Deal with your aggressive dog

In days of yore, it was the dog that got the leftovers: scraps from the dinner table, a pat on the head on the way out the door. Nowadays, it seems it's the people in our lives that often have to settle for sloppy seconds.

Last week a woman called to discuss her problem. She said, "I walk my dog every day, and every day he lunges at someone. He's bitten eight people."

I asked her what she plans to do to address this. "For starters, what will you do tomorrow come walk time?"

"Well, walk him, of course. He needs his exercise."

Shortly after, a man called to vent his frustration. He explained that his 7-year-old dog has spent the past five years growling and snarling at his wife. I asked him what the problem was.

He said, "It's my wife. She won't stop bothering me about this, and it's annoying."

Over the weekend a mother of five called to share the story of her 7-year-old golden retriever. He's bitten two children outside of the family and one child within the family. And he growls at everyone — man, woman and child.

I asked her why she did nothing when the dog first bit someone, and she insisted there were "circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances?" I asked.

"The kid moved toward the dog." End of story. Those were the circumstances.

As Lily Tomlin once said, "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."

All of these people have one thing in common: They are more concerned about protecting the dog than they are about protecting the people around them.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, dogs bite more than 4.7 million people each year in the United States. I believe there is a causal relationship between that staggering number and the following:

Poor breeding

Poor socialization

Lack of training

And for those repeat offenders whose dogs bite again and again until they are either removed from the home or destroyed altogether, the problem is denial. Some people simply cannot say the words: My dog is aggressive. They can't admit it, and they won't deal with it.