Dog attacks

I read that too, those poor children must have been so frightened and could end up being scared of dogs for life (I was attacked as a child and am wary of all dogs). It is too easy for people to own an animal without having any idea of how to take care of it or train it. In this case the dog with be the one to suffer because, no doubt, it will be put down. The owner will then just probably go out and get another.

Surely she will be prosecuted

I read online(Daily Telegraph) that she removed the dog's MUZZLE and let it off the lead! If that's true, it's absolutely disgraceful .

I read the same phienix, that the handler took off the dogs lead and muzzle. The article said the dog but the handler then attacked eleven children, all of whom needed treatment and one seven year old may need plastic surgery. The father of one little girl threw himself on the dog and somehow tied it up with a cardigan. Brave man. The dog is described as a staffordshire bull terrier. Min know a number of people who have staffies as pets but despite my love of dogs, I'd never have one. Too many of them have been crossed with pit bull types. Dog rescue shelters in gtr manchestervhave large numbers looking for new homes, very sad

I am always extremely wary of a Staffordshire. I put my dog on the lead and always ask the owner if their dog is OK. Alsatians although magnificent, are another dog I feel wary about. I suppose it boils down to poor socialisation and total lack of training. Both dogs - in fact most dogs should be under strict control when around children.

In ten years of working as a vets assistant. I never came across a bad staffie. There were a couple of GSD that the vet wouldn't let any staff but himself touch.
I was more cautious around the smaller breeds. In fact the only time I was bitten it was a terrier. There are of course exceptions to the rule.

I don`t think the breed makes a lot of difference, it`s how the dogs are reared and trained that`s the deciding factor. We had a German Shepherd years ago, and never an ounce of bother with him, and our daughter and her husband have had 3, the current one is an absolute darling, it just depends how well they are trained. I`ve known several Staffies, only one showed any sign of being nasty, and that was to other dogs, never people.
If the dog in the news was wering a muzzle to start with, it was completely irresponsible and criminal of the owner to remove it and let the dog run free.

I have had German shepherds all my life,on my 6th,7th and 8th just now,never a hint of a problem,well socialised and no cross breeding,my friend has a wee rescued Staffie,a wee softie,think the problem lies when Staffies are cross bred and unfortunately these cross breeds are more often than not the dog of choice for the criminal element and trained accordingly.

My son and DIL have a staffie lab cross, is a lovely dog, put up with being hit on the head with a ladle by the when he (grandson) was younger.

However, to an extent I agree with other posters, the breed of dog is not the main issue,more how they are trained,socialised and controlled in public places.

And the problem is STILL the owners! I met a lovely friendly Staffie cross today that one of my neighbours has got. Another neighbour has got a pure bred one who loves everybody. She always walks him on a lead because he isn't totally dog or cat proof and , as a bouncy dog, could easily knock a small child over. Why other people can't accept that you can't just let any dogs run wild is beyond me.

This is dreadful - those poor children.

I know there are lots of dog lovers on here, but I do think this dog should be put down right now - it is not safe.

I agree Lucky I am a dog lover , including breeding and showing dogs for many years and I firmly believe once a dog bites it should be put down regardless of situation.

I am sorry for the trauma to the children and to be fair the demise of the dog because I believe the blame lies firmly with the owner . She took off the dogs muzzle ....HELLO !!!!! It wasn't wearing a muzzle for fashion or show !

What she did was criminal and she deserves to be charged accordingly!

I did wonder what reaction there would be. I know there are many dog lovers here. Personally I would like to see ALL dogs muzzled and on a lead outside the home and restriction on the numbers of dogs folks have.

We have a staffie and from a dog rescue. Has never bitten anyone.She is a really softie.

I think Newquay that rather than muzzle all dogs, training should be obligatory with every new dog purchased or acquired. In all my years ( and I sound like my Gran there lol) I have never had to muzzle a dog.

In all honesty, the breeds I'm most familiar with are not Terriers or any of the usual culprits. Our dogs, even puppies we have sold started their training as soon as they had their jabs. It was part of our sales contract, and I used to checkup lol.

I think there are breeds more prone to aggression but not all dogs of any breed are aggressive but it would seem that some owners are complete muppets !

What an awful story those poor children.
I know this view isn't popular, but I think any dog can suddenly "turn" and attack a human. Even if they're well trained and socialised they're animals, not humans.
As well as that some dogs have more powerful jaws than others, so can do more harm.Even a little terrier, because their jaws sometimes go into spasm and get locked.
People who love dogs find that hard to accept.

Not at all triciaf!

Most responsible owners are very aware that dogs are animals with a strong bite. My dog is a sweetie and loves my grandsons who take liberties with her but I watch them constantly and have them warned about biting potential if she is annoyed. She is an active working dog and needs off the lead for a free run every day but I always take her well away from other people and put her on the lead if I see any children.

I have a no dog rule at my home, people visiting have to leave them in the garden. I have always watched GC like hawks, when around animals, but it only takes a second or two for dreadful injuries to be inflicted.
The fact that these children were injured in a public place puts the blame squarely on the dog owner, I hope they are prosecuted.

I read that the Dog bit the owner before going on to attack the children.
Very irresponsible owner.

It's not just about dog handling, though I agree this is the main factor - and certainly in this case if the stupid owner removed the muzzle and let it off the lead. I hope they are banned for life from owning a dog.

But as someone mentioned upthread, some dogs have very, very strong jaws and Staffies are one such breed Once a Staffie sinks its teeth in, it is extremely difficult to get it to let go. I remember many years ago there was a lovely, gentle old German Shepherd who lived opposite us. She used to wander down to the gates at the front of the property and poke her head between the bars so she could have a little nose up and down the street. One day she picked the wrong moment, just as a Staffie was walking past (on a lead). Of course, it spooked the Staffie which then sank its jaws into the GS's neck. I'll never forget the pained screaming from that poor dog as hoards of people tried, unsuccessfully, to prise the Staffie's jaws apart. Eventually someone nearby turned a powerful hose on it and it finally let go, but not before it had done some serious damage, with blood pouring from the GS's wound.

That's terrible Indinana I had an unfortunate experience with a Staffie last year. It went for my face but fortunately it didn't quite reach me. The police were called as it was going for people in the street. The officer who came to see me said 'do you realise how lucky you were?' I have had a couple of bad experiences with dogs. I am now quite scared of them.
Just this week I was walking back from the shops and there was a dog (again a Staffie I think) running wild in the street. My heart was in my mouth. Its attention was taken by a man with a small dog which he had picked up and this crazy dog was leaping up trying to get its teeth into the little dog.

OMG, that sounds so frightening KatyK. I'm not surprised you have been left with a fear of dogs after your near miss. I've known some lovely, gentle Staffies, but sadly they became very popular with, shall we say, a 'certain type' of person, who bought them as a legal alternative to carrying weapons. Having a Staffie on a lead made them look hard, someone you wouldn't mess with, and of course, they probably treated the dogs badly to make them vicious. So now Staffies have this terrible label, and all of them get tarred with the same brush even though many of them make lovely pets.
But I would never, ever be happy about a Staffie being a pet in a family with small children, no matter what the responsible owners might say, simply because of their iron jaws. Not worth taking that risk.

There so seem to be a lot of rather large 'staffies' around these days. The true Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not that big a dog as the ones I'm seeing on some streets

As a dog owner I am shocked and disgusted by this. I hope the owner/handler gets the book thrown at them. And I hope this hasn't left those poor children with a fear of dogs.

I always worry when I see people with large dogs and young children. I realise most owners are responsible but there is a family who walk up and down my road who have a baby in a pushchair and a huge dog - are they called Mastiffs? - with big powerful jaws. I'm sure he is a pussy cat but it wouldn't do for me.