Our family had a good friend named Matthias.
Matthias and his family lived in a violent neighborhood with everyday chaos and commotion.
Matthias and his wife Lola, had several heart-pouring discussions about how best to protect their young family from the increasing rate of violence in their neighborhood.
During one of their family discussions, Lola searched the internet for simple and home-friendly ways to protect a family without a big spend.
They read through several suggestions on different blogs and websites.
However, a question asked by a random 50-year-old lady from Indiana, United States on a popular online forum caught their attention and spurred curiosity.
The intriguing Question:
The 50-year-old lady with an online profile named Grace Moresco asked a thought-provoking question “Will Your Pet Dog Fight to the Death to Protect You”
This question asked by Grace Moresco was all Matthias and Lola needed to know and if yes, they felt they had found a solution on how best to protect their young family in such a neighborhood.
Just before Matthias and his wife Lola could contact me, Their next-door neighbor’s home was burgled by some gunmen, and in a split second, Amigos, their neighbor’s American pit bull terrier lashed out at the robbers, assaulting them with everything he had till they were rendered powerless after being beaten and mauled on mercilessly.
This was the greatest act of bravery, Lola said in awe crying after watching through the window terrified.
Matthias was in awe of Amigo’s strength, loyalty, and commitment to defending their neighbor’s family despite the dangerous situation.
They were convinced beyond any reasonable that of the answer to the question posed by Grace Moresco “Will Your Pet Dog Fight to the Death to Protect You”.
Matthias and Lola quickly contacted me, explained their dire situation, and asked for a recommendation on what breed and age of dog to adopt from an animal shelter.
I was puzzled by their problem but one thing was certain for me, no pet animal should be put in a situation where they have to fight to the death to protect themselves or anyone, and certainly not pet dogs.
While Amigo must have been an unsung hero, the primary purpose of Amigo was companionship and not to maul anyone to his death except he is a K9 dog working with security operatives.
Unfortunately, amigo could not survive the injuries sustained during the assault by the gunmen.
His death left a bitter taste on everyone’s lips not only because he died a hero, but Amigo was a loving, friendly, and obedient furry friend.
This further reiterates that while Pet dogs may have a protective instinct to protect their loved ones, they should be limited, especially if the threat has been neutralized.
They should also be protected from threats and not meant to engage.
Will A Pet Dog Protect You:
Yes, a pet dog especially the large breed will fight to protect you, your loved ones, and your property.
Pet dogs are unarguably the most protective furry friend known to mankind for so many years dating back to centuries.
They have acted bravely in so many situations, risking their general well-being and in some cases, their lives to save humans.
Their protective abilities and willingness have never been in doubt just like Amigo.
However, several factors that will be discussed shortly, might influence their protective behavior.
Breed and Temperament:
The protective nature of dogs is dependent on so many factors one of which is the particular breed and their temperament.
Examples of such breeds are German shepherds, Rottweilers, Pitbulls, Doberman pinschers, etc.
These breeds are among the 10 most dangerous breeds of dogs.
They are all large, have a powerful biting force, alert, loyal, intelligent, and confident, and have been involved in some reported fatality cases.
Factors such as socialization, bonding, training, general well-being, and health affect their temperament individually.
How Will A Dog React When I am In Danger:
Individual dogs have different responsive behavior to perceived threats, especially to their owners.
Their response nature is categorized by how they perceive the threat, their breed, temperament, training, and degree of the threat.
However, here are some common reactions to perceived danger by dogs.
Alertness and Vigilance:
The sensory system especially sight, taste, and hearing in dogs is highly developed.
They have an acutely developed sensory that makes them alert and vigilant of even the slightest movement or sound.
In most cases, their ears are fully erect, with their eyes wide open moving toward the direction of the danger, and their tail high up and stiff.
They might also vocalize by growling or barking.
Flight Or Freeze:
In some cases, especially among smaller breeds of dogs or timid dogs, they might flee away from the threat ( flight response) or freeze in a place.
This response is also common among untrained dogs or when the threat is overwhelming.
Attack:
Just as in the case of Amigo, some dogs, especially trained large breeds of dogs will engage the perceived threat in a battle.
This is usually common in breeds of dogs such as Rottweilers, Pit bulls, German shepherds, Huskies, etc.
The American pit bull terrier will likely attack any serious and direct threat to their last drop of blood, feasting on every available open spot, unlike the popular belief that they will only attack the neck region.