Dogs are highly social and interdependent group animals and these traits cause them to rush to the aid of companions who are in danger, an expert said yesterday.
When Nina Wang's brother, Kung Yan-sum, was attacked by four men in Tsing Lung Tau near Sham Tseng on Thursday night, his dog tried to save his owner and was beaten with wooden bats. The dog sustained serious injuries.
'Dogs, unlike cats, are group animals,' Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling, public relations and communications manager of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said. 'Once a dog recognises its owner as a pack leader, it will give him a helping hand when he's in danger.'
She said dogs would identify who was head of the group, even among humans. For dogs, each individual in a group has a rank and there is intense loyalty within the group.
'Pets and owners have pack bonding, which makes the animals protect their owners,' she explained. 'Therefore, when you have a new pet, you have to train it and show your leadership, or it will not obey you.'
Ms Ngan said Dr Kung's dog was a mixed breed, which is genetically stronger than pedigree or pure-breed dogs that are more prone to hierarchical diseases.
