Absolutely correct.
And no dog ever bites for no reason. The reason may not be obvious but it will be there.

In cases where a trigger can not easily or instantly be determined, then medical checks is the way to go, and should be in a lot of cases where triggers are known but something medical could be at the root of it.
Not doing thorough checks, including bloods, MRI, Thyroid levels etc etc means a perfectly easily treatable medical condition could be going ignored and the dog gets killed.

...........................
It sickens me that other dogs possibly suffering illness, an outwardly unseen condition, or pain which is not so obvious, are just killed instead of being diagnosed and possibly treated, like the one described on that program might have been had the myriad of medical possibilities been explored properly.

**I did not see the episode, [ I wont watch that woman - one series was more than enough for me ], so I am going by what has been said about it.

Just as an afterthought, who would take on a dog that had bitten twice before, once unprovoked?

we don't really know what the reason for the behaviour was, esp. as the child was alone when it happened.

That says it all. Why are humans so incredibly stupid ?
What will it take to drum in to people not to leave children and dogs together without supervision, no matter how sweet a dogs temperament might be ? For all we know then, the child might have been ramming a crayon in the dogs eye or trying to ride on it or any number of things, [ without malice but just by being a child who does`nt know better ], which humans think dogs should tolerate without so much as a whimper

October 17, 2006

Following the airing of tonight’s (Oct. 17, 2006) episode of ‘It’s Me or the Dog’ on Channel 4, I am aware of many viewers’ sadness after watching the program, as it is a sentiment I share. In the episode, one of the family’s cocker spaniels, Benjy, unfortunately had to be put to sleep after having bitten their youngest daughter three times and then mauling their middle daughter unprovoked. We had worked very hard with the family and with Benjy during the filming of the program, but while real progress was made regarding his training, he ultimately had too strong a history of unprovoked attacks on children, and this was something that couldn’t be ignored. Six weeks after finishing the filming of the program, Benjy mauled the daughter, causing significant injuries. It is my firm belief as a dog trainer that once a dog has bitten, he can never be trusted 100% not to bite again. The sad fact is that while this behaviour can be modified and managed, there is always a possibility of a bite happening again if the dog’s bite threshold is reached. There is also a difference between a bite and a mauling. The attack on the little girl was a frenzied attack and was classed as a mauling.

I was shocked when I heard Benjy had attacked again, and deeply saddened by the realization that this dog could never be successfully rehomed without significant threat of harm to its owners or others. Many have suggested that he could have been trained to become a ‘police dog’ or a ‘drugs dog,’ but this was unfortunately not an option, either. While dogs that work for police can be taught to direct what looks like aggressive behaviour towards specific targets, most of these dogs are trained to behave in a certain way without feeling it. They are trained that barking and then biting a suspect is a game for which they receive a reward such as a ball after their job has been completed. These dogs would not be any good if they felt aggression when they were doing their work. They are the most highly trained of all dogs, and represent 100% success, as they must be trusted with their behavior in all circumstances, all the time. Benjy, while a very intelligent, loving dog, was not to be trusted. With evidence of what occurred before, during and after the attack there was also suspicion of a neurological condition known as rage syndrome and this had been discussed with the vet. The mother had also been on the receiving end of a mauling where the dog exhibited the same kind of strange behaviour before, during and after the attack. Rage syndrome is a well-documented condition that has been linked with epilepsy, where the dog has no comprehension of what is has done, before, during and after an attack. The dog will have a glazed look in its eyes and will normally be very quiet after an attack, similar to a fit.

While I agree that watching what Benjy and his owners went through was painful and very upsetting, I feel that the most responsible thing we could have done was illustrate how difficult the whole situation was for everyone involved. Too many dog owners take their dog’s problems too lightly, and as we have seen in recent news reports, the result of that irresponsibility can be truly tragic. As the mother of a 2-year old, I know how hard it can be to monitor the content our children watch on TV, and I feel that a program like tonight's, while difficult, was not improper.

I feel terribly sad for Benjy and his owners – losing a pet under any circumstances is extremely difficult, and when the owners must make that decision themselves, it is unimaginably tragic. I am adamantly against putting pets to sleep when it is unwarranted, and unfortunately, far too many pets are lost that could be saved and rehomed. The vast majority of the work I’ve done over the years has been with rescue shelters in New York City, where the euthanasia problem is out of control. I have personally saved over 40 animals from being put to sleep and am constantly trying to think of ways to save more. That is not to say, however, that dogs should never be put to sleep. In rare cases, I feel that keeping dangerous dogs alive ultimately does more harm than good.

Part of my responsibility as host of ‘It’s Me or the Dog’ is to not shy away from the difficult decisions, and while I would rather that every episode end in success, the cold, hard truth is that sometimes there are unhappy endings. I think it would have been far more irresponsible for us to not air tonight’s program or temper the impact its conclusion had on everyone involved.

I understand the anger and upset that many viewers felt watching tonight’s episode, and I share it. It was not lightly that I made the decision to encourage the owners to put Benjy to sleep, but I do believe it was the right decision.

Victoria Stilwell