Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Anyone owned a Rhodesian Red Back

Right you are!
In the hands of an unqualified owner even a nice a dog can become dangerous easily

Agree entirely. I also wonder how many children are "abused" by dogs as opposed to "abused" by humans.

Howard mentions Dobermans, they're actually excellent family dogs.

My family has always had dogs and my mother ran a boarding kennels for several years.

Our German shepherd certainly saved her from an assault by a stranger. She was outside when she was accosted, the dog somehow got itself out of the house and, as dogs do, sensed there was something not right and made it's feelings clear. The stranger beat a hasty retreat.

My own experience is that large dogs such as German Shepherds, Dobermans etc. make loyal family companions.

Smaller dogs, particular some terriers, are for more likely to be aggressive, even towards family members, - and to bite.

As in everything, do your homework, and make sure you buy a well-balanced animal.

Spot on Tim as a child I must have tasted nice as I got bit by every dog in the area and the owners did sweet nothing . I would go in crying to Dad . One day he said " I will put a stop to that", purchased the old paper Exchange and Mart and sent a cheque down South . He had purchased a Staffie , "once the smell of that gets on you other dogs will keep away" . He was 100% correct . But this puppy arrived at the railway station in a tiny cardboard box . Try doing that today Hell would break out and rightly so . Very soon it grew took over the area he was in charge and had his chums . The funny bits . We had a Dewhurst butchers 1/4 mile away he would gather his pals head to it hang about outside . When he spotted the time he shot in did a huge jump up higher than the counter . As above it was a row of rods hanging from the ceiling with all the sausages on . He grabbed a full link full and off out the shop and away. Bet his pals loved him . The chap in charge was a 1/2 cousin and he would come and knock on our door . Mum would tell him , "Put your sausages higher lad its your fault and no I am not paying for them " everytime.

The one thing that will stick in my mind was one night he wanted to get out the rear door into the garden and dad and I went out onto the rear lawn . He stood motionless for a good while, then a dog in the far distance barked in a certain way for a while it stopped and another took over then another till it was Champs turn . After he had his turn another dog took over till it was to far away . Dad and I agreed we had seen and heard something that may only happen very rarely and for a reason only known to dogs . Dad and I had seen it on the Walt Disney film Lady and the Tramp but thought it was fiction .

*any* dog?

The Daxhound is a perfect example of a potential agressive little beast.
This one may be a nice one, but most likely more people have suffered injuries from Daxhounds than from German Wolfshunds

If you do mean the ridgeback then provided you can meet the minimum ownership standards they are intelligent and very protective. If you have not had working dogs before then spend some time with an owner to see what they need.

It's not a dog that stays at home or sits quietly in the corner. It needs to be part of things and close to people all the time. They do tend to want to be right beside you and lean into your leg from my experience. I often think they have a similar temperament to a Doberman but are built for power, it's a very strong animal. The breeders they bought from said buying a pair from the same litter made them almost unstoppable.

I have some friends with two in Cape Town and whilst ridgebacks can appear intimidating at first they have never had an issue in public or at home. They have stopped a home intrusion once by going nuts to alert the family when they heard noises in the garden. He lit the garden and then let them out and they pulled one of them to the ground and held him while the security arrived.

Yes, well I suppose it's all right to have two dogs that intimidate the public, everybody else can carry our children across the park if they get scared

He lives in Cape Town Stuart, its a bit different.

Meaning such dogs don't belong in England? Well that's certainly true. But I don't agree that its the owners that are dangerous and not the dogs. The NRA use that argument.