As a former animal shelter worker, I believe I can give insight into the recent Rottweiler mauling near Wetaskiwin.

From what I can gather, the dog in question was an intact breeding male.

Anyone who understands anything about sexually intact (unneutered/uncastrated) male animals, especially those used in breeding operations, would understand that the issue of what breed the dog was is entirely irrelevant in what happened.

Any breeding male of any animal species – whether it is a dog, a stallion, a bull or a buck – is full of testosterone and will demonstrate, in varying degrees, certain behaviors.

These are: sexual arousal, dominance-aggression, territoriality, possessiveness of females – i.e. a heightening of “wild” instincts. Some breeding males are easier to handle than others, but as a general rule, any breeding animal, whether it be a domestic pet, livestock, or part of a wildlife zoo, is dangerous.

It is dangerous to animals of the same sex within its species, and it is dangerous to humans.

A horse stallion, for example, is normally handled only by those with the expertise, strength, and knowledge of animal behavior to safely control a male animal whose wild instincts are aroused. The stallion must be housed in special facilities, and kept separate from other stallions.

No matter the level of training or domestication, it must be understood and respected that an intact breeding male is for all intents and purposes a wild animal and will behave as such.

The behaviour of the dog near Wetaskiwin had nothing to do with breed-specific aggressive tendencies, but was entirely in keeping with behavior that would be expected from an intact breeding male.

It was intact, it was housed with a female, and therefore it was treating any intruder as a wild male animal would treat a rival male, by: defending its territory, guarding its female, and displaying dominance-aggression intended both to drive the intruder away from sexual interaction with its female while at the same time demonstrating its own physical fitness and desirability to the female.

It’s unfortunate that the “intruder” happened to be a young child without appropriate knowledge of animal behavior, who was unable to recognize the subtle “back-off” warning signs the dog undoubtedly displayed prior to launching into territorial action.

To understand what the dog near Wetaskiwin did, people need simply to understand these three things: the behavior of wild male animals; that wild instincts are present even in domestic animals; and that an intact breeding male has these instincts aroused and kept deliberately heightened by humans.

They will then understand what the dog near Wetaskiwin did was normal, natural, in keeping with the behavior of an intact male, and completely unrelated to what breed it happened to be.

Candace Swan

Red Deer