The recent and unfortunate incident of a Rottweiler that bit a three-year-old boy in Taman Kulai Utama Johor has once again highlighted the importance of owners/families making a wise and broad decision in the breed of dogs they would want to have as their pets, or even as family guard dogs.

While this issue of dog breed ownership has been discussed in the public domain in the past, yet the fact that recurrent similar incidences (not only in Malaysia) have arose, does tell us that maybe a lot more public caution should be factored in when deciding on this most important matter as we can see here that tragic, unavoidable events can happen suddenly.

No doubt that there are many who will ultimately say that it is actually the human owners who are truly at fault in most cases. So the type of breed, which history tells us from worldwide cases of sudden unexplainable reactions, can help those responsible to ascertain whether certain breeds are more prone to be indulged in.

While this suggestion is bound to earn its share of brickbats, the most important issue I would say is that sometimes, public ownership of certain breeds of dogs is better avoided than regretted later.

Regrettable as it is in this particular incident, I must also say that I personally have known owners who have kept Rottweilers that have proved to be very lovable and obedient creatures, and are indeed good pets that bring much joy and delight to their masters.

However, we humans have to be very cautious, alert, and responsible as certain traits of such breeds can sometimes unfortunately prove to be unfathomable to comprehend.