Dangerous Breed Research Articles

Economic Degradation: The Dangers of a Depleting Economy Resulting from Rural Exodus Due to War - Case of Southwest Region of Cameroon

The rampant movement of the people of the South West Region of Cameroon to that of the French speaking regions in search of peace, security, education, greener pastures, etc. has hashed a dangerous breed of vultures that are eating the fabrics of the economic system of the region and the country in general. Rural exodus in any developing or underdeveloped country is a deterrent to the economy and a weightier venture that challenges the management and leadership skills of the power that be to make intelligent decisions for future success. In this qualitative research with a purposive sample, data were collected from 30 participants in the age range of 18-65 years old and analyzed to help safeguard the economic and financial stability of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The result shows that peace and education are the solutions to prevent businesses from leaving or moving out of the State or Region to areas of calmness and security. There are still rampant killing and kidnapping of innocent citizens for ransom who have no power to change the country's laws. The leadership must stop playing politics and strive to maintain peace and seek solutions quickly to stabilize the economic condition of the people.

Systematic Review: Comparison of the Main Variables of Interest in Publications of Canine Bite Accidents in the Written Press, Gray and Scientific Literature in Chile and Spain, between the Years 2013 and 2017.

Simple SummaryDog bites are a major public health problem throughout the world. The different types of information sources that exist in relation to this issue are influencing decision making to control and prevent these incidents. For this reason, the present study aims to compare the main variables of interest in the publications of dog bite accidents in the written and grey press and scientific literature in Chile and Spain, between 2013 and 2017. The results showed that sensationalist variables in dog bite articles are reported more frequently in the press literature compared to the indexed and grey literature. Examples of these variables are involvement of potentially dangerous breeds, articles with death reports, among others. In conclusion, an improvement in the quality of the information that reaches the population about dog bites could be achieved through better and more fluid communication between scientists and journalists who publish on this topic.Dog bites are a major public health problem, with consequences such as physical injury, psychological trauma, transmission of zoonoses, infections, and economic costs. For this reason, it is necessary to develop preventive programs, which require quality information to support the authorities’ decision-making and to raise public awareness about the application of the proposed measures. The objective of this review was to analyze the press, indexed and gray dog bite literature published during the 2013–2017 period. During that period, 385 articles from three sources of information were analyzed: Press literature, scientific literature, and gray literature. Of these, the greatest amount of information corresponding to the context and the aggressor animal was found in the press literature, where it was recorded that the greatest number of records reported in the Chilean articles were caused by potentially dangerous breeds (87.50%), having significant differences with the gray literature (p = 0.030), and in Spain, the greatest number of attacks was also made by potentially dangerous dogs 91.30% (21/23), statistically significant differences with the gray literature (p = 0.002) and with the indexed (p < 0.001). In the case of the scientific and gray literature, the greatest amount of information was found about the victim of the attack and the treatments applied to them. In these cases, the highest percentage of victims included in the reports contained both sexes for the two literatures (44.62% and 87.71%, respectively). Regarding the treatment applied, in the scientific literature in most of the reports, the patients received washings, rabies vaccine, and tetanus vaccine (46.26%) and presented significant differences in Chile with the information contained in the gray literature (p = 0.023), in Spain with the gray (p = 0.017) and with the press (p = 0.023). In conclusion, the press literature differs in multiple variables with the information reported in the scientific literature and, in some cases, with the gray literature. The reason why the material that is being distributed to the population would not coincide in multiple relevant variables in other literature and the representative reality of the problem is the basis for this topic.

Characteristics and Welfare of Long-Term Shelter Dogs.

Simple SummaryIn no-kill shelters, overpopulation is an often-faced problem. Some individuals have better adoption chances than others, and over time, long-term dog populations develop. Our aim was to identify certain characteristics that long-term shelter dogs share and to investigate if long-term shelter dogs experience an impairment of welfare due to the restricted environment. In our study, long-term shelter dogs were more often of older age, male, of large size, neutered, and of a “dangerous breed”. They were also described more often as having behavioural problems regarding aggression and high arousal. The physical wellbeing of long-term shelter dogs was not impaired. However, they did show some stress-related behaviours, suggesting that they might be more affected by acute stressors and have more difficulties relaxing in the shelter environment. In sum, certain morphological and behavioural characteristics of dogs can be used to identify individuals at higher risk for a long-term stay. Thus, these dogs require special attention and effort to enhance their adoption chances. The results of this study serve as a scientific basis for developing such dog-specific strategies.To identify characteristics that distinguish long-term (LT: stay > 1 year) from short-term shelter dogs (ST: ≤5 months) and to investigate if a long-term stay impairs welfare, we compared ST and LT dogs in Austrian no-kill shelters. Analyses including characteristics such as breed, sex, or age (shelter records), problem behaviour, and personality (questionnaires completed by staff) showed that LT dogs were significantly more often a “dangerous breed”, male, and older when admitted to the shelter. They were rated higher on “aggression” and “high arousal” and lower on the personality dimension “amicability”. A welfare assessment protocol including reaction toward humans (Shelter Quality Protocol), and in-kennel observations were used to assess the effect of the long-term stay. LT dogs tended to show more signs of aggression toward an unfamiliar human, but welfare assessment revealed no difference. During resting periods, LT dogs spent more time resting head up and had more bouts resting head down. Prior to feeding, they stood, vocalised, and yawned more. LT dogs are characterised by specific features such as being aroused easily and having difficulties to relax. Whether this is a result of the long-term stay or personality-associated, consequently causing lower adoption rates, remains to be determined.

“Type” as Central to Perceptions of Breed Differences in Behavior of Domestic Dog

A survey was designed to explore the effect of type classification on perception and expectation of a dog’s behavior. The survey focused on two forms of presentation: the effect of visual image versus breed name in the identification of a breed as a dangerous dog type, and the effect of breed group classification on expectation of a dog’s level of aggressiveness. The findings have serious implications for Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Respondents were over 5 times more likely to misascribe by image alone the Staffordshire Bull Terrier as a dangerous breed as defined under the United Kingdom’s Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Furthermore, the classification of Terrier attracted high scores in relation to type-specific aggressiveness. These findings highlight the need for more research on personal perception of supposedly dangerous dog breeds to better understand and explain this phenomena, leading to better protection of the public and better welfare outcomes for dogs.

Careless Skeptics: A Dangerous Breed

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Aggression between dogs: what can the vet do to help solve the problem?

DOG-RELATED injuries can have costly outcomes: physical injury, psychological damage and financial costs, including NHS and veterinary bills. There may be court proceedings and an owner may acquire a criminal...

Dog bite injuries a preventable hazard?

Estimates indicate 1.5% of the population is bitten by a dog annually (though probably 50% of bites remain unreported), and that the incidence is increasing. However, dogs are popular pets...

Spanish dangerous animals act: Effect on the epidemiology of dog bites

The effectiveness and suitability of legislation regarding the issue of dangerous dogs, espe- cially those targeting so-called ''dangerous breeds'' (DB), have been the object of a lot of criticism. However, the shortage of scientific studies in this field makes an objective assessment of the impact of current legislation difficult. In the present study, dog bite-related incidents from Aragon( Spain) were analyzed for a 10-year periods (1995 to 2004). With the aim of assessing the impact of the Span- ish Dangerous Animals Act on the epidemiology of dog bites, data from the non-legislated (1995 to 1999) and the legislated period (2000 to 2004) were compared in 2 different areas (low- and high-pop- ulated areas). According to the results, the population density did exert a significant effect on the in- cidence of dog bites, whereas the legislation in force did not. Popular breeds such as the German shepherd and crossbreed dogs accounted for the great majority of the incidents during the 2 periods of study. Specifically, the German shepherd proved to be over-represented significantly among the canine population. Dogs in the dangerous breeds list, on the other hand, were involved in a small pro- portion of the incidents both before and after the introduction of legislation. The present results suggest that the implementation of the Spanish legislation exerted little impact on the epidemiology of dog bites. Besides the scarce effectiveness, the results suggest that the criteria to regulate only so-called DB were unsuitable and unjustified. It is hoped that this study will be helpful in the elaboration of future regulation measures in this matter.

Breed-specific legislation and the pit bull terrier: Are the laws justified?

After more than a century as an uncontroversial dog (Jessup, 1975), the American terrier has developed a notorious reputation as a dangerous breed since 1980, with consequent restrictions placed upon it by jurisdictions in Australia and elsewhere. Studies in the United States have indicated that the pit bull is responsible for a significant number of human fatalities resulting from dog attack, but the data on which such studies are based are flawed by methodological shortcomings. Using absolute numbers of dog attacks by breed in Australia, data on attacks on human beings reveal the terrier to be exceeded by several other breeds. Regardless, the primary problem is that reliable data do not exist for the number of attacks relative to breed population. Of 19 human fatalities in Australia over the past two decades, none has involved a dog verified to be an American terrier. The evidence does not sustain the view that this is a uniquely dangerous breed, and breed-specific laws aimed to control it have not been demonstrated by authorities to be justified by its attack record.

The African renaissance: Lessons from a predecessor

THE WIDESPREAD INTEREST and intense private and public discussions generated by the ideal of a so-called `African renaissance' seems to justify the wisdom of the well known claim that `nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come'. It is of course always a risk to submit such a popular idea to the scrutiny of intellectuals in general, and philosophers in particular. Jameson Maluleke (1998), a journalist at The Citizen, in fact warns against this in an article about the African renaissance. He writes: Surely we can't afford to philosophise while our democracy is still learning to walk. Leave that to Socrates and his descendants. Our duty is to put our country on a firm democratic footing, to shape a paradise on the tip of Africa. As the Athenians rightfully discovered with Socrates, philosophers can indeed be dangerous people. They have the nasty habit of asking and remorselessly pursuing critical questions about all ideas--a practice which more often than not results in the undermining, if not downright ridiculisation, of these ideas. Take for instance the idea of the African renaissance. An able philosopher might enjoy him- or herself by immediately pointing out the irony of utilising so thoroughly a European concept for an event that would hopefully express the coming to fruition of Africanness. The renaissance, one could argue, was above all the historical process which constituted the current European identity and culture, for better or for worse. Does the idea of an African renaissance not demonstrate the irredeemable dependency of African thinking on the very idea of a process that revitalised and eventually constituted modern Europe--exactly at a moment when serious efforts are made to revitalise this continent's belief in itself? Another uncomfortable question that an able philosopher--that dangerous breed in the lineage of Socrates--might ask, is about the assumption that ideas (in this case the idea of an African renaissance) can influence--even change--reality. Does this not reveal a kind of Hegelianism that has, more than a century ago, already been thoroughly discredited by Karl Marx--Marx who so persuasively argued that is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life? (Marx and Engels, 1970:47). Can African reality really be changed by new ideas? Are our ideas not rather a reflection of our life processes, and are those processes in themselves not much rather the outcome of the contradictions of social reality which can only be transcended by revolutionary action? Let me immediately try and redeem myself. Although I would be honoured if anyone regards me as part of the Socratic lineage, I am not the philosopher who is intent on labouring these questions in this article--without thereby denying their undoubted importance. I certainly would also not appreciate a cup of hemlock for posing as a supporter of Marx on the last issue. I happen to be someone who is under the impression of the importance of a social context for both the generation and understanding of ideas, but I am someone who believes that ideas can influence and, yes, even change reality and society. As regards the issue of the relevance of the renaissance idea for the African context: it is my considered opinion to disagree with the way in which that question has been put in an earlier paragraph. I find it generally not very helpful to juxtapose, even oppose, `Africa' and `Europe' in the way it so often is presented in the media and even in academia. The dichotomy between `Africa' and `Europe' seems to me like a perpetuation of modernist dichotomies such as `subject/object', `reason/myth' and `language/reality'. Although I do not doubt the heuristic value of some of these distinctions for certain intellectual purposes, and without posing as a propagandist for so-called `postmodernism', I nevertheless am convinced that, on this score, postmodernism is correct. In the world in which we currently live--the global village where the alleged `different civilizations' or alleged different patterns of thinking have been meeting and interacting for centuries, where our mutual exposure and contact are without precedent, and where the mass media are consistently equalising our life worlds (although certainly not our life experiences)--it is a gross over-simplification to talk of `Africa' as something inherently different from the rest of the world, and to therefore engage in the bashing of `Eurocentrism' whenever we try to find a revised and morally more justifiable identity for ourselves as (South) Africans. …

Design for a Sustainable World

Since design's beginning, when it was conceived as an art of giving form to products for mass production, it has been firmly embedded in consumer culture. Design's first promoters in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Henry Cole in England and Herman Muthesius in Germany, for example, saw it exclusively in relation to the manufacture of products for the market. This was equally true when a new practice of consultant design emerged in the United States in the 1930s. In the postwar years, American consultant practice became a model for industrial designers throughout the world as they sought to create a place for themselves in their respective national economies. This model continues to be influential in the emerging global economy While the process of establishing design as an essential component of global economic competitiveness has progressed in an almost seamless manner, occasional critics have attempted to redirect design practice to other tasks. Perhaps the harshest castigation of industrial design came from the architect-designer Victor Papanek, who wrote in his seminal book of 1972, Design for the Real World: Today, industrial design has put murder on a mass-production basis. By designing criminally unsafe automobiles that kill or maim nearly one million people around the world each year, by creating whole new species of permanent garbage to clutter up the landscape, and by choosing materials and processes that pollute the air we breath, designers have become a dangerous breed.'

Does the Dangerous Dogs Act protect against animal attacks: a prospective study of mammalian bites in the Accident and Emergency department

This comparative prospective study of mammalian bites attending one urban Accident and Emergency department before the implementation of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and again 2 years later, was to see the effect of the Act on the pattern of injury. The study comprised a simple questionnaire detailing the injury, the implicated species, and the treatment or referral if applicable. In both groups studied (before and after implementation of the Act) 134 consecutive bites were recorded, contributing 1.2 per cent and 1.23 per cent of total attendances during these respective periods. Dogs were found to bite most commonly: in the pre-legislation group 73.9 per cent were due to dog bites and in the post-legislation group 73.1 per cent. In both groups studied, human bites occurred as the second most common mammalian bite; 17.9 per cent in the pre-legislation group and 12.7 per cent in the post-legislation group. Human bites were as common as those from the most implicated breed of dog. In general human bites were found to require more active treatment and specialist referral. The study demonstrates the vast majority of such injuries are treated within Emergency departments. This study also shows how dangerous breeds compare with others that bite, demonstrating that these breeds contribute to only a small proportion of these injuries. This comparative study clearly demonstrates little impact on rate of attendances for such injuries since the introduction of the 1991 Act. If legislation aims to reduce and prevent injury from animal bites, in its present form it does little to protect the public; this study suggests a wider control of the dog population may be required.