Dogs

Maybee70 I understand what you are saying and we know the
MYTHS attached to the Pitbull and they are not "designed" to latch onto a victim and not let go. In fact many pitbulls in the correct hands make loveable loyal wonderful pets and can have
much of their bad press dismissed if the wrong type of owner
did not get them put in the spotlight by bad ownership.

One breed that people forget is the English Bull Terrier (those one with the longer nose) they have an incision jaw when latched onto another dog or even person will not open. A fully grown one of those can do a lot of damage.
Another breed is the Japenese Akita which some men associate with status and those fully grown ones are powerful
machines once again in the wrong hands can be formidable.

I still say stop blaming the Pitbull for everything as quite a lot of it is untrue.
I am still waiting to hear what breed of dog mauled and killed the poor lady perhaps the paper will not reveal anything else.

The fact is they’re designed to latch onto a victim and not let go. Ok, other dogs can kill and inflict damage but they have soft mouths so can’t do it as readily. However nice some pit bulls may be they have still been bred as killing machines that are large enough to kill people. Terriers could, in theory do the same but aren’t really big enough to do so much damage.

I have seen posts on here that say Pitbulls are Evil, other posts that they fight any dog.
Another post that said the Pitbull has it in it's genes to kill and it will.
I will say that a dog can be classed by it's owner and any dog
not treated correctly and trained can be a danger.
I was lunged at by a collie tied up near the shops but moved out of the way just in time, if that had been a small child then they may not have been so lucky.
I was walking through the park one day and a German Shepherd came running at me and bit my leg it was not too bad but I went and got a tetanus jab.
My brother had a Pitbull type and the most loving friendly
dog you could imagine, he never bothered any other dogs and my brother had him until he was 14 years old and had to
be put down due to cancer and he could no longer walk.

I am appalled to hear about the elderly lady that was killed
and it is right the dogs had to be destroyed. It has still not been confirmed what breed the dogs were, I expect they were mastiffs which are very large and strong and undoubtedly the woman would not have stood a chance a sad thing to happen.

monk08

Have just read the dogs been humanely destroyed.

Thanks, monk08, I should have read the whole thread first. I followed the link to the newspaper report then posted.

Oh, that is shocking, the thought of what she suffered has made me weep.

It said the dogs are being tested to establish the breed. It doesn't matter what breed ' they should be put down irrespective of whether they are a banned breed or not.

And the owner is on bail?
Words fail me.

Poor soul, what a dreadful way to end a long life.

Allegedly up to a third of people who acquired dogs during lockdown are now regretting it, very sad.

Moaning (of course)

That’s an interesting comment Boogaloo, especially your assessment of the kind of people who choose pit bulls as pets. We have a growing number of pit bull types, often described by owners as ‘a big staffy cross’. Also, big dog breeds that look like wolves, made popular by Game of Thrones, I’m told.

I saw dog parks when I visited the US. I wouldn’t want any of my dogs exercised in small spaces with so many other, unknown dogs. If owners don’t shape up here, train their dogs, stop them racing up to ‘say hello’ to ever other dog, child or person, we will loose the freedom we have to allow our dogs the joy of off lead walks.
Our local park had 4 vans with ‘professional’ dog walkers this morning. Each had 6 - 8 dogs, so over 20 dogs with 4 handlers. They don’t walk together but as each arrives, they open the van doors and let their cargo out. I’ve never seen one carrying poo bags.
The owners are probably working and the hour out is what they see as acceptable. Nope it isn’t. No training is taking place, whereas decent dog owners/trainers use every walk in that way. Sorry I’ll stop meaning

I’ve noticed on American Facebook pages that many people have pit bulls.

I thought it was illegal to own a Pit Bull in the UK - which I thought was a very good idea. I live in the US where they are unfortunately legal.

I have noticed there are two types of Pit Bull owners; the thug (enough said) and the bleeding heart liberal who is trying to make the point that a loving home can change the savage beast. They refuse to believe genetics/breeding play a role in behavior, even though the Pit Bull was breed for generations to fight and kill.

There are many stores here which allow dogs inside. We took advantage of this to socialize and get our Australian Shepherd puppies used to being around people. The trouble is people like to show off their adult Pit bulls in these stores to make a point I suppose, and so we had to stop taking our pups in.

Sadly Pit bulls have killed other dogs inside dog welcoming shops. They've also killed people's pets in dog parks. and so some parks don't allow them. A dog park is a fenced public area just for dogs to play. Some landlords don't allow them and I hear some home insurance companies raise the rates if there's a Pit Bull in the house.

They can't be compared to other breeds, who at their nastiest/worse will give a few quick, maybe hard bites. It's a Pit Bulls instinct to kill. It's not the size of the dog but the breed. Some of these Pit Bulls are short stout things.

They've killed ponies, donkeys, cats etc and of course people. They are terrifying when their instincts kick in. Pit bulls do not belong anywhere on this earth as far as I'm concerned and a loving home does not make a difference.

That poor woman, what an awful way to die. I hope the dog owner is given a custodial sentence although it’s doubtful.
I have had dogs all of my married life, they have all been well trained, well behaved and ‘as soft as mush’ BUT I have never left any of them unattended with children. Children are excitable and dogs are animals with animal instincts.
My dogs were never neglected, never off lead in a public place and always treated firmly but lovingly. I I loved my dogs but don’t refer to myself as a dog lover because I would never trust any dog I didn’t know well.
I hate to see any animal badly treated and would like to see a system of much harsher penalties for cruelty and neglect which is often what causes these horrific incidents.
I also don’t think people should keep a pet if they are out at work all day. Dogs should not be left alone for long periods, should be walked on a leash and not be allowed to sniff every dog they pass. People must pick up dog mess as it is a danger as well as a revolting sight.
I would include cats in this as they are left to wander and foul other peoples gardens, kill birds and be a general nuisance. Cat lovers will tell you this is natural behaviour and can’t be contained. If I wanted cat poo in my garden I’d have a cat. A dog having a poo is also natural but I wouldn’t let my dog poo in anyone’s garden.

Blondiescot
I have friends in Spain who rescued a pit bull. That dog is so well trained that when he is outside their home he doesn’t move an inch without my friends say so.

And yet there are many people who have rescued pit bills, which have become loving, affectionate family dogs. I'm firmlywith Summerlove on this one - there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. The only time I've ever been bitten by a dog, it was by a poodle, while the most bad tempered, most vicious dog I've ever known was a Jack Russell. In contrast, one of the softest, most laid-back and loving dogs I've known was a Rottweiler!

Why would anyone want to own a dog that, if it latched onto another animal or a person it would be impossible to prise them off, and that are too strong to control? All dogs have been bred for different uses. All pit bulls have been bred for is to kill. If dogs didn’t have different personalities we wouldn’t choose different breeds to fit in with our lifestyle.

Grammaretto
A friend of mine had a pet Pygmy Goat that she walked like a dog. The goat was killed in front of her by 2 labs that were off the lead.
I’ve been bitten twice. One was a Jack Russel the other a long haired dachshund.

Pit-bulls are as evil as their owners !

How completely ridiculous.

There are no bad breeds, just bad owners.

I’ve been bit many times by small dogs, never by a large one.

NanaandGrampy

I am a firm believer that all new dog owners should need a licence , not for the dog but to certify they have passed the requisite dog husbandry course.

Far too many people have dogs that are unsuitable for the household they live in , who are untrained and have the worst habits. People seem to assume because so and so has a nice well trained dog their new puppy will assume the same characteristics by osmosis almost.

Certain breeds should even have more training. And it doesn't stop when they are no longer pups. We've owned giant breeds in the past weighing 10 stone or more and you can believe we trained EVERY day.

I believe breeders need more regulation too as some of this is a product of poor line management and breeding.

Yes.
I’ve had three dogs at times, currently I have a young spaniel and 6 month old Labrador. Our training group re-starts next week so the lab will have his first formal group session, the spaniel back in the intermediate group. Our club offers kennel club obedience bronze, silver, gold. My last two dogs went through all three.
Lockdown has prevented it but I’ve kept up basic obedience. Both dogs are ‘trained’ daily, it’s simply part of life to walk on a loose lead, to come when called, sit wait for meals and be polite. Lockdown has made it harder. No children or other visitors so the pup is over excited now things are changing. It’s our job to teach him how to behave

Neighbours report the dogs who killed this defenceless woman were never walked.

If I think back 40 years I used to walk my spaniels on the Cornish cliffs. Most photos of my children, right from being babies, include at least one dog or cat. I wouldn’t dream of doing or allowing any of those things now.

I really don't like the whole illegal breeds thing. It suggests that if your dog isn't on the banned list it is fine and no danger to anyone, whereas any dog can be dangerous if it is encouraged to be aggressive. The real danger is people who keep dogs as guard dogs or fighting dogs, although I have no idea how this can be controlled. Dog fighting leads to hideous cruelty to the poor animals who are used as bait dogs. In most of these cases the owners are either just too stupid to see what their actions are going to lead to, or they really couldn't care less as long as they've got a big dog that has to be locked in a cage.

While on the subject of dogs and their owners I see two dogs have gone over a cliff in Cornwall this weekend. One was rescued by the owners and is at the vet's, the lifeboat went out for the other one and found it was dead. This happens all the time and people are continually asked to keep their dogs on a lead near the cliffs. They all seem to think their dog is too well trained to run off.

It's a truly awful thing that's happened to this poor lady. Only this week my stepson had his fence broken down and two dogs belonging to the neighbour, killed their pet rabbit (which was safely in a hutch). My initial thoughts were what if had been a child??

Grammaretto I always thought the police suggested a terrier because they make sufficient noise to scare anybody off.

Statistically more injuries are caused by labradors than by so called dangerous dogs. This is partly because there are more of them and partly because people say quote: "they are soft as mush" and mostly injuries are caused in the home but to a visitor to the home. The dog thinks its defending his owner "pack leader"

I won't have a dog again. Too many awful stories although 3 of my 4 DC have dogs. Just yesterday I suggested DS's puppy should be taken to training classes. "Why?" he replied "He's a lovely dog"

Like others I can list times when our family and friends have been attacked or very frightened by dogs, in one case a little girl was bitten on the face and scarred for life by a friend's much loved Border collie..

Plenty of dog owners are in denial and ignorant about dog behaviour.

When our windows were broken by vandals a few years ago the police came and one actually suggested "If it were me I'd get a couple of Rottweilers" . Seriously.

It is indeed a terrible tragedy.

The way this poor woman died is beyond horrific. I imagine putting down the dogs would be the only possible response.

In general I am sick of dogs, or rather their owners. Two of my small GC, my pregnant daughter and I have all been the focus of unwanted attention from strange dogs this past year. My GC were knocked down by dogs and I was subjected to a terrifying approach which had me screaming in fear. My pregnant daughter tore a strip off the irresponsible dog-owner she came across - the other parents nearby all applauded her.

I don’t dislike dogs at all, we’ve had two ourselves, but I like them on my terms, not someone else’s terms.

Have had Great Danes in the past. My last two were both rescues, and as soft as butter. They were always on the lead when I walked on the roads, but off lead in our local royal park. My middle one was very big and pulled until I put her in a halti. People seem to use harnesses these days, I don't think that they're very good at stopping dogs from pulling, and don't seem to give as much control as a halti.

Have just read the dogs been humanely destroyed.