Pit bull bites off N.Y. 5-year-old's genitals

[KurtNYC]

78. It is a challenge for me to strike the balance there. Food is Love in our culture.

I encourage people to see that my dogs interest in them is not about food but about attention, curiosity and real affection. Trying to get them to the idea that once they become an intermitent food source then the primary relationship they lock themselves into is food source.

A dog is one of the only species on earth that will look a human (fellow predator) in the eyes. (cats do also) Every other eye to eye encounter in the natural world between predators of different species is a challenge, a hostile exchange. I would say that not only can you not really 'buy the love' of the dog but when someone just treats the dog in order the keep its attention they preclude the other exchange. They are a slot machine of treats and the dog is an addict.

On the other hand I can see that they do it out of love (and their own hunger to be loved).

My dogs are huge so I need for them to be respectful and not approach any stranger or frail person on whom they smell food in a manner that is in any way physical. It is for their own protection and for their own quality of life. My dogs love people. They don't want a treat nearly as much as they want attention and a greeting. I want them to be well mannered so that they can have more positive encounters with more people. I also don't want them eating things which are outright harmful to them like cheese, grains, garlic, grapes, chocolate, caffeine, tobacco, Chinese dog treats, on and on. we were on the street and a stranger just wiped something out his pocket and gave it to one of my dogs. It took me a second or two to react. It was so something I would never do that it took a second to register. I am much quicker to react now and my hand will go right to my dogs mouth while I tell them "thanks but please don't feed my dog"

But again, I see affection and the quest for affection behind the "treats" that others want to give and I try to keep my reaction in line with that.