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By Vicki Croke, Globe Staff, 03/04/2000

our child gets dropped off by the bus at the end of the street every day after school and must walk by your neighbor's house. The big dog behind the fence barks and snarls and charges the slats every time.

Sometimes, the dog leaps high enough to get his head and paws over the top. You worry that the dog might make it over the fence, could possibly dig under it, could very well get loose if the gate is left open.

Or, you walk at a park in which you and the other owners let your dogs romp together, off leash. There's one dog, however, who is big and aggressive and always starts a fight. The owner seems proud. ``He is definitely the alpha!'' she always says. You and the other owners roll your eyes. Sometimes, the moment the duo walks into the park, you just go home.

Most of us, at one time or another, have had to deal with a menacing dog. And very often, we don't know what to do about it. In fact, our society in general is not very good about identifying the build-up of aggression in dogs and taking care of it before something happens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that more than 4.7 million Americans, most of them children, are bitten by dogs each year. Experts tell us that the vast majority of these cases are preventable.

We consulted Carter Luke of the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and two of the best known dog training experts in the country - Brian Kilcommons, coauthor of ``Childproofing Your Dog,'' and Matthew Margolis, coauthor of ``Grrr! The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior in Dogs'' and host of PBS's dog behavior series, ``Woof!''

They all agree. Current laws in most cities and towns are inadequate in dealing with these issues because they address the situation only after an attack occurs. Still, there are steps you can take to stay safe.

If a menacing dog lives on your street, take action. ``If an adult ran behind a fence chasing and threatening your children as they walked by, you'd call the cops,'' Kilcommons says. You should take a dog behaving that way just as seriously. The first step - if you feel comfortable doing it - is to speak to the owners of the dog. It's hard to imagine they would be unaware of the dog's behavior, but you can point it out. They should get training for the dog, socialize it, and neuter it (nearly 100 percent of serious maulings in this country are committed by unfixed dogs, usually male).

Further, Kilcommons has a novel idea. Owners of menacing dogs can use invisible fencing inside standard fencing. It provides more than double security. It actually reduces the level of aggression if the dog can't get right up to pedestrians.

If that doesn't work, put these people on notice. ``Owners are in denial about aggression in their dogs,'' Margolis says. ``People can take you insulting them easier than they can deal with you talking about their dog. They make excuses: `He only growls at strangers.' Great. There are only about 250 million strangers in this country.''

Even if an owner won't take this behavior seriously, you should. All the experts agree: Send a certified letter to the owners stating that their dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior that you believe is dangerous. The letter is to give fair warning that should something happen, they are fully responsible. Send letters outlining the situation to your town's animal control officer, the police, and even the district attorney and ask them to investigate.

The first thing, however, is always safety. As Luke says, ``Use supervision and avoidance.'' So while sending those letters off, have your children walk a different way home, even if that means going around the block to avoid one house. If you don't have children, Luke says, be an upstanding member of your community and get involved. If you see unacceptable aggressive behavior in a neighborhood dog, say something. But, as anyone in a dog play group knows, speaking up can be tough. Many of us simply have a hard time broaching uncomfortable subjects.

But, again, the key is safety - for you and your dog. Keeping your own dog - and yourself - away from danger is worth ostracizing someone. Tell the owner, Kilcommons says, `` `It's not you. It's your dog's behavior. It has shown aggression repeatedly, and we cannot persuade you to control it.' ''

Owners who say they have control because they can yank their dog out of a fight are dead wrong. If you had control of the dog, your pet wouldn't be acting this way in the first place.

The MSPCA is pushing for statewide laws that uniformly deal with the issue of dangerous dogs, Luke says. One they are backing calls for the notification to a town or city when a dangerous dog banished from another community moves in.

The larger issue, according to Luke, is that many antiquated rules focus on the dog instead of the owner. But aggressive canine behavior is rarely an untreatable genetic problem, which means the onus must be placed on the owner. These are people who have either ignored or encouraged bad behavior. If their dog is taken away, they will replace it with another and trigger what has literally become a vicious cycle.\ Further, there are places that have progressive and tough laws to curb aggressive dogs. In Oregon, Portland established a model dangerous-dog law with five levels of offenders ranging from dogs that menace and threaten to dogs that cause serious injury or death. The penalties range from confinement on a leash to, for the worst cases, euthanasia for the dog and removal of the owner's right to ever own a dog again.

If you are a true dog lover and you know the incredible good they are capable of, you will be the least patient with owners who bring out the worst in their dogs. Reading about yet another child killed or disfigured by an aggressive dog should inspire us all to act now if we know of a dog with the potential for this kind of violence.

One final note. If you buy a big, menacing dog for protection, the statistics show the most likely victim of the dog will be you, your children, or your neighbor's children.

Kitty corner: The International Cat Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mildford Armory, 24 Pearl St., Milford. Hundreds of rare and exotic breeds will compete. And there will be vendor booths and cats for sale and adoption. Admission is $5; $3 for seniors and children. For more information, call 617-436-6369 or 508-394-1077.

Warning signs of dog aggression

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you should consult a trainer because your dog may be exhibiting the early warning signals of aggressive behavior:

Does your dog freeze, growl, or in any way protect/defend a particular object of any kind?

Does your dog resist moving from a spot to get out of your way or to get off furniture?

Does your dog approach people or other dogs slowly, with direct eye contact, head up, tail up, hackles up?

Does your dog attempt to "play" with humans of any age by mounting, mouthing, knocking over, nipping, or being very physical?

Does your dog ignore basic commands, specifically, to lie down?

Does your dog resent in any way being groomed, handled, or having his collar handled?

Has your dog ever for any reason growled at a human, other than in play?

Does your dog run up and down the fence line barking?

Does your dog attempt to "play" with other dogs by putting his head or paws over the other dog's back or neck?

Source: Sarah Wilson, coauthor, "Childproofing Your Dog"

This story ran on page F01 of the Boston Globe on 3/04/2000.
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