The case of a Michigan service dog whose life was saved by DNA testing shows that technology can be used to protect innocent dogs and their human families. ADVERTISING The case of a Michigan service dog whose life was saved
The case of a Michigan service dog whose life was saved by DNA testing shows that technology can be used to protect innocent dogs and their human families.
Jeb, a Belgian Malinois in St. Clair, Mich., was found over the lifeless body of a wounded Pomeranian and was ordered killed. But a lawyer for his humans realized a DNA test could be done — and the lab said, “There is not a match.” Jeb was released, although a consent decree required his owner to take security precautions.
DNA testing is “not uncommon in dog-bite cases,” Carter Dillard of the Animal Legal Defense Fund told the Washington Post.
Yes, we need to protect people and pets from dangerous dogs. But to do that, we need to identify the right dogs as dangerous. DNA might sometimes be able to help with that, either directly or by alerting authorities when they have the wrong dog so that the dog actually responsible for an attack can be found.
And we need to protect beloved dogs from being deemed dangerous without good reason.
Dog DNA tests might only be possible at the expense of the canine suspect’s owner, or through charitable donations. But people should be aware of the possibility, and if saliva samples can be collected from bite wounds without adding to the victims’ suffering, they should be.
We should always use all the technology and science available to us for good. The use of DNA to identify human criminals and exonerate innocent people is now familiar. Using the same technology to clear innocent dogs makes sense.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
