Careless Owners, Not The Dogs, To Blame For Attacks, Experts Say

YAKIMA - A flash of teeth and a burst of violence forever changed the lives of at least three Yakima County children this year.

In Toppenish, 6-year-old Adrian Chacon's face was ripped so badly he required dozens of stitches. In Grandview, 2 1/2-year-old Brian Whitney remains nearly blind. In Yakima, 6-year-old Donavon Johnson's nose was torn from his face.

The perpetrators were a pit bull mix and two Rottweilers, dogs with similar traits: weight, agility and power.

The children are only the most recent victims. Walter Feser, 75, of Yakima, who was in a wheelchair, was mauled to death 1 1/2 years ago while trying to defend his pet dog.

The attacks raise questions about certain dog breeds, the rising number of bites and measures needed to stop them.

Most national canine-behavior specialists say the dogs are not to blame. Instead of specific breeds, they point the finger at large dogs in general and owners who place profit, power or personal security over responsible dog ownership.

Too many, they say, are unaware of the inherent dangers and responsibilities that come with owning powerful guard-type breeds.

"A Golden retriever was not bred to do the same thing as a Rottweiler, and a Siberian Husky was not bred to do the same thing as a Doberman," said Julie Lux, a dog trainer who recently led a national campaign to educate people about the pros and cons of Dalmatian ownership.

Rottweilers have grim record

National statistics support her. The dog breed with the largest American Kennel Club registrations - the Labrador retriever - has not killed anyone in the 18-year history of national record keeping.

Rottweilers - the second most-registered breed of dog in America - killed 27 people in the United States between 1987 and 1996, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty of the deaths occurred in the past four years, and most of those killed were children.

In Yakima County, Rottweilers accounted for at least 10 of 85 dog bites reported in April and May. At least half of the victims were children, and four involved bites to the face.

An estimated 4.7 million people in the U.S. are bitten by dogs each year.

Because of their strength, agility and history of being bred for protection and fearlessness, Rottweilers and pit bulls are at the center of a national debate over the need for tougher laws, breed-specific bans and public education.

Careless ownership is why Responsible Rottweiler Owners of Central Washington is forming, said Jan Manning, a Yakima-area trainer who has owned the breed for eight years.

"Our goal is to encourage responsible ownership and discourage a lot of people from buying the dog. Eighty percent of the people who own Rotties shouldn't," Manning said.

"The dangers come from mismanagement and lack of understanding about the breed and not the breed itself," she said.