Expert says dog attacks could come from canine PTSD, frustration

One expert is weighing in on some of the triggers and issues that can lead to a fatal dog attack after police say a dog killed its owner Tuesday morning along a rural road in Nova Scotia.

Silvia Jay, a dog behavioural specialist, said there could be physical pain, past pain or anxiety behind why a dog might attack so violently. It could also be "past trauma," since some dogs are now diagnosed with a canine form of PTSD. 

"It could be frustration, often overlooked with dogs. But that could be a trigger," she said. "With frustration we also have two levels: one of them is anger and the other one is rage."

While Jay said dog bites — even bad ones that require stitches — are not uncommon, it's "unusual" to see a case where someone is killed.

Most of the time a dog that is acting aggressively is not attacking but "warning" by growling or snapping.

"When dogs then take it a level up, it's often because those early warning signals are punished," Jay said. "But it's fairly rare for a dog to go to the point to actually kill somebody."

Police said a woman was killed by her dog Tuesday morning as they were out walking in the community of Middle Musquodoboit, about 70 kilometres northeast of Halifax.

People who came upon the scene described seeing a large muscular dog in the middle of the road before it ran away. It was later hit and killed by a car near Highway 224.

When police warned the public via Twitter about a dog running loose, they described it as a "pitbull."

The province of Ontario and municipalities in other provinces have banned pitbull-type dogs, and there is a heated divide between people who say they are lovable and kind and others who argue they are inherently dangerous.

Jay said there are "breed-specific characteristics" in every dog, including pitbull types (which she said are an entire group).

"Pitbulls as a type are not any more dangerous to people than other breeds," Jay said.

But she said they are usually large dogs, and whenever a large dog attacks the damage can be more "substantive" compared to much smaller dogs.

Jay said pitbulls are terriers, a breed that can be determined, tenacious and "difficult to interrupt" once they've been engaged in a behaviour. 

For the most part, Jay said pitbull types are not dangerous to people — but if one is, then "it could go really bad really quickly."