By Samira Larbie/Muniratu Akweley Issah, GNA
Accra, May 19, GNA – Owners of dogs, especially the guard dog breeds, have been advised to be more responsible towards their dogs to ensure that their pets do not become a danger to the public, or even household members.
This is because, while dogs make excellent pets, and could be of great service to humans in many aspects of life, irresponsible ownership, often result in man’s best friend, becoming a deadly threat, and not an agent of help.
Mr Robert Anane, a professional dog trainer, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview, that deciding to keep a dog was a huge responsibility, since the moment one chose to keep a dog, the prospective owner, had decided to take care of the dog’s feeding, health and psycho/emotional needs, as well as to ensure it has clean sleeping quarters, among others.
On the prevention of dog attacks on innocent people, the dog trainer said such attacks were very much avoidable, “It all bogs down to responsible ownership,” he said.
Mr Anane noted that there was a sharp rise in the sales of guard dog breeds, because of a heightened awareness of their effectiveness in keeping robbers and other unwanted intruders from the homes of their owners, “but this means a higher potential for an increase in dog attacks, if responsible ownership is not ensured.”
He said, “the very drive in guard dog breeds that makes them effective as protectors of their owners, as well as their homes and properties, that very drive is what potentially makes them dangerous to both their owners and strangers. And this is why it is crucial to have the right knowledge on how to keep them, before going in for dogs, especially guard breeds.”
Currently, guard dog breeds, such as the Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher, Caucasian Shepherd and Boerboel among a number of others, are in high demand, because of their effectiveness in keeping criminals away from the home.
Unfortunately, in quite a number of instances, knowledge on how to rightly handle them, from puppyhood, right through their adulthood is often quite scanty.
While keeping a dog could be lots of fun, if done with the right knowledge and approach, on the other hand, a dog in the wrong hands, especially if it’s a guard breed, could be a nuisance and even a deadly threat, not only to innocent members of the public, but its own household members as well.
In the words of Mr Anane, “if all dog owners, especially those who go in for the guard breeds, were well furnished with information on how to correctly keep these dogs, that would result in responsible dog ownership, and in effect, prevent cases of attacks by guard dog breeds on innocent people.
GNA