This is interesting. After he heard a talk radio discussion about dog "racial profiling", Dr. Debra called and asked me to comment and give my Irreverent Thoughts.

As you may know, I'm the Irreverent Veterinarian. I speak my mind and give you my honest opinion. I don't try to sweet talk the truth. I won't tell you, any drug company, any pet product maker, any breeder or any pet owner anything but the truth. Some might say I'm truthful to a fault. I've had some pet owners and breeders get really angry. It is hard hearing the truth.

Anyway, Dr. Debra was listening to this talk radio show and the discussion turned to aggressive dogs. One caller said his neighbor had Pitt Bull dogs and that one of them had attacked the man's Yorkshire Terrier. The Yorkie was severely injured but pulled through, and now the man feels that he can't trust Pit Bulls at all. Then another caller said that some Pit Bull dogs can be nice but they can NEVER be trusted. Finally, a very irate called phoned in complaining that the other callers were "racial profiling" dogs because they have a history of aggression, which was in his opinion "completely unfair and unjust".

Dr. Debra asked for my opinion on this topic. Give us your opinion. Take the poll on Petplace.com – Do you believe in "racial profiling" of dogs?

This is what I think. I think that some dogs are born with aggressive tendencies. Pit Bulls are one of those breeds. These aggressive tendencies can be toward dogs, people, cats and any animals. Mostly and especially the tendencies are toward other dogs, cats and animals. If I lived next door to a Pitt that attacked my Yorkie – would I ever trust them? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Are you CRAZY?

Here is another scenario. If I lived next door to a Pit Bull that never showed any aggressive tendencies toward people and appeared to be a really nice dog … would I personally feel threatened? The answer is NO. Some Pits can be real sweeties.

Next question – Would I trust that same dog if my cat went running through his yard? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Are you CRAZY? There is something inside many breeds that drives them to attack other animals.
So is this racial profiling of dogs? Maybe. Do I believe in profiling breeds? Absolutely.

My Final Thoughts

I also believe in human racial profiling. If 80% of all crimes or murders are committed by a "certain demographic" – and a suspicious person is doing something – why not report it?

Are you going to NOT report something suspicious because you are worried someone might get mad about being racially profiled? Not me.
And if someone has a breed with aggressive tendencies and they come into my practice – I'll probably give them some information, warning and allowing you to make informed decisions on training, breeding and interacting with other pets. Would that person be angry with me? I don't know and frankly don't care. The truth is the truth and if I can save a young child from being bitten or another animal from being attacked or killed – then I've saved that life.

That's my opinion and that's all I'll say.

Feel free to disagree or give me your thoughts.
Email me, I'm curious about what you think.

Or take the poll on Petplace.com – [[WWW|https://petplace.uat.petpartners.com/polls.aspx%3Fpi=182|Do you believe in "racial profiling" of dogs?