Why would any family with children have a dog like this??

I’m not a dog ‘hater’, but would never describe myself as a dog ‘lover’.

Don’t like to see any dog in pubs, big or small, would never dream of stroking one whether they were friendly or not. Certainly wouldn’t want a child touching a strange dog, whatever the owner said.

nanna8

Jaxjacky

Banned breed in Australia and NZ.

We’ve got more sense ! Scary looking thing.

Banned in Australia as an aggressive breed specifically bred for fighting.

I'm surprised they aren't a banned breed here in the UK - perhaps they are a new import and we haven't caught up yet!

Why would any family with children have a dog like this??
It beggars belief, Witzend.

It’s not just big dogs though, is it? Friends had a little Westie who once sank his teeth into a man’s leg in a pub - the poor bloke had only stepped back into what the dog evidently considered his owner’s space.

But he could be a snappy little bugger anyway - needless to say, he wasn’t taken to pubs after that.
They also had two entirely soppy Flatcoat Retrievers, and when they were out and about it was nearly always the ‘cute’ little white one children wanted to pat - only to be told a definite No - not the ‘scary’ big black ones - truly lovely-natured dogs who’d only have lavished licks on them.

I used to be shocked when we visited France years ago to see dogs on restaurants. Now we're at it.
We have a cafe here in Birmingham called The Kitty Cafe. They take in stray cats and they are given free rein in the cafe, wandering about, jumping on tables. I like cats but that is disgusting.

i wonder how environmental health, food inspectors allow that.
perhaps there is a convenient looking away, due to lack of resources, and a notion that's it's a consenting cat lovers only place.
if some harm accrued, would be quite a legal tangle.

I don't know how it works wellbeck. A friend went last week. She loved it as she is a cat lover.

Another poster said it looked like a Presa Canario which I believe is the correct name for it. I have seen a few of them out and about but the one in the picture is very big. It looks like a young bear cub sitting there, and the head size is huge.
I would be extremely cautious if it was in a restaurant and would either leave or make sure that my grand-children went no where near it, it is the size of the jaw that would do damage if it went out of control

when i worked for a local authority re licensing special treatment premises, we had to add a clause forbidding any animal, wild or domestic from the treatment room.
i think there was a complaint from one customer who was having a tame tattoo, to the sight and presence of a snake slithering around nearby.
the tattoo artist said it was his muse.

?

I don't dislike the dog. I do think dog owners should be aware of what their dogs were bred to do, and it certainly wasn't to sit in pubs and be petted by children. I don't like banning things but when stupid people own such dogs what else can you do?

Someone near us drives around with two dogs like that hanging out of the windows.
If I saw that walking towards me it would frighten me. It took me two years to go out with our dog again after being dragged to the ground by two dogs who attacked ours.
I don’t think dogs belong in pubs especially when children are around. Our one gentle dog is not allowed in the house when grandchildren visit.

Cat cafes are very much a thing now - there is at least one in Edinburgh, and I believe there is also a chihuahua cafe too (I've never been in either).
If they're not your cup of tea, you don't have to go there.

if they are trading as a food premises open to the public, there have to comply with food safety laws.
if someone got ill from contamination that could be traced back to animals' presence in food areas, then the operators would be liable, both civilly and criminally.

I would think cat cafés give pleasure to a lot of people, especially those unable to have a pet of their own. They also promote animal welfare. The cats wouldn’t be there if they weren’t regularly groomed, fully vaccinated and given regular treatments to prevent fleas etc. Cats are by nature very clean animals.

Poor thing looks like it has had its ears ‘trimmed’. Looks terrifying!

Apparently it has a natural instinct to guard and protect. The breed is potentially dangerous if handled badly and should only be taken on by experience handlers. They are bred to defend livestock but we’re also used as fighting dogs. So says timeforpaws.co.uk. They are not recognised by The Kennel Club.

What a horrible experience for your dgs Witzend. Thank goodness it wasn’t worse than a bite which is bad enough.Such dogs should not be allowed to be kept as pets.

Why would anyone risk a dog like that being around children?

It's beyond me.

I wouldn’t allow a child of mine to ask to touch a strange dog, and something this size is obviously a potential danger, but then so are all dogs given the right circumstances. It’s not ok for the owners to permit the dog to be touched or to allow a child to ask to touch it - for whatever reason the dog may not want to be touched. We all have our grumpy days; would we like to be submitted to a stranger touching us?

I have to be very strict with my minded children on the school run, there are loads of dogs who are brought along by the parents.
One girl (6y) would sink to her knees and hug and kiss every dog she saw, she was a nightmare. I've trained all the children now to leave the dogs alone but it's been a real battle.

I don't think we should judge a dog by what it looks like and I don't subscribe to the idea that certain breeds are inherently dangerous. It does however seem to me that all dogs can be grumpy, have a bad day, get irate by constant attention or misunderstand something and then if they do bite someone their life is on the line. If they are huge, with strong jaws and sharp teeth the whole issue is more serious. There is always a slight risk with having a dog, and it doesn't seem very sensible to me to combine this sort of dog, or the Bully XL type with young children.

Oh, I've just realised, I have seen those dogs on YouTube before.

They need very careful, consistent, and constant training.

Their instinct is to protect their "pack' and territory.
They aren't really pets, as such, more like owning an exotic 'companion' animal.

People and their dogs! Defies belief.
From those whose little darlings are treated like human babies to those who want to terrify the neighbourhood with monsters such as the one in the photo.
I used to enjoy camping but since campsites have become the preserve of dog owners, it is no fun anymore.
A simple walk to the toilet block and you get barked and snarled at.
I had to tell someone she couldn't bring her dog into the food store where I work and she was really offended.

Afternoon tea with a side order of Tiddles anyone?

I don't think we should judge a dog by what it looks like - but all dog "lovers" judge by their looks - this is why tails get docked, ears get cut, in-breeding goes on so we get grotesque animals with inherent health problems. I find it impossible to equate this with the idea of loving dogs.

I don't think we should judge a dog by what it looks like
I think we're judging it by the fact that it was in a pub (why?), bit a child and is a banned breed in other countries because it is bred to be an aggressive fighting dog.

As for cats on tables, I will avoid that cafe!
We went to friends' house once, all took food for a buffet later and then they found the cat on the dining table, tucking in.

Not all dog lovers judge by looks, Lucky. I certainly don’t, other than to look carefully at a German shepherd’s eyes when choosing, which can tell you a lot about its temperament. Fortunately only a small minority want to mutilate or indiscriminately cross-breed them.