It's easy for some people to blame a specific breed of dog for dog bites and maulings, but I've seen too many exceptionally gentle and dependable dogs who are of the most feared breeds. Our dog is a chow chow; he's completely 100% sweet and reliable, non-aggressive and he has a loving demeanor with everyone he meets. Yet, I've heard many a person exclaim that "all chow are vicious, unstable, unreliable," etc. But when I get a specific example from said person, it always boils down to dog abuse or neglect or unmet medical conditions of the dog.

For example, one woman told me of a chow who was supposedly vicious ... she fostered the dog for six months to help her sister while her sister was relocating to a new residence. The chow's personality turned around and it became sweet and docile. When her sister got the dog back, she got so jealous of the dog's sweet temperment and bonding with her sister (the dog had changed) that she took it and had it put to sleep, rather than keep a dog who was gentle and loving toward other people. This may sound extreme, but I hear these stories all the time. The woman wept as she told me this story. She isn't on speaking terms with her sister anymore.

For some reason, mean people get dogs so they can make them vicious. I've heard of dogs chained outside night and day (this story from a man who was proud that his chow was a "vicious guard dog.") What people do to dogs is beyond human understanding and definitely not worthy of man's best friend, the dog.

The following article confirms that people and not dogs, are the problem. Dog Attacks - Experts say the problem is often not the Dog but the People