Dogs...

[Hraesvelg]

A lot of people don't realize that dogs, while being domesticated, are descended from wild animals. Their genetic structures are very closely related. Inside every animal there are triggers that set off an instinctual reaction. I'm not familiar with the particular animals in question, however. If an owner abuses or mistreats an animal it can have severe behavioral consequences. So, in short, even the best treated animal can revert to a primal instinct, man included.

[Aranil]

It's mainly in the way the dog was raised. I have a pitbull that most people tend to avoid or get worried about on sight but the truth of it is that he would never hurt anyone, unless perhaps they were hurting me. I trained him very well and set guidelines, such as that he is not allowed in certain areas of the house and he must sit and wait to eat after I put down his food til I say its ok. I believe any dog that is raised and trained correctly will never present a problem that was not caused by another. Ive even instilled enough patience in my dog that he can handle a magnitude of 'teasing' without getting aggresive, mainly because I have many nieces and nephews that love to play with but can get a little rough at times and I didn't want to worry about them getting hurt. Most dog attacks were provoked by someone or it's because the animal was abused. It's almost never the dogs fault, they're just almost the only ones who get punished.