(12-13-2014, 04:14 AM)Happyflowerlady Wrote: Cyber, I noticed the omisssion of the Doberman Pinscher on your list, although they are often trained as guard dogs, too. And maybe that is part of the issue, when they are used mainly as a trained guard dog, they would be a a facility where they are fenced in, and not a lot of burglers are going to try and get inside the fence when they see the Dobie in there; so overall, they don't bite or kill a lot of people.
One of my most favorite dogs was a Gladiator Doberman, and he had a definite difference in personality when he know that he was "on duty". If we had company, he just loved people, and would usually go and sit beside their leg, and lean into them with soulful eyes proclaiming how badly he wanted to be petted. Even people who were apprehensive about a Dobie usually could not resist that pleading look and snuggling dobie-body.
However, when he was outside and on patrol; if someone approached the gate, he was blasting towards them, fangs showing and snarling. He never hurt anyone, but he did scare a few people when he did that.
He had been a trained guard dog before I got him, and when I rescued him, he was starving, and chained up outside in the snow, mud and cold . I was a little concerned whether he would accept me or not with his background; but I just could not leave him to live in that condition, so I took him. I had Bruno for many years, and he was as wonderful of a dog as anyone could ever want.
I think it was just a case of Dobermans causing less deaths than the other 3 as to why they were not in the top 3. I think dobies are fantastic dogs and have had the privilege to know several. One was 4 year old entire male who was of course still convinced he was a puppy (they do take a while to mature lol) I was walking into town one day when he saw me and pulled his lead from his owners hand because he was distracted and was charging towards me full pelt - I knew he was not dangerous and was soppy as they come but it was at the time newspapers were ful of "devil dogs" stories and all the other shoppers thought I was going to be ripped limb from limp. It ended up with me sat on my bum being slobbered to death having just had to catch a full grown male dobie in mid-air. Of course he thought he was just being nice lol.
