Another child killed in dog attack

I've just had one leap at me on the way to the bus stop. My heart was in my mouth. It was on a lead and the lady pulled it back. She did apologise and said :*Archie that's naughty'.. Oh well that Ok then.

Good points from blondiescott and MayBee. Dogs must be under control. Any training is forgotten when the dog hits adolescence and has to be back to basics. Long line till recall spot on.
Dogs don’t need to play, to chase about with other dogs, to sniff and greet every dog. They should be taught to ignore other dogs. I believe all these professional dog walkers with 7 off lead are over stimulating their charges.

We sometimes see a lady who walks her Romanian rescue dog. The first time we met she put her dog on a lead and we thanked her and got talking. Both dogs had a treat and now her dog is allowed to run up to ours and waits fir his treat.Sometimes we don’t see each other for months but, when we do Dylan runs straight up to us for his treat…he’ll recognise us from yards away even if we don’t recognise him. We meet another little dog who is always on lead and, again she expects a treat from me. I love these little exchanges with dogs and their owners. It makes up for the unpleasant encounters we sometimes have with irresponsible dog owners.

MayBee70, I totally agree with you there. I think people sometimes think that once you're through the very young puppy stage, that's it - then they're suddenly faced with a stroppy teenager who's refusing to listen to a word they say! Training has to be a continuing thing - and yes, some dogs may be very sociable and our dogs have always been more than content to do their own thing too. They're happy and sociable to see other dogs in passing, but certainly don't need 'doggy play dates' or anything like that.

Yes. Just when you think you’ve cracked it training wise they regress. I don’t quite understand why people think it’s important for their dogs to play. I agree that they need to be socialised when they’re young but after that I’m not sure that they’re desperate for doggy pals ( I’m happy to be corrected about that: maybe it’s because I’m a bit of a Billy no mates and expect my dogs to take after me). Winnie has a little Yorkie that she loves: when they meet up in the village they both wag their tails and happily sit next to each other as their owners have a natter. But that same dog hates male dogs and turns into a rabid monster when he sees one.

What I do think is that dog owners frequently don’t read the situation. An example of this is yesterday a very excitable (absolutely adorable) and very large puppy off the lead, met a mature labradoodle, Alsatian, a couple of chows and my dog - an elderly cairn, all off the lead.

Pup began to wind up the mature dogs who in turn started to get very excited. Not Duncan as he’s 14 and very little phases him. They then started to tell (as is normal) the pup off, but you could see the situation beginning to get tense. I grabbed Duncan and one by one the owners did the same. The situation immediately started to calm as the owners got control.

It is essential imo that owners are in control at all times, and if the dog won’t behave then it remains on the lead.

I met the massive puppy today and his owner (I haven’t a clue as to his breed) but she said that he suddenly has started to misbehave and refuse to come back etc. guess what? He is 8 mths old - a teenager in puppy age. They all go through this stage, but can be absolute pains until they mature.

There appears to be absolute agreement on this thread sbout the increasing problems with dogs
I’m just back from walking my very small well behaved gentle non reactive spaniel
Down the unadapted lane to the field I kept her on lead in case of traffic from the two houses. Round the corner come a couple with a huge boxer x rottie - of course on a harness so pulling ahead bouncing to my little spaniel. It’s ok said the owner he only wants to play he won’t hurt it.
I told my dog ‘leave it’ snd walked on with him continuing to say he’d friendly. I stopped and responded this spaniel will cope with your dog bouncing over her. , my young lab wouldn’t. He could well react if your dog got in his face - waste of time of course

Chestnut

I used to walk my little toddler grandson through the park every week and had to keep watch for loose dogs. A dog racing around at speed could be miles away, then suddenly they're on top of you. I used to feel so anxious watching him toddling in front of me whilst I was looking around the park for loose dogs. I was fearful that some excited running dog would leap on him and knock him over, or worse still bite him.

My whippet runs at 30+ mph. That’s why we only let her run in safe places and never when children are around. I think the problem these days is so many new breeds that suddenly become fashionable but are bred for specific things and are not family pets. Eg Miniature Dachshunds can make good family pets but people don’t understand that they were bred to kill vermin and still do if they get the chance. Huskies were popular because of Game of Thrones but need far more exercise than most people can give them and it can’t be off lead. My breed, whippets are bred for racing and hunting but were still always multi purpose dogs and were used as hot water bottles to keep people warm, a job they excel at! Belgian Shepherds are lovely dogs but very protective of their owners and their property to the extent that their property is wherever they happen to be and they will guard that area when out walking. Every breeder should make sure that potential buyers understand exactly how their dog should be treated.

I used to walk my little toddler grandson through the park every week and had to keep watch for loose dogs. A dog racing around at speed could be miles away, then suddenly they're on top of you. I used to feel so anxious watching him toddling in front of me whilst I was looking around the park for loose dogs. I was fearful that some excited running dog would leap on him and knock him over, or worse still bite him.

MayBee70

I can understand that. I didn’t know where it originated from. I try to report such comments on Facebook along with things that I find misogynistic or racist, but Facebook just say they will not remove the comment and advise me to block them. Facebook is great when it comes to finding lost cats etc but sometimes it’s so upsetting. The woman who warned people about a potentially dangerous dog running loose has had so much abuse, as have those of us that thanked and defended her. And the lady who owns the dog, even when I explained that some people would be afraid if an XL Bully ran towards them just shrugged it off saying ‘ he’d just lick you to death’. I will report the comment on Facebook but I doubt if they’ll do anything! x

The woman who warned people about a potentially dangerous dog running loose has had so much abuse, as have those of us that thanked and defended her. And the lady who owns the dog, even when I explained that some people would be afraid if an XL Bully ran towards them just shrugged it off saying ‘ he’d just lick you to death’.

Par for the course I'm afraid. The ignorant and aggressive minority are allowed to dictate to the majority. It's country-wide.

How did we get to this state of affairs? I think I understand how it's come about, but I'd have to write a thesis to explain it.

I don’t think it’s likely that a dog would attack a person that doesn’t have a dog with them. More likely if you’re walking your own dog
My friend was out walking when an enormous dog ran up to her, put his paws on her shoulders and tried to lick her face very enthusiastically. She didn't have a dog with her. The dog was huge, boisterous and over-friendly but it might have been quite different if he was aggressive. She didn't want to be licked or slobbered on either.

I don’t think it’s likely that a dog would attack a person that doesn’t have a dog with them. More likely if you’re walking your own dog. I’m afraid we’re very nervous walking ours these days and it’s got increasingly worse over the years. I do think that dog owners should be made aware that people don’t want dogs running up to them and there are times in the past that I’ve had to apologise on behalf of dog owners in general when I’ve seen things happen that upset non dog owners. No dog is 100% safe or bomb proof but some owners think they are.

Well if we can't purchase pepper sprays or anything else to defend ourselves then the dog sprays are the only option. The reviews were interesting because people said they worked.

I don’t think the dog sprays sold on Amazon would be much use if a fight broke out, or a dog was out of control and attacking a person. The citronella spray says it’s effective on moderately aggressive dogs. What’s that supposed to mean. I used a well reviewed citronella spray collar on my young labradoodle whose high prey urge was an issue. The first time I used it, she stopped chasing ducks. The second time, she realised she could tolerate it because chasing ducks and swimming was worth it. Training worked but took time and effort.

I am as fed up as the posters who don’t like dogs about the increase in dog ownership. Worse, it’s coincided with people setting themselves up as positive only trainers who believe only treats get results. I do use training treats but dogs also need consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

I can understand that. I didn’t know where it originated from. I try to report such comments on Facebook along with things that I find misogynistic or racist, but Facebook just say they will not remove the comment and advise me to block them. Facebook is great when it comes to finding lost cats etc but sometimes it’s so upsetting. The woman who warned people about a potentially dangerous dog running loose has had so much abuse, as have those of us that thanked and defended her. And the lady who owns the dog, even when I explained that some people would be afraid if an XL Bully ran towards them just shrugged it off saying ‘ he’d just lick you to death’. I will report the comment on Facebook but I doubt if they’ll do anything! x

Sorry-didn’t mean to sound so cross! But repeating an insult which has been directed at you just perpetuates this awful “Karen” business which I believe originated in the US meaning a bossy, white, entitled middle class woman.
It was a dreadful thing to say to you , dismissing very genuine concerns in a bullying way, but as I said - it gets me every time!
Please don’t worry about it, I know there was no offence intended. 🫶

I’m only repeating what I’ve been called by someone in our local Facebook page. I wasn’t applying that to the lady with the XL Bully. I just said that she looked like someone that had never owned a dog before. Those of us that had tried to explain that some people are afraid of such dogs have been described as ‘Karen snowflakes’. I’ll re read what I’ve written and if I haven’t made I clear what I meant to say I’ll ask HQ to remove it. I’m to one that has been described as a Karen snowflake. Every time we get a post about dangerous dogs in the village it creates the same vitriol and I sometimes have to block people. Those of us that keep our dogs on leads are told that we it’s because we don’t train our dogs properly and their dogs have perfect recall and would never hurt anyone. I pointed out that no one can be 100% certain that their dog wouldn’t hurt another dog or a person. In fact, I’ll report it myself and explain to HQ what I meant.

I don’t often disagree with you MayBee but I do take exception to your use of Karen snowflake
You will know why.

To be honest dog attacks happen so quickly that it’s impossible to react. Unless you carry a deterrent spray in your hand at all times you’d struggle to get it out of your pocket and activate it. When my dogs have been attacked it’s usually been a dog that looks friendly, approaches wagging its tail and then turns suddenly. I do carry dog treats at all times and although I always ask permission from the owner to give one to their dog if possible if I’m worried and about a loose dog I will throw the treats to divert it. DH carries a metal pole (a shortened walking pole) but I doubt if he’d be able to use it. If we’re worried he picks our dog up. I looked at the profile of the lady who owns the XL Bully in our village. She honestly looks like someone that has never owned a dog before but she thinks she’s an expert. Still, she has a small child and he’s the one most at risk so I hope she’s got one with a good temperament. But why anyone would have that kind of dog when they have small children is beyond me. As people on the Facebook page have said all dogs can bite, why demonise a particular breed. But a bite from a terrier or a spaniel isn’t going to kill someone. These owners don’t seem to realise that in some countries dogs have to be kept on lead and muzzled but they seem to think they’re experts and people like me are ‘ Karen snowflakes’. I despair.

Here's another one. The reviews seem to say they work and will stop dog attacks!
PetSafe SprayShield Animal Deterrent Spray

I've just found this on Amazon and the reviews seem very positive that it will stop a dog if you spray enough. It's not cheap though at £26.91 especially if you want a few of them.
Amazon Bite Back Non-Toxic Dog Deterrent 50ml

Well maybe with all the dog attacks and bad owners on the loose they should make pepper spray legal with a licence, rather like a gun. After all, we should have a way of defending ourselves. In fact, would you rather be savaged by a dog (maybe fatally) or charged for carrying an illegal pepper spray? I know which I would prefer.

I Googled bear deterrent (pepper) sprays. Police say they are illegal and classed as firearms.

In British Columbia some people carry bear deterrent sprays . Are they legal in the UK?

I have heard it advised that if it's your own dog that is the attacker the best thing to do is run away from the fight calling your dog urgently as you run away.