The Cost of Responsible Dog Ownership

Today I heard a story that made my heart break. A fellow agility competitor told me the story of her young, medium sized dog who, while being walked on a leash, was viciously attacked by a roaming, large breed, guarding type dog, unattended by any human. The hair on the back of my neck stands up when I imagine the terror she and her dog went through during this attack. How she managed to get this dog off of her dog, I'll never know. She herself is not sure what made the dog give up the attack. How she managed to not get bitten herself is also somewhat of a mystery. She had no one to help her during the attack. Her dog was a budding young sport dog, trained in multiple disciplines. She herself is an expert handler, easily considered one of the most responsible dog owners society could ask for. Her dog survived the attack, yet suffered a broken leg and permanent damage to the affected limb. The psychological effects of the attack on her dog may never be fully known.

The sad fact of this story is that because no human was bitten by this dog, no one appears to be taking the attack seriously. This dog is known by the community to roam freely in the park where the attack occurred. The owners refuse to take responsibility for their negligence and continue to let the dog roam free.

So, what is the cost of responsible dog ownership? Well, the cost of irresponsible dog ownership in this case is physical and emotional trauma to another dog who did nothing to precipitate this attack. The cost is this dog's career in dogs sports, and perhaps normal function of the affected limb. The cost is large veterinary bills which may never be compensated for by the party responsible. All this simply because of an extremely negligent dog owner who was ignorant enough to allow a dangerous dog to roam free. This innocent dog's happy life has been changed forever all due to the fact that another dog owner refused to contain their dog to their own property. The cost of responsible dog ownership? It could have been the cost of a fence, a suitable tie out, a dog run, or a little bit of education on their part to know enough that letting any dog roam free is dangerous for many reasons. The cost of responsible dog ownership is quite minimal when you consider the cost to others of irresponsible dog ownership.