Opinion Why I made the tough choice that no dog parent wants to make

If your dog is aggressive on walks, hates closed spaces, please put a muzzle on them. He won't be a danger to others when outside. But more importantly, his own safety is assured.

It was also clear that while we could suffer the odd bite from Zoozoo, it would not be fair to others around him.

Shruti Dhapola

November 21, 2022 06:33 PM IST First published on: Nov 21, 2022 at 06:00 PM IST

When my husband — then-fiance — got Zoozoo, our Jack Russel terrier, we had little idea of the trouble that lay ahead. After all, he had handled bigger dogs. Our older dog Mufasa, who passed away in 2016, was a Bull-terrier mix. As various people pointed out in the streets of Chandigarh, Mufasa looked like a “shikari” (hunter dog). But he was a gentle soul, one whom we could take on a walk without a leash. In hindsight, this seems like a bad idea now, more so if you see all those videos of dogs lunging at little children in lifts. Sure, Mufasa was gentle, but we should have been more careful.

With Zoozoo, though, our walks were the complete opposite. Because our dog hated — and continues to hate — other dogs. We had failed to control his aggression during walks. Sure, we had socialised him at an early age with a friend’s cocker spaniel. Zoozoo had played and spent weeks with Mufasa as well. But he soon turned on us — including poor Mufasa — who suffered a terrible bite to his head. In fact, my husband, who tried to break up that fight, also got bitten by Zoozoo. If you tried to stop Zoozoo in the middle of his fight, well, he was going to bite you too.

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So we tried multiple strategies to discipline him. We took him for walks at odd times when there were no other dogs. Walks in a tiny but closed park where we would let him run loose so he would get tired out. But each time, Zoozoo showed us that if he saw another dog, it was war. And he gave us the slip quite often as he went off to chase his sworn enemies. Eventually, we gave in. A muzzle was now compulsory on his walks, no compromises. And yes, it has made him the subject of jokes in our colony. Some have passed judgement saying that we are cruel and torturing the dog.

But the truth is this was not an easy decision to make for us. It was also clear that while we could suffer the odd bite from Zoozoo, it would not be fair to others around him. And this is something that many in India never consider — especially if you go by the videos on social media where dogs have bitten children, security guards and anyone who was nearby for no provocation. Yes, your German Shepherd or even that friendly Labrador might be a gentle beast at home. But if the dog is aggressive on walks, hates closed spaces, then please put a muzzle on them. Or better still don’t get in on the lift with your temperamental pet when others are around.

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And if the dog is already causing trouble at home, then there’s more reason to ensure that they are not a threat to others when out on a walk. Dogs turn aggressive for many reasons. I’m not an expert on this, but the stress of living in a small space adds to it. They love big spaces and most of us in Delhi or Noida cannot provide that. We too realised Zoozoo was not an apartment dog months after we got him. In fact, I spent many hours daily with him, taking him to our roof and playing with him to help with that energy release. We also taught him how to let go of a toy without attacking us — which had proved to be quite a challenge in his first two years.

But that’s what most dogs need. Time, patience and sometimes a strategy to keep them and others around them safe. In our case, part of that strategy means the dog has to wear a muzzle on walks. We are assured that he is not a danger to others when outside. But more importantly, his own safety is assured. The muzzle allows us to quickly and swiftly remove him when a situation is getting out of control, without fear of being bitten ourselves. Because one thing’s for sure, if my dog decides to take on a Rottweiler — and he has, the Rottweiler was friendly — there will only be one dead dog in the fight.

shruti.dhapola@indianexpress.com