More and more cases

“My dog has bitten and has to go now”

According to the accident database of the "Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit" (Austrian Road Safety Board), around 3,900 people are injured by dog bites every year and have to be treated in hospital. The number of unreported cases is estimated to be far higher.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Светлана Акифьева - stock.adobe.com)

Not a week goes by in the "Krone" animal corner without at least one call from dog owners who want to give up their four-legged friend because they can no longer cope with the animal. More and more often, euthanasia is the last resort, especially when "Bello" has bitten. 

Particularly serious cases, such as the recent biting incident involving "Ernie" or "Xena", make the headlines, but the majority happen without any increased media interest. On average, around ten people are treated in hospital for bite injuries every day in Austria, but nobody can say how often dogs actually bite. 

This was also the case with the young dog "Gina", who reacted strongly to people from an early age and also snapped repeatedly at home. The owners lost confidence in their own dog, and training sessions at various dog schools were only half-heartedly attended. But when a dog exhibits this kind of behavior, alarm bells must ring for every dog owner. 

The Malinois bitch "Gina", who was only about fourteen months old, could no longer be tamed by her owners. They had no choice but to ask the vet to euthanize her. (symbolic picture)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Ines Meier Fotografie)

No consistent training
"In this case, the owners were too weak, 'Gina' took the lead in her insecurity and got her own way. If you don't work on a problem like this, it just gets worse and worse," says trainer Gaby Friedl. Agreed lessons were often canceled and the professionals at the "Martin Rütter Dog School" in Wiener Neustadt rarely saw "Gina". 

Weeks later, the case ended up in the "Animal Corner" when an appointment was made to put "Gina" to sleep at a veterinary practice in Lower Austria. Animal Corner boss Maggie Entenfellner contacted the owners and looked for ways to spare the young dog. A difficult undertaking, because hardly anyone takes on such difficult cases.

"Many people are not even aware of the genetic characteristics of the 'lovely puppy' when they buy it. Especially with a working breed like the Malinois, which is often used in the military or police service, this is completely underestimated," says Entenfellner.

Is this even allowed?
But euthanizing a healthy, young dog just because the owners let training and exercise slide? Is that even possible? Yes and no, according to lawyer Regina Binder, who deals with animal welfare and veterinary law at the University of Veterinary Medicine. 

Her interpretation of the Animal Welfare Act reads: "If a biting incident is due to a behavioral disorder such as hyperaggression or fear biting, the killing is not to be considered justified if it can be successfully treated with reasonable effort after appropriate findings". 

It goes on to say: "A 'reasonable' reason for killing is to be affirmed if a severe behavioral disorder is diagnosed, the therapy of which seems hopeless according to expert judgment". 

It is an ethical tightrope act to euthanize a healthy animal.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/© Eleonore Horiot)

A big taboo subject
According to reports, however, "expert judgments" are often only made in summary proceedings, sometimes even without having seen the dog beforehand or subjected it to a test. In her ARD TV report "Dog Boom", journalist Anja Reschke investigates the question of whether dogs in Germany are put to sleep without a medical reason. Of course, there are no official figures on this, as this procedure is not permitted without an indication. 

In a survey of 80 vets asking whether anyone had ever approached them with such a request, Reschke received an answer from only one practice: "Yes, they know of such cases, but it has never happened in their own practice". The rest wrapped themselves in a cloak of silence. 

Georg Resch wants to give dogs with behavioral problems a second chance. His association "Teufels Hunde" (Devil's Dogs) cannot even begin to cope with the number of requests it receives and concentrates on extreme cases.

(Bild: Marlin Wolf Photography)

Second chance for a young dog
Back to the case of "Gina" - she jumped from the brink of death and ended up in a foster home run by "Teufels Hunde". A stroke of luck for the young animal, as they quickly realized that lethal injection would have been the wrong way to go: "Judging by her behaviour, the dog has probably only known very little. Gina' is very insecure and then starts to snap out of fear. But we can work on that and she will certainly find a suitable place where she can get the right support," says club chairman Georg Resch, who specializes in rehabilitating extremely difficult dogs. 

The "Devil's Dogs" association

• Resocializes biting dogs that no one else wants to work with and teaches people how to work with their conspicuous four-legged friend
• Admission freeze: No more dogs can currently be admitted
• The "Teufels Hunde" association is urgently dependent on donations. You can do good with just 1 euro a month and sponsor a dog!
  IBAN: AT92 3802 3000 0005 3090
  BIC: RZSTAT2G023
• You can follow their work on their own Instagram channel

Pure blackmail of animal shelters
For many animal shelters and also trainer Georg Resch, the topic of "euthanizing" is part of everyday life. He receives around 20 calls or emails per month in which the expert is faced with a difficult decision by animal owners.

He has anonymized some of them for the "Krone" to review, and they always read: "My dog has bitten, he has to go now. Either you take him in or we'll unfortunately have to put him to sleep...". 
A sad development that is apparently slowly becoming a trend.