Ethicists’ commentary on dangerous dog assessments
Ethical question of the month, September 2024
You are a veterinarian hired in your region as an authority to assess dangerous dogs. The counties you work with have differing regulations regarding dogs that are deemed to be “dangerous.” In some jurisdictions, if an animal is deemed to be dangerous it must be euthanized without delay. In others, your professional judgment as to the possibility of behavioral modification, risk reduction, and management is considered, and if your treatment plan can be executed, the animal can be monitored and eventually reassessed. You assess a dog that has seriously injured another dog and recognize that the dog displayed normal behavior sequence behaviors under the context but given unfortunate circumstances the dog was not handled properly. Your professional assessment and opinion are that this dog, if managed properly, would not be a significant risk to other dogs. Unfortunately, the owner’s address is in a county that has a zero-tolerance policy with respect to aggression, and you know from previous cases that their Animal Services personnel are completely unwilling to accommodate exceptions. What do you do?
Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethicists’ commentary on dangerous dog assessments (pdf).