Some pets can be dangerous. There are myriads of cases where an erstwhile docile pet morphed into a Frankestein monster as a result of undue stress, illness or simply the fact that the pet is dangerous around people and therefore has to be handled with due caution. I have heard of cases of dogs turning against children and causing grievous injuries. There are also instances galore where a pet owner enthralled by the cute young one of an animal decided to rear it into adulthood without changing his approach with regard to handling it. The animal then pounces on the master and makes him an easy kill. I suppose, the fact that we love pets should not blind up to the fact that at the end of the day, they are animals and we should strive to understand their sensibilities and proclivities. Not offending dogs by pulling their tails for instance and teaching kids on the same issue. However, there is a danger of paranoia here. These cases are rare and far betweed but they do exist. I suppose, paralysing darts should be handy when handling some pets in case things turn awry. But with experience, everything should work out fine.
I am not quite sure what you are referring to as a pet here, @remnant; but if it was some kind of animal that requires a tranquilizing dart around at all times in case it attacks you, then (in my opinion) that animal is NOT a pet . Any dog that is that dangerous should not be kept as a pet, and if it is some kind of wild animal that was supposedly domesticated, then it should be returned back into the wild if it is that vicious.
I think that, for the most part, wild animals should not be caught and kept as pets, anyway. They are not naturally used to living with humans like dogs and domestic cats are, and they will always keep their wild instincts.
Even though they maybe cute when they are a baby, they are not going to grow up and stay tame.
There is a provincial governor here who have tigers in his home. But his tigers are usually in the cage and only let loose when he is at home. He says that his tigers are tame because he had them since they were babies. But how can you trust a wild animal? What if that tiger would bite a child in the home? That would be tragic. Even with the tame boa, they say the boa is tame, but I wouldn't trust it in my home. The most dangerous pet I can have is a vicious dog that bites. At least I can handle it. But not any other animal.
I'm not really sure if you're referring to naturally wild pets that have been 'tamed' or domesticated pets that go wrong. The first is obvious, most people don't realize that domesticating an animal takes generations. The dog for example has gone through about ten thousand years and cats a couple thousand less that that. You can easily compare the two and see the difference in the level of domestication. So when you just take a wild animal out of it's natural habitat, it's always foolish and even cruel to stick it into a cage and call it a pet. Ultimately that's the core problem in Blackfish because orcas aren't domesticated animals for our entertainment but wild predators we've stuck in essentially a bathtub for thirty years and Sea World has biologist and expensive equipment to keep the orcas healthy. How can some layman have wild animal and hope to keep it safe and healthy for a long period. Of course it's only natural that it would turn on it's caretaker.
Then you have to take in all the cases where the pets go wrong. Any animal that has been abused long enough is going to bite, kick, and defend itself once it reaches it's breaking point. That's to be expected and unfortunately some people get pets who've been abused and don't know it or underestimate the psychological problems. Those animals are to be pitied of course, they didn't ask to be abuse, but you need to on guard and experienced with dealing with the animals's problems not only for you safety but for theirs. Though I do think some of the trouble that can occur, especially with dogs, is that people pick based on looks instead of doing proper research based on temperament. There is a whole section of dogs that should be considered exclusively work dogs and don't have the temperament or mentality to just be a house pet. One of the meanest dogs I ever met was a Doberman Pincher that my friend kept in her apartment as a pet. I don't actually think they are a mean breed by default but they're highly intelligent and need to work to keep from being bored. Her boyfriend adopted the dog and took it with him hunting. While that wasn't the original purpose, the exercise and the discipline her boyfriend gave it softened the temperament over time. The work actually made it a better house dog in a weird way. So some dogs just aren't meant to be cooped up in a house all day while you work, they want to work to. Plus, if you have kids most of their squealing will set off the hunting or herding instincts of the older work dog breeds. This isn't always horrible. My grandma's friend had a collie that was trained to herd the grandkids past a certain point to ensure they don't escape into the pasture and get bit by a rattlesnake. I think between abuse and just having the wrong dog for the wrong household will always lead to problems.
There used to be a dog right next to my house which I was really scared of, it was a Rottweiler and come on, that dog was giant, to be honest, I almost pissed my pants one day that he tried to jump on me, it's crazy how dogs can be that aggressive.
There was a recent story here in the local news about the ordinances around Pitbulls and some other more dangerous dogs, and it was pretty alarming some of the statistics they had about recent incidents with these dogs. I am all for personal freedom and I love all creatures, but some kind of regulation does make sense when you have kids out there getting hurt.
