Another banned ( killer) dog

This gives interesting info on deaths and breeds (seems to be mostly American Bullys
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

In answer to BlueBelle's question, there are much stricter controls on certain breeds of dog here in France. Owners have to be interviewed by the authorities ( not sure who) to ensure they are able to care for the dog and have the right environment for it to live in. They also have to muzzle the dog when it's out in public. When taking on a pet be it cat, dog, rabbit etc we have to sign a certificate of commitment to say we will be responsible for the animal, its care, veterinary treatment etc. France has a big problem with animal abandonment especially dogs.
As I said before though there are those people under the radar who do not comply.

But does anyone check sodapop? When we lived in France we saw dogs kept in appalling conditions, on short chains out in the heat all day, dogs abandoned, particularly by the hunters (chasse) when no longer ‘useful’. Feral cats all over the place, sometimes subject to regular purges of catch and sterilisation.

It might help if dogs had to be registered with the local council as they are here (Australia.) We are only allowed 2 dogs in a household and all breeders are supposed to be registered. There are still one or two that flout the law, but they can't get away with it too much. It has significantly reduced backyard breeders and puppy farms. Dangerous breeds are then controlled much more easily. It's not perfect, but it helps.

tickingbird

Maybe a law that all dogs be spayed/castrated and only licensed breeders allowed to breed. It would stop all/many unwanted dogs but how would it be policed? It’s such a problem.

That would be the answer! Dog licenses would sort it as well as massive fines for those who don’t have one.

Absolutely awful that anyone should die, but there is rarely a naturally dangerous dog but many dangerous owners, people who shouldn't own dogs. I wouldn't want to own a banned breed but even those can be perfectly good pets when trained and treated properly. The majority of rescue centres do endless tests on a dogs personality and any issues before offering it for rehoming. If we want the Government do do more perhaps we should press for owners to be licensed, not the dogs.

a small dog can be aggressive- i once heard about a jack russell attacking a lady's neck. the dog did some real damage. It need not be the breed but the personality of the dog that matters

Eddiecat - I sympathise. My beautiful local park and the three mile reservoir trail I’ve used over fifty years are now off limits for my dogs as “professional” dog walkers with 7 off lead dominate
I use my trainers field - she only allows one handler unless I take a friend whose dog she’s also been involved in training. She’s so careful about mix/insurance
Ten dogs in a field Is far too many - they’re likely to get overstimulated. I only mix my dogs carefully
It’s a real dilemma
Grandtante, this is the uk, there’s a resistance to over regulating. Im all for regulating breeding and responsible breeders don’t place with owners who don’t meet their standard - puppy packs should include details of properly run trainibg groups - not puppy socialisation 😵‍💫
I don’t like the idea of trainers assessing owners and finding them wanting. Teaching is a real skill. Good trainers are wise in engaging owners, they’re being trained

Anyone owning a dog should have to atrend dog/owner training courses. I am absolutely sick hearing dogs yelping and barking for hours on end during the day where I live. Some are kept outside and I can set my watch with the time the dogs start off and the owners leaving for shift work. No matter the breed, big or small, if not trained and treated properly any dog is dangerous. I have been a dog owner for over 40 years and never let a dog snuggle up with a baby/toddler like you see on social media. Makes me cringe.

The commitment thing has only just started Jaxjacky so I don't know how or if there are checks.
I have to agree with you about conditions that dogs are often kept in here and cat sterilisation is not popular. Local vets offer an amnesty from time to time where they will do the ops at a much reduced price.

lemsip

Germanshepherdsmum

Yes I am bored by the constant going round in circles, the same comments by the same people every time. It achieves nothing.

well that's the same on every thread look at the schofield thread which you are very much on.

It doesn't have to be a banned breed. I was bitten on the face by my aunt's collie when I was nine. I was gently stroking its head at the time. It has left me with a lifetime fear. Two of my grandchildren are the same yet I've never mentioned my fear of dogs.

In practice it’s the owner that should be licensed as being suitable for owning a dog, the home circumstances and housing taken into account.

Nobody cares enough to make it happen so more will die.

Is this supposed to add something positive to this debate on dog attacks? It seems like a personal attack on another poster

Not for the first time Iam. Thanks for noticing. I seem to have upset someone, somehow. C’est la vie.

A lot of people are not fit to be responsible for a dog. There should be far more attention paid to these dreadful attacks on people. Lots of people don't welcome a dog approaching them but apparently 'they are just being friendly'.

bobbydog24

My little dog hasn’t got a bad bone in her body, loves everyone and is very friendly with people and other dogs and always on a lead but I am tired of the amount of times some one else’s off lead dog bounds up to her and snaps at her. It’s evident the dog has no recall training so shouldn’t be off lead. It’s making walking my dog a trial not a pleasure. I think all dogs in communal places (parks, beaches etc) should be on a lead all of the time. I’m sick of the times I hear ‘so sorry he/she has never done that before’, after screaming its name for 5 minutes. Really!!!

My whippets have always been kept on a lead when there are other dogs around because I can’t guarantee that they wouldn’t run down a small dog. But I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had a dog run up to them and go for them. One problem with idea of dogs being muzzled is that it’s very important for a dog to be able to sniff things, even more so if they’re being walked on a lead. They use up a lot of energy sniffing. It’s a bit like someone saying you can go to the cinema or theatre but mustn’t be allowed to hear or see anything. It’s really important to dogs.

My son was talking about this issue with dogs. He was remembering back to when we had dogs and that dogs were rarely seen off-lead back then. Ours used to only be offlead on a quiet track we used. It was rare to meet anyone else at all and our dog only ever scampered off to visit a horse that she was friends with. Why do dogs now need to be off lead so much? The dogs we knew all seemed perfectly happy with their walks on leads.

Ds also talked about the poor woman in Surrey who was killed by the pack of dogs she was walking. That was not far from where he lived and he said he had had to stop taking his children to local parks because of these dog walkers with multiple dogs that they clearly couldn’t control properly. My Dh and I had an encounter when taking our 2yo GS for a walk with five off-lead huskies. GS would not have stood a chance if they had decided to launch an attack and I doubt even Dh or I could have fended them off.

Interestingly, the new housing estate Dh and I have moved to bans any type of animal breeding as one of the conditions. I wonder if that is to forestall anyone setting up an at-home business, which is also banned.

Surely a muzzle which just restricts how far the dog's mouth can open does not cover its nose, MayBee70?

Any dog, large or small, can turn and attack other animals and humans.
Granted, it's less likely that you'd receive a life-threatening injury from a Chihuahua than a German Shepherd, but there's nothing to say it couldn't happen if it got you in the right spot.
Yes, some breeds are better known for being dangerous and it should be illegal to breed those in any form (pedigree or crossed with another breed), but basically, it comes down to the way any dog is treated by its owners.

@4allweknow

I have been a dog owner for over 40 years and never let a dog snuggle up with a baby/toddler like you see on social media. Makes me cringe.

I've been a dog owner for almost 40yrs too.
When my son was a baby, I had 2 GSDs, and would regularly leave them in the lounge with my sleeping son, whilst I was in the kitchen doing the washing, cooking, etc.
If he awoke, one of them would come out to me to let me know, whilst the other kept an eye on him.
I trusted them implicitly.
As my son grew up, the dogs were his best friends and were so protective of him.
As I've said previously, any dog can be dangerous, but I believe it comes down to the way they're treated, it's not necessarily purely down to their breeding.

Not the dog that is to blame but irresponsible owners. These dogs are not suitable as pets and unfortunately are often owned by people who want to intimidate others. They mutilate the dogs to make them look frightening. Awful people and the dogs turn on their own families and innocent dogs and people because they are not trained or controlled properly.

DeeJaysmum - when mine were babies in prams, I had a German shepherd and a spaniel. They’d lie either side of the pram and if a baby cried, the spaniel would find me, bark in my face and run back to guard the baby.
I agree the way dogs are handled and trained is important but imo so is breeding. So many dogs now are bred from dogs with poor temperament.

Our Parson's are energetic, require multiple daily walks, alone.

One is an "Alpha" - so she has had far more training than the others. Incumbent on us, as her owners, to make sure she behaves.

Domestic is barely one step from a wild animal. We're vigilant.

Norah

Our Parson's are energetic, require multiple daily walks, alone.

One is an "Alpha" - so she has had far more training than the others. Incumbent on us, as her owners, to make sure she behaves.

Domestic is barely one step from a wild animal. We're vigilant.

I do know our sweet dogs are Parsons (not Parson's).