DISQUS

MotorCityBadBoy · 1 year ago

From the headline I thought you were talking about Barney Franks!

cowboyneok · 1 year ago

OH.my.GOD!

Now, that is funny!

"Barney Frank is a serial biter!"

Trust me, he is a personal friend of mine. He has had his shots and has a great demeanor as long as you do not cross him. Barney is known to cut peoples legs out from under them when they think they can best him in a debate.

LOL...

MotorCityBadBoy · 1 year ago

;-) Thanks Cowboy

Deacon_Blues · 1 year ago

I wonder if the pets of sociopaths are usually vicious.

exhack · 1 year ago

Cats often adjust to their canine siblings. We have a (large, slobbering, extremely friendly and happy) dog and two cats. Daily squabbles aside, they are all great friends - we have incriminating photos of the one-eyed cat snuggling up to Oreos during cold weather. However, no cat could adjust to a dog brought up with a nasty and unpredictable disposition, like Barney. Barney's a reverse example of what annoys me about the periodic crusades against specific breeds, most recently pit bulls. Taking Oreos to the local dog parks, I've almost never seen a pit bull that was anything but pleasant and gentle to everyone around it. It's a lot less the breed, a lot more the owner and how s/he raises the dog. The kind of people who raise pitbulls to be vicious a-holes, of course, don't ensure their dogs get regular, healthy socialization. I can't imagine any animal that has Dubya as its main example of socialization would have anything resembling a healthy psyche.

ekwhite · 1 year ago

I couldn't agree more. When I was growing up, my uncle had a poorly socialized German Shepherd that he kept chained up in the back yard to deter visitors. That thing was vicious. I own a German Shepherd who is very gentle. Training and socialization make a huge difference.

Mum48 · 1 year ago

Chaining up any animal will make it aggressive. Imagine the frustration of trying to protect your owner and his/her property, and only being able to go as far as the end of a chain. I took my first Doberman to group obedience classes when she was about six months old. As we were sitting with the other dog owners listening to the trainer's talk about rules and regulations, I noticed another Doberman sitting next to me. Thinking that the dog had to be fairly well adjusted for the owners to be bringing it to a group obedience class, I reached over to let it smell my hand. It lunged for me, and my six-month-old pup instinctively put herself between me and the other Dobe. No one was hurt, but the trainer immediately rushed over to find out what had happened. The other dog's owners explained to the trainer that, in an effort to make their dog more protective, they kept him from strangers. And so, for the first year of their dog's life, they had put it into the basement whenever they had people over. As the trainer pointed out to them, they had created a fear-biter, and would need to take him to a special class for problem dogs. As they left the building he said to me, "What we really need is a special class for problem dog owners."

obsessed · 1 year ago

Barney and his owner should both be put behind bars where they can do no further harm.

KISSman · 1 year ago

Leave it to a creepy president to have a creepy dog.

Older_Wiser · 1 year ago

Poor Barney. He'd probably be a drunken slut if he were human. Maybe it's time to find him a mate that's politically acceptable.

PWAX · 1 year ago

I grew up with dogs too and when a dog bit someone it was put down, usually there was no "repeat" offense necessary.

rexkc · 1 year ago

Just be glad that Bush didn't decide to get pit bulls.... well, except for Rove and Cheney.

Older_Wiser · 1 year ago

Hey, we have a female pit bull, 1 yr, who is the most gentle dog around here. She's very intelligent, too, lives in the yard with a Dogloo house close by the deck, and will stand facing the deck into the back door around 5 p.m., to remind us that it's food time.

What a gal!

ekwhite · 1 year ago

Yeah, but a pit bull raised by the Bushes would be vicious, just like the owners.

vkobaya · 1 year ago

Makes you wonder how often the poor dog has had to be rescued from Bush trying to shove a firecracker up its behind. No wonder the poor dog is vicious. I get along well with most dogs and cats. But I don't get my jollies out of torture, beatings, waterborading and killing of millions of people and thousands of our own American soldiers or the suicide of 120,000 of our own after they came home. Bush gets off on hurting, torturing and killing others. What he has done to his dog, Barney, has to be vicious, savage, barbaric beyond imagination.

watou · 1 year ago

My dog has fear aggression and will bite a stranger that encroaches into his space, so I do the sensible thing and prevent that situation from happening. Putting him down would deprive me of my companion, while giving in to the pressures of a social stigma that the only dog that deserves to live is the dog that is sociable with strange humans who invade his space. The reporter who got bit was that stranger, the dog's minder either did not know or was not expecting the reporter to crouch and invade so quickly. To kill the dog seems like an unnecessary and brutal reaction. Just make sure all of the dog's minders keep him away from strangers -- is that really too much to ask?

cowboyneok · 1 year ago

Too much to ask for the Bu$h's? Surely, you jest! In their minds, the little people should be grateful their dog bites them so that they have a permanent souvenir of their "brush with greatness." SNARK.

watou · 1 year ago

I wonder if Barney got his rabies vaccination. Sitting in the laps of vermin all day put him at risk. Hydrophobia would be a fitting parting gift for such a brush!

vkobaya · 1 year ago

Yeah! Exactly what I thought. Bush obviously would be the source of a rabies infection. Poor dog.

Bubbles · 1 year ago

Barney's a Scottie. My best friend growing up had one. The are the least social of all dogs I've ever seen. There like the 'reputation' that cat's had, + a bad attitude. They are terrible, terrible dogs. They will allow almost know one to touch them. I never once pet my friends dog, and I am a dog lover.

Mum48 · 1 year ago

I do have a funny story to tell about a Scottie. Before I got my first Doberman, I had a wonderful Saint Bernard. She was already pretty good size at six months when she met a Scottie who fell in love with her. He absolutely adored her, and only tolerated me because I was at the other end of the leash. His owner could hardly control the little guy when he had my Saint in his sight, and one of the funniest things I've ever seen was the Scottie standing under my dog, looking up at her in eager adoration.

cowboyneok · 1 year ago

This is NOT a bad dog. This is a PRODUCT of BAD DECISION making and a perfect metaphor for the Bu$h years. Bu$h could have picked ANY dog but he picked a dog that is KNOWN to be grumpy and prone to being aggressive territorial towards visitors. Of course, that would not keep the Bu$h's from choosing this animal because they WANTED the Scottish terrier and as far as they are concerned, their dog biting visitors to the White House is just plain tough for the victim being bitten. Right? I mean, they do think the White House is "THEIR" home, and those visiting should just LEAVE THEM ALONE! Right? Perfect metaphor.

I've never met a Scottie that didn't have a bad attitude, and I thought he was PERFECT for George Dubya Bush. Bad attitude, and thinks all visitors need to be attacked. Besides, Dubya probably rewards his dog with treats when he attacks guests. Its time to pack the Bu$hco's entitled a$$e$ up and fly them to their compound in Paraguay!

Like Bu$h, Barney is just expressing his genetic code. He bites visitors to the White House, he can't help himself... it is what he was born to do. Again, I'm sure Dubya thinks its just hysterical. Besides, Bu$hco. isn't getting sued every time their dog bites someone are they? They should, but I'm sure that just doesn't happen.

ajweberman · 1 year ago

Vicious owner vicious dog. If a dog bites me I bite it back. Or pull its tongue.

ekwhite · 1 year ago

I knew it! Barney is a terrierist!

ivyfree · 1 year ago

Did anybody ever expect the Bush family to be able to care for and train a dog well? I didn't. They're a mass of dysfunction. Then they stupidly get a high-maintenance dog. Of course he's not properly trained and socialized. W's never done a damn thing right in his life, and a dog is a long-term commitment in care, training and management- something W hasn't a clue about. Two bites? If the dog wasn't the President's, the local authorities would be talking about putting the dog down.

DThor · 1 year ago

In defense of little Barney. If you see the video, the AP reporter put her bundle of papers in her left hand in the dogs face while he reach out to the dog with his right hand. If you're only 10 inches tall a stack of 8 by 10 sheets white sheets approaching could unnerve you. Remember the Bush Doggie Doctrine.

JD_Rhoades · 1 year ago

The little guy was freaked out by all the people around. They shouldn't' trot him out for the press like that.

woodka · 1 year ago

Dogs are rarely "bad", just badly trained. But no one should approach any dog without asking its owner if it is all right to do so.

gymnjim · 1 year ago

Under D.C. law, a “dangerous dog” is:

* a dog that has bitten or attacked a person or domestic animal without provocation
* a dog that, in a menacing manner, approaches, without provocation, any person or domestic animal as if to attack; or
* a dog that has demonstrated a propensity to attack without provocation or otherwise to endanger the safety of humans or domestic animals.

Legal Responsibilities of Dangerous Dog Owners

* An owner must either confine a dangerous dog indoors or confine it outdoors in a locked pen or structure measuring at least 5 feet wide by 10 feet long and 6 feet high. The structure must prevent entry of young children, as well as escape by the animal. When the dog is not confined, it must be controlled by a responsible person and muzzled and restrained by a substantial chain or leash that is no longer than 4 feet.
* Owners of dangerous dogs must register their dogs with local authorities as dangerous.
* Dangerous dog owners must maintain liability insurance coverage of at least $50,000 for personal injuries inflicted by the dog.
* Owners must post their property with a written warning that a dangerous dog is on the property. The warning must have a conspicuous warning symbol that informs children of the dangerous dog’s presence.

Jim Olson · 1 year ago

Surely you don't think that the Bushes are going to deign to pay attention to a local dog ordinance, do you?

gymnjim · 1 year ago

nah but it would be funny as hell if DC Animal Enforcement showed up at the White House

ron071 · 1 year ago

The biting Barney incidents prove once again that the Bush family accepts no responsibility for anything. Is this a congenital trait of the rich and silver spoon crowd? Poor Laura has been around the Bush clan for too long.

GrMtGirl3 · 1 year ago

Most long time pets take on the persona of their owner . . . . Barney is cluing you into the REAL GEORGE BUSH!

loona_c · 1 year ago

I said this before, the biting dog is not a joke, not something to be laughed off ("He's tired of reporters"). It's serious. In the real world there would be medical expenses, rabies concerns, lawsuits. In some towns repeat biters are removed from their owners. If the Prez' dog can't handle strangers he shouldn't be out in public. Period. It IS an example of the irresponsibility of the Bush family.

coltergeist · 1 year ago

Most states have a "one free bite" rule. My aunt had a lovely Lab, but it would suddenly lunge out and bite people. I told them about the law in their state and they did their best, but it was a big dog and one time it took them by surprise on a walk and bit another person. That was it.

I love dogs and have a GSD. She is a rescue and was a mess when I got her. She is not allowed in the front yard because she is a working dog and gets protective of her pack (my kids). I doubt she would ever do anything but bark, but I have a duty to make every effort to prevent the situation from arising.

Having already bitten a person before, the Shrub was on notice to contain his dog, he didn't. Maybe a rescue organization for Scotties would take the dog as a high profile charity case, but that dog does not belong in Bush's care.

vkobaya · 1 year ago

No dog belongs in the care of savagely violent pathological criminal like Bush.

Damned_at_Random · 1 year ago

Any dog, ANY DOG will bite if sufficiently frightened. A properly socialized dog is less frightened by strange people and less stressed by new situations. The first step is to build trust as the handler and next to provide treats when the dog pushes her boundaries- make new people and strange situations a good experience and build confidence. Some dogs take more effort than others, but I still believe that if Barney had trusted his handler to keep him safe, he would not have reacted defensively against the reporter. If the handler had been attentive to the dog's body language, he would have warned off the reporter. My suspicion is that poor Barney was passed off to whatever flunky who drew the short straw that day. I feel sorry for the dog

Asterix · 1 year ago

Dogs are funny, just like people. Some are very weird with strangers, and it's not uncommon for them to be weird around humans of one sex and not the other. Some tolerate strangers well, some run, some nip/bite, some just sit there and urinate.

Always ask the owner before touching a pet. And then ask how best to pet the animal. Dogs can consider it startling to be touched on the top of the head where they can't see the hand and react accordingly.

I'm sure that Barney's not vicious, just a little screwed up. Wouldn't you be if you had to spend time with The Decider?

Mum48 · 1 year ago

Scottish Terriers are known to be stubborn, which means hard to train, and they are also known to be reserved with strangers, and not generally approachable. I'm always more cautious when approaching smaller dogs, especially those in the Terrier group. Part of their nature is to be feisty and indomitable. You're always better off crouching down and letting the dog come to you than towering over the dog and bending over to touch it, as did the journalist who was recently bitten. I don't really think we can blame the dog here, even if it is a Bush dog. I've raised Dobermans and my dogs were always much more approachable than the average terrier. Unless, of course, they sensed that you were not on the up-and-up (and Dobermans are uncanny in their ability to sense that). Then it was a polite little growl in the back of the throat and a little bit of hair-raising, while they never took their eyes off the person approaching.

Damned_at_Random · 1 year ago

Good point. People with small dogs seem to believe that a small dog can't do any harm and don't teach them manners around humans or other dogs. I've seen very aggressive small dogs pick fights with larger dogs in parks. Some small terriers are fearless.

I've never had an aggressive dog wouldn't know how to handle it. I've yet to run across a mean Doberman, but I also mind my manners around strange dogs.