Man killed by dangerous dog.

I honestly don’t believe XL bullies are suitable family pets. I don’t believe they should ever be allowed off lead in public spaces. There are plenty of safe enclosed fields the owners can rent so the dog gets off lead sniff time and training.
The people involved in back street breeding and crime who owned/bred the dog who killed the man in Leigh were unlikely to care about things like going to organised, well run training by experts. I doubt s dog licence would deter.
We need to ban ‘hobby’ breeders, back street breeders turning out bull breed crosses and poodle crosses with no thought for health or temperament.

Shoot the owner, if only. Owners of such dogs that attack tge public should get life for manslaughter, they breed these dogs to be killers, they don’t care about the dogs life just money. The animals should all be out down as you can’t change them. Imprison the owners.
There needs to be a mandatory 5 years for anyone caught with these dogs also those that carry knives. They are potential killers.

M0nica:

'they should shoot the owner as well' - exactly my first thought.

It's really time for change, though. People see a cute pup, a new family member, not a potentially dangerous animal - so fail to supervise, train and control it, fail to protect their children and others.

My neighbours bought a GSD puppy. One day, their small son woke up early and went downstairs - well, was dragged down by a leg, like a rag doll - and quickly rescued by the shocked parents. Shortly after, as luck would have it (sad - but lucky) that dog chewed through a cable and died.

this is the kind of subject that
Kate1949
often comments on.
haven't noticed her posting recently; hope she's ok.
i like her.

Some dogs are bred to be aggressive and trained to be aggressive. It is not just the owners.

I hate hearing people say “it’s the owners fault.” Not always it isn’t. There are some dogs out there that are just plain nasty.

Dogs can turn very easily and cause serious damage. I remember a man whose adored golden labrador turned one day as he bent over to pick something up and ripped half his face off. He had kept labradors all his adult life and never had a bad one.

We had dogs all our life too until a couple of years ago and all of ours were great, no trouble at all. We did rehome a tiny yorkie once who had never been on a lead, just let out to wander the streets all day and he came to us full of fleas, completely untrained and so protective of my husband’s slipper that none of us dared go near him if he had it! He would snarl, bare his teeth and fly at you.

I decided to break him of this so when the kids went to school I put on some huge engineering gauntlets so I didn’t get bitten and spent all day getting him to trust me but making him see that I was the boss, not him. It was exhausting and quite tiring but we cracked it and he turned into a good little dog.

Sago

tickingbird

The common denominator in the sudden increase of these attacks is XL Bully. Even the poor dog walker that was killed by the pack she was walking was actually killed by her own XL Bully it now transpires. As I’ve said before on this forum these dogs are huge. They’re normally owned by a certain type and are much favoured by drug dealers and gangsters. They are encouraged to be aggressive, not properly cared for and invariably passed from pillar to post.

I don’t know what can be done because banning them won’t stop it because they’re not a recognised breed and are a mix of breeds - think pit bull on steroids. Some are crossed with Great Danes and Cane Corsos in order to get a much bigger, massively muscled dog.

It’s the humans that own them that need sorting out and I have no idea how that can be done.

Spot on!
These are killer dogs, you wouldn’t be allowed to have a loaded gun laying around in the presence of children but one of these does is fine.

I think Sago and Tickingbird make good points. The size and strength of a dog does make a difference, as it is too strong to be pulled back/controlled by its owner if it is determined to attack, whether provoked or not. A smaller dog, even if just as aggressive can at least be pulled away from someone or a dog it wants to attack.

The abandoning of dog licences years ago was, I feel, unwise, but I do see that it would be difficult, with our over-worked police force, for licences to be enforced nowadays. Could a ban on dogs over a certain size or weight work? I know it wouldn't completely solve the problem, but it might help.

No doubt any animal can be controlled depending on the skill of the controller. The question is: are some dog breeds unsuited to be companions for non-experts?

tickingbird

The common denominator in the sudden increase of these attacks is XL Bully. Even the poor dog walker that was killed by the pack she was walking was actually killed by her own XL Bully it now transpires. As I’ve said before on this forum these dogs are huge. They’re normally owned by a certain type and are much favoured by drug dealers and gangsters. They are encouraged to be aggressive, not properly cared for and invariably passed from pillar to post.

I don’t know what can be done because banning them won’t stop it because they’re not a recognised breed and are a mix of breeds - think pit bull on steroids. Some are crossed with Great Danes and Cane Corsos in order to get a much bigger, massively muscled dog.

It’s the humans that own them that need sorting out and I have no idea how that can be done.

Spot on!
These are killer dogs, you wouldn’t be allowed to have a loaded gun laying around in the presence of children but one of these does is fine.

M0nica

The problem is with dogs as with children, if they are brought up feral and violent, it is easy to say it is the owner/parents fault, but in the meanwhile you have to deal with aggressive dogs that are doing the attacking and injuring and feral children running wild on an estate terrifying residents.

Whether it is the misbehavers 'fault' is irrelevant, we needed to be protected from the individuals/dogs that are doing the harm.

The small town where I live has huge dog ownership - partly because it borders the 100+ mile Cotswold Way which is of course ideal for dog-walking.

The majority of owners are responsible I have to say - but there are a few (and one is too many) who are of the 'certain-type' sometimes mentioned. It also has to be said that they all appear to come from a particular area of town where the local park curated specifically for young children is frequently vandalised; where drug paraphernalia appears overnight and is sometimes picked up by those children; also where teenagers are seen and heard riding around on bikes, e-scooters late into the night in gangs, at speed, shouting and swearing at high pitch. And they favour one particular 'type' of dog.

One of the dogs attacked another, smaller dog which was on a lead - as was the 'bully' - but the owner couldn't control it. The wee dog was seriously injured.

They are a curse - not the dogs - the owners... defensive, aggressive - and there's not a darned thing anyone can do about it.

The problem is with dogs as with children, if they are brought up feral and violent, it is easy to say it is the owner/parents fault, but in the meanwhile you have to deal with aggressive dogs that are doing the attacking and injuring and feral children running wild on an estate terrifying residents.

Whether it is the misbehavers 'fault' is irrelevant, we needed to be protected from the individuals/dogs that are doing the harm.

A 22 year old woman has been arrested at the address for suspected money laundering, 15 dogs removed including nine puppies. Sounds like puppy farming, all believed to be bully dogs.

As an animal behaviourist said this morning its not down to the type of dog but in hisvexperience there is a type of owner that is common in a great proportion of dog attacks

Frankly, there are some people out there who I wouldn't leave in charge of a tortoise, much less a massive, potentially vicious dog. Any remedial legislation needs to focus on the owner, not just the unfortunate dog itself. Any dog can be made vicious if it's treated badly enough. Yes, some dogs are born with a potentially aggressive trait, but it can usually be trained out of them. If that training fails, they should most certainly be removed from the gene pool, and not bred from.

I agree Dickens what sort of parent buys that breed of dog from an unknown seller on the internet. The child's father should be held accountable for his idiotic decision. He must have been aware of all the other incidents which have taken place recently.

In all fairness the type of people that have these dogs aren’t likely to vote.

Dickens

*Katie59 *

But it’s not going to happen there are no votes in it so politicians don’t care.

I tend to agree.

They are not going to start rocking boats among the dog-owning fraternity - even though some of the more responsible owners might welcome tighter regulation and control.

Bit like the NRA and gun control in America - isn't it?

Katie59

But it’s not going to happen there are no votes in it so politicians don’t care.

I tend to agree.

They are not going to start rocking boats among the dog-owning fraternity - even though some of the more responsible owners might welcome tighter regulation and control.

Caleo

Dickens, it's less a matter of lack of intelligence as lack of practical training of the animal-buying public. Nobody should be allowed to own an animal of any sort unless would-be owner passes a test of basic knowledge and basic attitude.

I take your point. But with all the publicity surrounding dog attacks - especially the graphic headlines used by the tabloid media - I would question the intelligence of those, particularly parents of toddler-aged children, who respond to an online advertisement offering the type of dog most often associated with such attacks.
I agree with you - would-be dog owners need to have a basic knowledge and understanding of dogs in general as well as with the particular breed. And they certainly need to know the background history of any dog they purchase. Not only for their own benefit, but for the welfare of the animal itself.

Luckygirl3

Here we are again. And we all, quite rightly, say "Something must be done" - but what?

Every dog owner must be trained and checked for safety and dog welfare, yes it will cost but in comparison to the cost of buying and keeping a dog it would be peanuts. Try adopting a dog and see what hoops you have to jump through, every owner should have the same screening.

But it’s not going to happen there are no votes in it so politicians don’t care

How many more times is this going to happen!?
It seems easier to buy a dog than a goldfish!!! Anyone bought a gold fish recently?

Let's have a sense of proportion - sigh. There is no sense of proportion for those involved - for those who have lost children (even if they were partly to blame for buying the darned thing in the first place) or for this young man's family. Their lives are turned upside down.

And on the whole farmers do not parade their bulls unleashed on the streets, nor buy them for the purpose of looking macho.

Dickens, it's less a matter of lack of intelligence as lack of practical training of the animal-buying public. Nobody should be allowed to own an animal of any sort unless would-be owner passes a test of basic knowledge and basic attitude.

All large strong domesticated animals are potentially dangerous.

Let's have a sense of proportion and remember too that farmers ought not to graze cows on public rights of way unless they erect a fence between public and animals.

tickingbird

The common denominator in the sudden increase of these attacks is XL Bully. Even the poor dog walker that was killed by the pack she was walking was actually killed by her own XL Bully it now transpires. As I’ve said before on this forum these dogs are huge. They’re normally owned by a certain type and are much favoured by drug dealers and gangsters. They are encouraged to be aggressive, not properly cared for and invariably passed from pillar to post.

Clearly, the current punishment doesn't deter these individuals. Perhaps 15 years in prison for manslaughter when their dog kills someone might concentrate their minds?

Goodness only knows how to deal with the stupid people with young babies / children who buy these dogs online because they look cute. Like that couple whose dog mauled their toddler daughter to death.