Yet another Dog attack

petchatadmin

Just heard on the news about another dog attack by Rottweillers this time.

This made me think about these events that seem to be more and more apparent in the news lately.

I have added a poll for members to vote on whether we should be adding more breeds to the list of dogs that are under restrictions governed by the dangerous dogs act

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is the most prominent of the various laws that cover dog ownership in the UK.

The act bans the breeding and sale or exchange of four kinds of dog at present.

pit bull terriers,
Japanese Tosas,
the Dogo Argentinos,
the Fila Brasileiros.

Cross-breeds of those dogs are also covered by the law.
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littlelab

Its a very difficault and emotive subject that is raging on all the dog rescue websites and forums at the moment.

With so many Staffies looking Pitbullish how do you tell whats safe and what isn't?

One vet PTS 10 dogs in 1 week all because the owners weren't sure, the dogs were happy, friendly, well rounded nice natured dogs, no problems with them whatsoever. Very Very sad
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Beckyess

Any true dog lover would want BSL abolished not have breeds added to the list, after all where would you stop? It's bad enough that healthy happy well adjusted dogs are being destroyed for no reason other than what they 'may' look like. I wouldn't want to be a vet at this time.
Becky
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lenny

The problem in a lot of the 'attack' cases we are seeing is down to irresponsible ownership rather that the breed being dangerous and it's unfortunate that breeds such as the Rottweiler are getting a bad name.

I would welcome a 'dog license' or something similar, to deter people from buying dogs on a whym and incorporate compulsary training of some sort.

An aquaintace of mine was severely bitten on the face by his jack russel the other week and had to have 50 stitches. Should Jack Russel's be added to the Dangerous Dogs list?!

I think not.

petchatadmin

I totally agree that its the owners that cause the issues, i know people who own Rotties like our very own Sambo whose dog is harmless, but its just when you have such large dogs if they ever do turn they can be dangerous, and if they have been taunted or even in some cases trained by their owners to be vicious then they become like loaded weapons.

Our very own Bradley is soft as a brush, but i have seen him when he has got scared of something and his hackles rise, his mouth opens into a sneer and he looks scary and he is just a soppy old lab at heart so imagine what other dogs look like who have been bred to be more aggresive.

It's the public perception of dogs that is changing as more and more of these attacks get publicity, i have no doubt they have been happening all the time but its ever since that baby was killed that they have been gaining magazine / paper space and being aired more frequently in the media.

The biggest problem we face as responsible pet owners is being tarnished with the same brush that the media use when faced with what are basically hooligans who own dogs that are large and known for aggression not as dog lovers but as part of their culture more than anything i.e. to get a pit bull so that you are perceived as being stronger and more aggressive yourself due to being a pit bull owner. These type of owners are the ones that taunt their dogs and get them to bite purposely.
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Hcollie85

People just need to learn more about those kind of dogs though i think its worse when you have a male and female, that they protect each other.

Heather
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sambo

I totally agree with lenny on her point about having some sort of licence and i reckon there should be some way of maybe making the owner have regular training and maybe somebody that would make house visits to make sure the owner is training them properly.

Although this would cost money and therefore wont happen i think its just a shame that rotties are geting bad press lately as there are good owners out there including myself Wink

that have rotties that have not been trained to attack and are simply pets, i truly understand that some dogs can attack when scared etc but isn't this the same with all dogs big small black white even humans attack when being threatened.

Whats the story on this new attack then petchatadmin.
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Beckyess

There's a suggestion that both bitches have litters of pups so that may explain their behaviour.
Becky
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Love is a Posse of Poodles and Percy

Violette

Re comments on dog licences:

We do have a dog licensing system here in Northern Ireland, that is supposed to fund a dog warden system in local councils. A license costs £5 per year - though there are reductions for assistance dogs, multiple dogs, or where the owner is a pensioner (though not sure what exactly the reduction is, as none of these categories apply to me).

I don't honestly know if it makes any difference, or not. It doesn't seem to cut down on the number of unwanted dogs - there are several instances of dogs being sent from sanctuaries and pounds here over to mainland UK for rehoming. It is also true that more abandoned dogs per head of population are put down here each year.

Of course, that might be because the licensing system means that more dogs are recognised as "strays" when they aren't wearing their license tags, and therefore are rounded up.

I don't know either that it means that there are any fewer dangerous dogs - the people keeping those types of dog are more likely to keep them "underground", and don't have licenses for them, anyway.

spottydog

We have dog licences here in the Republic too - just over €12 a year, but it is simply to fund the dog wardens and dogs rounded up into the Pounds are destroyed after a couple of weeks anyway.
Violette is right - it's not those with licences that cause the problems...
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nelly

most of it is the owners tho, sorry to say.

poppydog83

I dont know if many of you have rescued dogs or are thinking of rescuing a dog. ut ive been thinking about it for a while now. However when ive been on a couple of websites all i seem to find are staffys and rotti's. Its seems to me even though the dog might be friendly people are now just rehoming them as they dont want the risk. Its a shame as now some dogs have a reputation people who have them or are thinking about rescuing a dog wont go near them

Twig

Punsih the deed NOT the breed!

The dog that does most of the attacking is the labrador according to Dog magazine....should we ban labs?

I think its utter rubbish banning breeds, a dog is a dog, any dog has the capability to attack as they are basically domesticated wolves. I HATE the press rotties and staffies get. Attacks are probably 99.9% due to the owners pure ignorance through not socialising the dog, and may possibly be linked to backyard breeders.

I think another important point is, that many rotties and staffies who attack are not kept as pets, but as 'status symbols' and ultimatley as guard dogs.

Violette

I guess the Law picked on the breed instead of the deed because if you punish the deed, you have to wait until it is done first - whereas by banning specific breeds they thought they could stop the attacks before they happened.

But as usual, the Law wasn't thought through properly - as has been said, the attacks can come from any breed, and it is also very hard to distinguish crosses of breeds. A pit bull cross is covered by the law, but it can be almost impossible to decide if a specific crossbreed has pit bull in it.

Its known here, not as the Dangerous Dogs Act, but as the Dogs Breakfast Act, because that is what it is! It was pieced together in a rush, as a response to a number of attacks, by a government who wanted to make it look as if they were doing something (even if they had no idea what!). It looks to me as if the people who drafted it didn't actually know very much about dogs....

IronMaiden

As the owner of a X pit, I can testify that it is the owners and NOT the breed that should be punished, blocked, banned or whatnot. I have personally got to know several other pits and they are all affectionate and gentle as lambs.

The whole thing is about inbreeding and bad owners.