Do you think that bigger dogs equate to more feral and dangerous dogs? The answer is no to most members of the House Government and Elections Committee. A certain dog breed shouldn’t be classified as dangerous based on its size alone.

There are many factors that affect the behavior of a dog.

They’re the same as humans whose values and characteristics are based on the home they grew up in. Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary found out that canine personality traits are based on the environment and not on the dog’s genetics. They found out several key factors that affect a dog’s temperament.

For one, a dog’s living arrangement affects its personality.

“Dogs that live outdoors are more likely to be aggressive than those that live indoors; however, the most aggressive dogs spent time living both indoors and out.” the study stated.

Another factor is a dog’s relationship with its human owner.

If a human owner has a controlling attitude then the dog may have increased levels of aggression because they must do exactly what they were told. This is in contrast with owners who love to train and interact with their dogs as freely as they can. Owners who also show constant care and affection tend to create friendly dogs.

That’s why the House Government and Elections Committee voted 10-3 Wednesday to stop insurance companies from charging higher homeowner premiums for owners who have larger dogs than for others.

The decision comes from the objections presented by industry lobbyists who stated that certain breeds cause more injuries than others.

“If you have a larger breed dog with a larger jaw, they are going to do more damage,” she told lawmakers. “There are many medical journal studies that demonstrate that,” said Wendy Briggs of the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association.

But this was countered by Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, sponsor of the legislation, House Bill 2323.

“But why is a German shepherd being charged more, and not a collie?” Kavanagh asked to prove his point. “That kind of throws your argument out the window.”

Even other animal welfare advocates agreed with Kavanagh.

“Every time I go visit he (Shih Tzu) bites me,” said Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction.

He even stated that higher premiums should not be based on the assumption that larger dogs are more feral than smaller dogs. These arguments presented by insurance companies are “a little convoluted.”

Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson also shared the concept presented in the research we stated earlier that a dog’s personality is based on its environment.

“I would say that my Chihuahuas are probably more aggressive than my large dogs,” she said. “I just want to caution that when we’re talking about the type of breed of animals, a lot of times it’s how the people that trained the animals, or the owners, that makes the dogs act the way that they do.”

But Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, argued that not all dog breeds are the same.

“Police use German shepherds because inherently, DNA, they are more disciplined and they are easier to control and they have intimidating features,” she said.

Nevertheless, a dog’s size should not be a basis for higher premiums.

Currently, the measure needs the approval of the full House.

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Source: The Star, Tucson