I work in pet shelter – the dogs I would never own, including a notoriously ‘aggressive’ breed
AN EXPERIENCED dog handler has revealed the breeds she would never own.
Her list has been whittled down to four canine types based on her years working in a pet shelter.
Among them was a notoriously “aggressive” breed.
However, this English woman (@thedogfatherx_) was at pains to point out to dog lovers everywhere that these were just her “personal preferences.”
In a post to her TikTok, first out of the kennel was the Belgian Malinois.
“I would never own a Belgian Malinois,” she said. “When they have been raised correctly, they really are amazing.
“But they require so much physical and mental stimulation.”
She said that unless the owner is prepared to do that, forget it.
Next up was the hugely popular French bulldog, also known as the Frenchie.
But it is a breed plagued with problems.
“I would never own one of them,” she confessed, “purely because of the amount of health issues that come up with Frenchies.”
Their lifespans can be relatively short too, she wrote.
“A lot of them, unfortunately, do pass away at a very young age mainly due to breeding.”
This means, therefore, that, “they are prone to health issues to do with the nose and breathing.
“And obviously, nobody wants to have a dog for a few years and unfortunately pass away. I couldn’t deal with that.”
It was a similar picture with the next pooch on her list, the Dogue de Bordeaux.
“I would never own one, purely because of their very low life span. I just could not begin to imagine losing a dog, like time goes by so fast and I just could not do that.”
The final breed on her list was the distinctive Shar Pei.
“With rolls of skin, they are prone to skin issues,” she said.
But there was another factor that made her mind up: its temperament.
“Personally, this is just personal preference working in the cat and dog shelter, and in all the experiences I’ve had with Shar Peis, I haven’t met one that wasn’t aggressive.
“Now I know that not every Shar Pei will be, but that’s from what I’ve seen. I wouldn’t personally wanna have one.”
The comments on her choices were lively, some agreeing, others questioning her choices.
“I’ve owned a Belgium Malinois in the past and I probably won’t own one again. Constant work” admitted this viewer.
But this dog owner disagreed with the assessment of her pooch: “I have a Frenchie and she’s never had health problems.”
Similarly, this dog lover has had a very different experience: “Dogue de Bourdeux are beautiful dogs, best ever.”
The final comment loved her pet but agreed there were some issues: “I have a Shar Pei, she’s so loyal to us. She’s not a fan of strangers. Very odd temperament, I love her though.”