cases, euthanasia may also be in the best interests of the dog; An animal that attacks so frequently that it can’t be safely around humans probably doesn’t have a good quality of life, she said.
But based on published information, Ms. Noem still has several options worth pursuing before resorting to euthanasia, Dr. Feuerbacher said. “I think she missed a few steps,” she said.
Dr. Wynne agrees. “This case is too serious,” he said.
Dr Wynne said he was heartened to see so many people, on both sides of the political spectrum, seemingly disappointed by Cricket’s fate. (Mitt Romney lost his presidential campaigns because of his decision to travel with the family dog, Seamus, strapped to the top of his car in a station wagon in 1983.)
Even President Trump, who infamously bragged that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing voters, seemed to know better than to brag about killing a dog, Dr. Wynne said. : “Trump never said, ‘I could shoot a puppy on Fifth Avenue.”
