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After Recent Dog Attacks, VHS Provides Info on Aggression

After Recent Dog Attacks, VHS Provides Info on Aggression

Apr 23, 2025

In the wake of two tragic dog attacks in the Evansville area last week, both of which occurred during National Dog Bite Prevention Week (April 13th-19th) and one of which was fatal, the Vanderburgh Humane Society is highlighting safety tips and busting myths about dog aggression.

The dog attack in Huntingburg on April 14th claimed the life of a child. The entire Vanderburgh Humane Society team expresses their condolences to the victims’ families. These situations are always heartbreaking and unfair, particularly when innocent children are involved. Then the very next day, a dog attacked a woman on Tekoppel Avenue.

One of the 3 pillars of the VHS mission is Humane Education, including a focus on dog bite prevention & safety. When dog attacks happen, the social media comments are often filled (rightfully so) with outrage. These situations are awful, and the public is often looking for someone or something to blame. One of the best ways to keep our community safe and prevent these tragedies is to know why dog aggression happens and how to prevent it.

Here are a few common misconceptions straight “from the Facebook comments”:

Myth: “It’s how [a dog] is raised.”

Fact: Unprovoked aggression actually has very little to do with a dog’s upbringing. Aggression is genetic (but not by breed… every dog is an individual.) If an aggressive mother dog has puppies, it is likely that her puppies will grow up to show aggressive tendencies and develop behavioral problems as well… no matter what breed they are.

In fact, sometimes dogs who were raised since puppyhood in loving homes still end up surrendered to shelters because they exhibit problematic behavior issues as adults. (It should be noted, however, that the top 3 reasons for dog surrender at the Vanderburgh Humane Society are housing-related, inability to afford veterinary care, and unwanted litters from lack of spay/neuter. Most shelter dogs who go up for adoption are wonderful with no history of aggression.)

On the flip side, abused animals are often not aggressive toward people at all. Many victims of abuse, such as dogs rescued from the Michael Vick dogfighting operation in 2007, went on to be wonderful well-mannered family companions.

While not the same as unprovoked aggression, dogs can also bite out of fear or stress.

Myth: Aggressive dogs just need to be trained.

Fact: While this can be the case for some types of aggression, such as desensitization to treat fear-based aggression… most types can only be managed, not eliminated. Possession aggression, for example, will always exist under the surface. Dogs who are prone to it must usually have separate food & toys from other animals, and a stable routine to safely live with people and pets.

According to the ASPCA, “Most problematic are dogs who are aggressive toward children, especially children in the family. Not only is aggression toward children exceedingly difficult to treat because of safety concerns, the likelihood that a dog with this problem will ever become trustworthy is slim.” In many cases, the Vanderburgh Humane Society believes that these dogs should be euthanized for public safety.

Myth: “The dog was probably abused.”

Fact: Again, past abuse is often irrelevant to a dog’s willingness to attack or harm people or other animals. Many aggressive animals have lived in happy abuse-free homes, and likewise, many animals who have experienced abuse are loving & resilient pets once rescued.

Myth: “Pit bulls are the only dogs who kill.”

Fact: Not only is this categorically untrue, “pit bull” is an umbrella term for a variety of breeds who look similar. It is not a breed in & of itself. Furthermore, visually identifying a dog as a “pit bull” is a guess at best, and can be wildly inaccurate. The only way to definitively detaaermine a dog’s full breed makeup is through a DNA test, such as Embark or Wisdom Panel. The Vanderburgh Humane Society strongly condemns the listing of breed in media headlines & reporting without official DNA confirmation of the dog’s genetic breed makeup.

The reasons that this myth persists include:

Media reporting too many dog attacks as a “pit bull” without DNA testing
Public perception that all dog attacks are pit bulls, due to oversaturation of these media headlines
Pit bull-type dogs are one of the most common breeds in the U.S. (and therefore makeup a higher percentage of everything!)
Pit bull-type dogs are often not spayed or neutered, particularly in more vulnerable communities without access to resources (see below)

Myth: “Pit bulls have locking jaws/are “built” to kill.”

Fact: This is simply not true.

It’s just not.

No dogs have these characteristics, of any breed or any background.

So what can we do, as a community, to prevent dog bites & attacks?

Pets MUST be spayed or neutered.

One significant contributor to aggression is when pets are not spayed or neutered, or “fixed.” Intact pets (meaning pets who are not fixed) experience and often result in more fighting. The Vanderburgh Humane Society’s position is that the absolute best way to prevent dog aggression in our communities and keep them safe are for all dogs not evaluated by a veterinary behaviorist for breeding to be spayed or neutered.

Read that again:

“The best, fastest, and most effective way to keep our communities safe from aggressive dogs is for all dogs to be spayed or neutered.”

One might refute that with, “But then won’t we run out of puppies to adopt?”

The answer to that is, not yet. There are still many areas of the country struggling with dog overpopulation. Once we stabilize our own overpopulation here locally, our area shelter systems will assist other organizations by transferring in puppies from other counties & states. Eventually, responsible pet breeding can resume. But for now, all breeding must stop.

According to the AVMA, “Intact (unneutered) male dogs represented 90% of dogs presented to veterinary behaviorists for dominance aggression, the most commonly-diagnosed type of aggression. Intact males are also involved in 70 to 76% of reported dog bite incidents. The sex distribution of dogs inflicting unreported bites is not known. Unspayed females that are not part of a carefully planned breeding program may attract free-roaming males, which increases bite risk to people through increased exposure to unfamiliar dogs.”

The public can utilize the VHS Low-Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic regardless of income or where they live. Full-service veterinarians can also provide spay/neuter services at an increased cost.

The public must learn basic dog body language.

It’s common to see remarks like, “the dog attacked ‘out of nowhere.’” That is simply untrue… dogs always provide warning signs before exhibiting more obvious aggression. They just may not seem obvious. These include:

Nervous licking (licking their lips without food or treats being present)
Flattening ears
Avoiding eye contact
“Freezing” in place, sometimes while also showing the whites of their eyes
Raised, stiff tail
Growling/snarling (by this point, a bite is imminent)

Your dog will tell you if they’re uncomfortable. Problems often arise when owners put their dogs in situations that make them uncomfortable, such as allowing small children to lay on them, sit on them, or pull their ears. Pay attention to your dog’s body language and set them up for success to keep children & loved ones safe!

Children must learn responsible pet ownership at a young age.

The VHS Humane Education Department offers Education programs year-round for schools, Scout troops, and even adult groups & organizations such as home health care agencies. Programs can focus specifically on dog bite prevention & safety if desired, along with showing even very young children about safe approach & gentle petting of animals.

Owners must know their own dog, and take responsibility for everyone’s safety.

If you own a dog who is not friendly to people or other animals, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that that dog does not have access to be able to hurt others. This might include only leash-walking your dog rather than releasing them into a yard with a fence they can jump. You may have to pay for reinforcement or repair of your fence. This might mean that they don’t get to go on neighborhood walks. It could mean muzzling them in public. Whatever your situation, owners must take responsibility for their pet’s behavior… there’s no shame in being safe!

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