Dog Attack In Leominster

Mishap - I agree with you 100%. My job also often involved home visits (E.P.) and the number of times I stood paralysed with fear.
As you say, no dog can be completely trusted, and when there's a baby or toddler in the house, it's just crazy to leave them in the same room together.

Staffies are legal but can be lethal. Wasn't Princess Anne fined once for not controlling her Staffy?

What worries me about about the "he is harmless"/"he is only playing brigade" is that we all as humans have off-days when we snap at people. No dog is to be trusted - they too will have off-days or be in pain or whatever and their reactions cannot be predicted.

Ironically, in spite of my anti-dog position, I get furious when I see all the in-breeding and tail-docking that goes on. It makes me shudder - it is all about control and I find it intrinsically unpleasant and distasteful.

Staffies are a worry to me. I live near the said county. There is a lot of controversy over how safe they are. I think a lot of yobby types think they look suitably aggressive and and probably cheaper that big bull baiting dogs.

Their aggressive tendencies would probably depend on how they are bred and raised, but I would not really trust one.
The words "Bull Terrier" says a lot about the breeds tendencies.
I suspect they now being bred for aggression by the afore said yobby types.
It probably helps when they are collecting their drug money.

So now if you are want to buy one from a litter how do you assess their temperament?

Dear God! Some ejit trying to prove their point about now harmless their dog is. The very fact that they have posted it makes me worried about them.

I did watch it [thought I'd better as I'd posted it!] but I was totally on edge; the baby did, at one point take the chewey from the dog but thankfully the dog just took it back. I just kept thinking 'it would only take one bite'.

I'm sorry - I managed about 5 seconds of that clip and had to stop it. For goodness sake. What can they be thinking of?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDjfiKcSE2g
There are a lot of these onutube; they horrify me. Someone sent me one once thinking I'd go 'aah, how cute'. No one can control a dog of that strength but they are not illegal. Only pitbulls [to my knowledge] are.

Well - I think people on here know my feelings on this subject.

Responsible dog ownership is the understandable litany from the dog lobby - but we cannot force people to be responsible, and the sort of people who keep these dreadful vicious animals are not responsible people. I know - 25 years as a social worker visiting people's homes - I have seen it all. The rule was that the less responsible and decent the person, the larger and more vicious the dog. I have had some narrow escapes. The sound of huge slobbering animals crashing against the front door and barking ferociously has caused me a sinking heart on many an occasion.

I do not know what the answer is. The attempt to eliminate vicious breeds from our country seems to have failed. How do we create a law that allows decent people to keep safe dogs, but gets rid of the rogue element?

The crux of the matter for me is choice - on the part of dog lovers to own a dog; but also for those who come into contact with them to be safe and unpestered. A relative of mine currently has concussion as the result of two dogs bowling her over in a park, so she hit her head on the path. I am sure the owners would say they were responsible by allowing them to play loose in the park, and would say they were "just being friendly" (how often have a I heard that one!?) but the fact remains that a person has been injured through no fault of their own.

I have to admit that a far as i am concerned dogs are wild pack animals and trying to turn them into semi-humans who share out homes is doomed to failure; and goes against nature.

I just off on my daily walk and fully expect that the local dog will try to hump my leg and generally be a b*** nuisance. Sigh.