Customer Reviews

Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous

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Dogs Bite is loaded - not with common sense, but with lucid, refreshing scientific sense. In a reader-friendly style, in clear layman's language, Bradley fluidly weaves in basic logic, statistics, risk analysis, evolutionary psychology, neurobiology, systems theory, evolution, ethology and behavior analysis to support her formidable argument that, as she repeats throughout the chapters in a soothing sort of mantra, "...dogs almost never kill people, and they don't actually bite us very often, and when they do we're seldom injured, and when we are, it's seldom serious."

Not many books can make you laugh aloud uproariously and at the same time teach you so much. Chapter 5, in which she examines her own childhood family's interactions with various pets, is poignant and instructive. Bradley tells about her defensive aggression toward Chipper their parakeet, and her mother's maternal aggression toward Tippy their Sheltie-cross puppy, among several anecdotes. In these incidents, she analyzes each animal's motivations and behavior (through the clear lenses of ethology and behavior analysis) and provides readers with diagnoses on the type of aggression, if any, involved. Take home point: aggression is normal across most animals, yet dogs seldom take their aggression to the point of hurting people or each other.

Bradley's chapter on the current state of research on biting dogs is incisive and scathing. One can only hope that it motivates researchers to clean up their statistical act and revise their highly suspect recommendations.

If for no other reason, every dog loving citizen should have this engaging, enlightening book on their shelf in the remote chance that a dog mauling or fatality occurs in their city. Then they can use its clear, calming data to offset the rising hysteria in a letter to the editor, to legislators, and to anyone else who wants to bridge the schism in the human brain between fear and reason. With Bradley's brilliant book, maybe we can help our cortex prevail over our ancient alligator brain!

I use sections of this book in my Critical Thinking class. Along with shark attacks, public beliefs about dog bites are probably the best example of the most common "common sense" mistakes we make about statistics, and Janice Bradley's book is a wonderful way to introduce those ideas. Engaging, clearly written, entertaining and fully of cogent analysis, this book manages to be both importantly educational and a great read.

Of course, dogs are carnivorous animals with sharp teeth, and consequently we do have a solemn duty to socialize them early and to teach them good bite inhibition, so that if they ever are pushed beyond their tolerance level, they don't do any harm. Bradley's point in Dogs Bite is simply that we need to respond rationally to dog bites, with a sense of the great good dogs bring us as well as an accurate knowledge of the real extent of the danger.

I would recommend this to anyone in a Critical Thinking course, or to anyone interested in dogs or local legislation of any sort.

A couple of months ago I received a request to review for my EZine (www.behaviorlogic.com) a new book that was being published, and I'll reproduce it here. The book is called Dogs Bite But Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous by Janis Bradley. It was published this year by James and Kenneth Publishers in Berkeley. (ISBN 1-888047-18-6).

The book reveals the reality behind the terrifying headlines about dog attacks against innocent humans. The fact of the matter is that while dogs are more likely to kill children and the elderly than hale and hearty adults, they rarely commit fatal attacks on humans of any age. A far greater risk to children is their own parents.

Bradley has produced a variety of statistics on the death and injury rates produced by various causes. More people die of fork lift accidents, balloons, and 5-gallon buckets than die of dog bites. And of the high number of reported dog bites (Some 800,000 each year in the US) remarkably few actually result in medical care.

This book is important to dog lovers right now, especially those who have certain breeds such as the dreaded pit bull or look-alikes such as the Staffordshire Terrier. The media focus on pit bull attacks has made them into pariahs, when in fact, they can be gentle, loving pets. Even a cocker spaniel or a dachshund can kill someone. In fact both breeds have. But no one is threatening to ban those breeds.

Bradley writes in an engaging and personable style about legislation, liability, breeds and appropriate strategies for managing the dogs in association with the people in our homes. If you want to get past the hype to the truth about dog attacks, this book is a wealth of information.

Janis Bradley's book should be REQUIRED reading for civic leaders who are busy crafting anti-dog laws.

This important book starts with after page of fascinating and very easy-to-read statistics which clearly show current anti-dog hysteria is pointless -- and in fact a waste of time on the part of our civic leaders. There are clearly more important things to do with their valuable time.

I was astounded to learn how many thousands of people and children are crippled and maimed yearly -- by ordinary household objects and other primates! Dogs are clearly at the bottom of the list of things that hurt us and our children.

Janis points out that even the definition of a dog bite used in commonly cited studies is flawed - dog bite statistics commonly include contact, that may be scary to those contacted, that doesn't break the skin!

The current hysteria is clearly fueled by fear and ignorance. Bradley's book can help clear things up!

This book is obviously recommended for dog owners, dog advocates, animal care professionals -- but MORE importantly for those who make decisions affecting our canine companions: civic leaders, doctors, lawyers, fire fighters, police, teachers, parents, landlords and insurance industry executives.

The book is packed with enough citations and reasoning to convince the most critical of thinkers ... and includes good sections explaining the whys of canine behavior -- good and bad -- and a section offering practical advice for living safely with dogs and even a discussion on how to breed and train safer dogs.

Read this book.

In terms of lightning rod issues, this one is up there. Janis Bradley has presented a review of the existing research, an analysis of the roots of dog bite-related fears (both cultural and biological) AND an eminently practical guide for reducing bites.

Everyone touched by this issue - dog trainers, veterinarians, lawyers (even those feeding the dog-bite litigation machine), judges, ER physicians and epidemiologists, those who have been hurt by dogs, those who have been not hurt but badly frightened by dogs, champions of rationality - should read this book.

Engagingly written and fully referenced. Dogs are indeed scary and our society is indeed fear-mongered-into-oblivion and the only way out is to think our way out. Here is a guide.

An easy to read, refreshing, rational look at dog bite statistics and the hysteria surrounding them. Bradley shows us we are more at risk of injury or death by nearly everything in our world *except* dog bites. A must read for anyone involved with dogs in any capacity - from pet owners to media executives.

I purchased Janis Bradley's book, Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous, after eagerly anticipating its publishing and waiting to see what it could offer the never-ending and always-controversial dog-bite debate. Seasoned by the other resources available on the subject to date, my expectations were low.

I was hooked at first page turn--Bradley masterfully paints a picture of reason and statistics, compelling arguments, and logic that represents all sides of the usual dog bite debates. Whether you're an established canine professional, a dog lover or dog hater, a teacher, or lawyer, you'll find yourself pulled in by her style, captivated by her critical approach, and mesmerized by the material covered.

No matter the reader's biases, Bradley's book brings people together with an easy-to-read, shocking but rational reference book disguised as pleasure reading. Don't argue a single word more without first reading this resource!

Wow, this book really puts things in perspective. As a landlord, I read this book to provide me with accurate information regarding the safety (or danger) of allowing dogs to live in my properties. I am so very glad I did. The book points the infrequency and lack of severity of most dog bites and offers solutions to help prevent future dog attacks from occurring. I now feel armed and educated to set realistic, responsible dog policy. The statistics are mind blowing and the information is invaluable. Dogs Bite is great resource for landlords, policy makers, schools, media outlets, etc.

This book is truly amazing. A realistic look at the statistics of dog bites, this book is packed with great information not just about whether or not dog bite incidents are as dangerous as the insurance companies and newspapers would have us believe, but also about the best things we can do as a society to address dog-specific safety. This is one of those books that makes me wish I had the money to purchase hundreds of copies so that I could hand them out on the street corner, let alone the money to send a box to every legislative body from local town mayors to the Congress and Senate. This book needs to be read by every parent, every school principal, every pet owner, every perspective pet owner, every person with a pet-owning neighbor - well, everyone. The only downside to this book - things like this don't hit the New York Times Best Sellers List, no matter how much they should.

I wish I had gotten a copy of this to the Senator that created the 'dangerous dog' law for Oregon that just went into effect this year.

This is a book that every dog trainer needs to read so they can educate their clients.

I'm looking forward to Janis' visit to CSDogBookReview (YahooGroups) as a guest author in March. It should be very interesting!