The Boerboel breed, which debuted at the 140th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in January, is a powerful dog bred over centuries for its size, muscularity and ability to protect farmsteads.
The Boerboel breed, which debuted at the 140th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in January, is a powerful dog bred over centuries for its size, muscularity and ability to protect farmsteads.
And here we go again.

A large, powerful type of dog — bred over centuries for its size, muscularity and ability to protect farmsteads — may have killed a person, and people are naturally outraged.

At anyone criticizing the breed.

Seriously. This time the dog in question was a Boerboel, a breed originating in South Africa that can weigh up to 200 pounds.

Bent Creek resident Jane Marie Egle died earlier this month, found bleeding and unresponsive with one of her Boerboels guarding her. Buncombe County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Natalie Bailey said Egle's wounds were consistent with an animal attack but an exact cause of death had not been determined. Egle owned six of the dogs and had a website offering Boerboel puppies for sale.

I've written several articles in the past about the dangers of aggressive dogs, particularly pit bulls, and regular readers know I'm not a fan of the breed. Here's why: In 2016, the United States saw 31 dog bite-related fatalities, and pit bulls contributed to 71 percent of the deaths, while making up just 6 percent of the total U.S. dog population, according to the website Dogsbite.org, which gathers its statistics from news reports.

Rottweilers are the second-most deadly breed.

"This same combination also accounted for 76 percent of all fatal attacks during the 12-year period of 2005 to 2016," Dogsbite.org stated.

I'll be honest, I've seen pictures of Boerboels before, but I was not familiar with the breed before Egle's death. In showing pictures of Boerboels to one of my sons, his first comment was, "It looks like a pit bull on steroids."

That's a pretty good description.

Kim Brophey, an Asheville dog behavior expert and owner of Dog Door Behavior Center, analyzed the Boerboels police seized from Egle's property after her death. She determined the six adult Boerboels had not been properly socialized and trained.

"They were beyond threatening and aggressive, as ferocious of an animal as I have ever met in a 20-year career specializing in aggression," Brophey told our reporter, Abigail Margulis.

I've talked to Brophey several times over the years, and I consider her a voice of reason when it comes to dog aggression issues. She is not anti-breed, but she is also honest and practical, emphasizing the critical need for proper dog training and socialization.

Cesar Millan, the dog trainer of television fame, is also a voice of reason, and he does not peg certain breeds as more dangerous than others. But he also urges caution.

"It is important to recognize the power of a strong breed, like the pit bull, the Cane Corso, and the Mastiff," Millan wrote in an online article. "These dogs are very powerful and, if they are unbalanced, they can cause serious injury."

It's not like the dogs premeditate bad behavior, Millan argues. But they are powerful dogs, bred for specific purposes, and they have to be "fulfilled."

"Bad things happen when powerful breeds (or mixes of powerful breeds) live with humans who like the breed but don't understand and fulfill the animal in the dog," Millan wrote. "Many people consider the look or popularity of a breed before thinking about whether the dog works for their lifestyle. This is a recipe for disaster."

What gets me is the knee-jerk reaction to any criticism of the breed in these tragic cases. On Margulis' article about this tragedy, the Facebook commenters pounced immediately, chastising Brophey as "irresponsible."

"Like any other breed the dog is only as good or bad as it has been raised," one man wrote, adding that he's had three Boerboels as pets, none of which was dangerous. "In fact, if raised properly (Boerboels) are the kindest, gentlest and most affectionate dogs I've ever owned. To blame a breed is criminal — the owner is ALWAYS to blame — get a grip."

I don't think Brophey was blaming the breed. She was being realistic about the breed's attributes, and the character of these particular dogs. Watch the video she's in, talking calmly and rationally about what she saw and the great responsibility that comes with owning these dogs.

Her comments are anything but irresponsible. She wants this tragedy to become an opportunity for discussion, locally and nationally, about the bigger picture of dog behavior.

"We like to act as if dogs are all simply just pets, and it's all how we raise them," Brophey said. "But the truth is there are many other factors that are facilitating their behavior, and if we are not prepared for those behaviors, if we don't look into their history, understand the biology and the genetics, the interplay of their environment, their socialization, their training, the lack of those things, their health and welfare, then we are going to continue to find ourselves surprised, and in some cases tragically so, such as this."

That's not irresponsible. That's honest.

Boerboels were bred to guard, to repel intruders, and they're huge and powerful. That can be a tragically dangerous combination.

When my basset hounds get riled up, they'll play-bite you and snarl, and even if they attacked, you'd probably end up with some troubling ankle damage and that's about it.

We've got to be realistic about breeds, their abilities, their power and yes, their dangers. Just like you're more likely to drive 140 mph in a Ferrari, you or someone else is more likely to be a victim of a fatal mauling if you own a large, powerful dog bred over centuries for its ability to aggressively protect its owners.

Sorry, that's just being realistic.