[user104658]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

If he was acting so very irrationally and he momentarily snapped how does anyone know that he wouldn't snap at a person in the same manner?
Nobody could hand on heart say that isn't a possibility regardless of anyones relationship with dogs.

No one knows that he wouldn't snap at a person, but no one knows that ANY person wouldn't snap and harm another. There are perhaps degrees of likelihood but the fact is, the gentlest of people can end up harming someone without warning.

Like I said before it really comes down to how he perceives dogs as to whether or not it's likely, doesn't it? If he humanises dogs and considers them comparible to humans and yet still did this, then it may be likely that he would also harm a human. If he doesn't think harming a dog is morally comparable to harming a human then it's relatively unlikely.

Then again, deliberately harming animals can be an early indicator of severe mental health issues, but A) that manifests as people actively seeking out animals to harm them rather than doing it for any reason (no matter how dubious that reason might be, i.e. barking) and B) it tends to manifest in childhood or adolescence.