Another dog attack :-(

ann-jen

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Sad to hear of yet another fatality following a dog attack by a group of dogs in a private home. Honestly believe it is every dog owners responsibility to make sure our dogs are well socialised and well adjusted members of society. And if that isn't the case, not only should the owners be prosecuted but given an ENFORCEABLE ban on keeping dogs in the future.
 
I have a staffy she is 15 & the loveliest dog you could wish to meet . It really angers me staff's get so much bad press just because how they look if it was two " cute" looking dogs no one would even mention it . It's about time the government stepped in to stop just any one breeding dogs to make s few quid & never bother to find out if there pups are going to the right home ! Its such a shame these beautiful dogs get bad press all the time when its just the idiots who get hold of them . You do not get a bad dog you get bad owners ! Rant over sorry just love staff's so much .
 
I have a staffy she is 15 & the loveliest dog you could wish to meet . It really angers me staff's get so much bad press just because how they look if it was two " cute" looking dogs no one would even mention it . It's about time the government stepped in to stop just any one breeding dogs to make s few quid & never bother to find out if there pups are going to the right home ! Its such a shame these beautiful dogs get bad press all the time when its just the idiots who get hold of them . You do not get a bad dog you get bad owners ! Rant over sorry just love staff's so much .

That's not strictly true....as the news that a girl had died broke people were trying to find out the breed of the dogs involved, their "cuteness" hardly comes into it and I doubt many people were surprised when they heard what the dogs involved were. Blame the owners, blame the breed it amounts to the same thing in cases like this.....
 
Jenie - Totally agree!
Edited to add.... I think regardless of breed it makes the headlines when someone dies as a result of a dog attack.... But agree that dogs are what we make them. Staffies and bull breeds are lovely in the right hands.... Trouble is they are popular with the wrong sort of people!
 
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Annoys me so much when loads of little chavs get staffs and similar breeds yet have no interest in looking after them properly. My nan has a 3 year old staffy and she is honestly the most lovely natured dog i've ever met! haven't heard of the story but thoughts are with the family x x
 
Awful thing to read. I really want to like staffies, and I'm sure they are very well behaved dogs in the right hands. However, I still give them a wide berth when walking in the street, simply because of the people walking them. So many of them are owned by people who have them purely as "status" dogs, the chances of coming across a well trained, friendly one are remote, so I must admit, I have taken to not risking it by just being careful around all of them, unless I know the owner and know the dog.

That aside, there's people going to bed tonight without their daughter, and that is completely tragic and unacceptable.
 
That's not strictly true....as the news that a girl had died broke people were trying to find out the breed of the dogs involved, their "cuteness" hardly comes into it and I doubt many people were surprised when they heard what the dogs involved were. Blame the owners, blame the breed it amounts to the same thing in cases like this.....

I do not agree with you at all and I wish this attitude was not something that the media shared. By blaming the breed, you end up making excuses for the owners. It is unacceptable to see it as something these dogs would just "do". I have 3 staffords and they would not attack anyone in my house. That is not how they have been trained and staffords are dogs which naturally really like humans. I am so sorry for this poor girl and her death, if it was by mauling as suggested would have been completely horrific. But please do not allow the owners any cop out by suggesting it was down to dog breed. The press didn't learn when the newborn was killed by a JRT... they were amazed that a JRT could and did kill a child rather than blaming the owners. Owners need to take responsibility for their dogs, not simply have the ability to shrug their shoulders and blame a breed.
 
For once the RSPCA seems to have got it right. Apparently, their spokesperson said when dogs get together they act as a pack and can act out of character.

A parallel with football hooligans? I bet individually they are charming young men who are kind to their mothers. But in a mob, they behave differently.
 
I do not agree with you at all and I wish this attitude was not something that the media shared. By blaming the breed, you end up making excuses for the owners. It is unacceptable to see it as something these dogs would just "do". I have 3 staffords and they would not attack anyone in my house. That is not how they have been trained and staffords are dogs which naturally really like humans. I am so sorry for this poor girl and her death, if it was by mauling as suggested would have been completely horrific. But please do not allow the owners any cop out by suggesting it was down to dog breed. The press didn't learn when the newborn was killed by a JRT... they were amazed that a JRT could and did kill a child rather than blaming the owners. Owners need to take responsibility for their dogs, not simply have the ability to shrug their shoulders and blame a breed.

I'm not making excuses for the owners at all but what I do think is that it's a combination of poor owners and the wrong breeds which leads to these attacks....I don't know what the answer is, in fact there are so many dogs out there not that there probably isn't an answer. I do wonder if there should be a law which stops people owning packs of dogs .....
 
I'm not making excuses for the owners at all but what I do think is that it's a combination of poor owners and the wrong breeds which leads to these attacks....I don't know what the answer is, in fact there are so many dogs out there not that there probably isn't an answer. I do wonder if there should be a law which stops people owning packs of dogs .....

But how do you define a pack? I agree if one dog turns then its possible the rest may "join in" but there are a large number of breeders, people who work their dogs etc that keep dogs peaceably in large numbers and so don't think it'd be possible to indiscriminately limit numbers.
I 100% agree with you it's the combination of the wrong breed with poor owners where the problem lies and usually the same people deciding to breed from their dogs even if they have health or temperament issues even though the charities are full to bursting with staffies that nobody wants :-(
 
I continually get frustrated by those people who come on and say 'these dogs are demonised, blamed and vilified' yes, they are, that is what the media does but that dog has to act before the media can expose it. Those dogs are in the media because they are the dogs that attack in the most violent manner and cause the majority of fatalities. How many children have been mauled to death by a Dalmatian? Lab? Border Collie? Springer?
 
How many dalmatians, labs, collies and springers are owned by chavtastic crapbags who keep them as status dogs - who reward them for displaying aggressive behaviour, who don't give two hoots about training, who don't see the importance of supervising them with visitors and children?

It happened with rotties, dobes and GSDs in their turn, now it is the bull breeds, next it will be the sibes/akitas/malamutes.
 
I have been shot down for saying this on here before but bull breeds have been bred for centuries to have strong jaws, a high pain threshold and to hang on no matter what in a fight. That does make them more dangerous in a situation like this than many other breeds of dog. I don't suppose dobermann, for instance, would revel in hanging on to something and ragging it until it broke apart? I may be wrong.
 
How many dalmatians, labs, collies and springers are owned by chavtastic crapbags who keep them as status dogs - who reward them for displaying aggressive behaviour, who don't give two hoots about training, who don't see the importance of supervising them with visitors and children?

It happened with rotties, dobes and GSDs in their turn, now it is the bull breeds, next it will be the sibes/akitas/malamutes.

I honestly don't think that's the point, there are posters here who are saying that the media 'makes out' that these dogs are dangerous. They are because of their physical capabilities AND because of the idiots who turn them into monsters. Point is these dogs DO kill people. The reasons behind that are many and varied but those who argue that the media is responsible for the reputation of these dogs is just stupid. The dogs are responsible for the death (arguable), the paper is responsible for reporting the death. Why can't people understand that the story isn't fabricated. These breeds kill more people/ children than other dogs. Anyone who thinks that they aren't more dangerous than another breed is in denial. They are.

Does that mean they are all the same? No. Does that mean there aren't perfect family staffs? No.
 
I agree if you gave a staffie and and a cavalier to a numpty owner that failed to socialise and train either dog that it is more likely that the staffie would be aggressive than the cavvie. But that's just it. Any dog can be aggressive in the wrong hands.... And I have met the very odd aggressive cavvie although there aren't many! But if you stick a dog that has a higher aggressive tendency with a numpty its much more likely to turn out bad! It's the owners fault. But how can you stop these people getting hold of the dog in the first place, how can you enforce them to train them and how do you stop the dicks from breeding them too! People talk about bringing back licenses but it would just drive the breeding of status dogs underground. By all rights if the dangerous dogs act was enforced in this country then the American pit bull would no longer exist but I have seen more APBTs in the last year than in my whole career of 18 years. These have all been dogs seized by the police for various reasons. (On the whole most of them have been of sound temperament I would add!)
Ps black cob.... I take it from your signature you are into game of thrones? New season imminent!
 
I have been shot down for saying this on here before but bull breeds have been bred for centuries to have strong jaws, a high pain threshold and to hang on no matter what in a fight. That does make them more dangerous in a situation like this than many other breeds of dog. I don't suppose dobermann, for instance, would revel in hanging on to something and ragging it until it broke apart? I may be wrong.

I continually get frustrated by those people who come on and say 'these dogs are demonised, blamed and vilified' yes, they are, that is what the media does but that dog has to act before the media can expose it. Those dogs are in the media because they are the dogs that attack in the most violent manner and cause the majority of fatalities. How many children have been mauled to death by a Dalmatian? Lab? Border Collie? Springer?

Clodagh, yes you are exactly correct bull breeds have been bred to have certain characteristics, mainly in dog fighting. What you fail to mention or perhaps are not aware of is that for the many years dog fighting has been going on ANY dog that is shown to have any human aggression is instantly culled. This is for a very simple reason. 1. Before a dog fight the dogs get "washed down" by the opposing dogs owner. This is to check the dog hasnt been tampared with before the fight.
2. a third person reffing the fight in in the pit and has to break up the fight with a breaking stick, the dogs cannot then go for that person in a "frenzy".
3. The dogs involved in the fighting or the preparation such as quite a few staffs are used as "baiting" dogs, (this is create confidence for the fighting dog. The bait dog will be forced to be attacked over and over without self defence.) come away with horrific injuries. The owners cannot go to a vet due to the illegal nature of the activity so the owners have to self medicate. Anyone who has spent some time in vets will know how careful you have to be around ANY dog when its either in pain or you are causing pain by helping.
Because of this staffs were called the "nanny dogs", when they were used for dog fighting when it was a sport the dogs were often put in the pushchair with the baby to be carried home as they were injuried, i could go on and on.

I have been involved in numerous "dangerous dog raids" and even dog fighting warrants. I can honestly say that the all the dogs i have seen have been mainly terrifed, and just want to get away from you. I have been bitten once. by a JRT.

I have seen too many to mention beautiful collies condemmed to death for having bitten a child or adult... every single case bar none has been something along the lines off; bought as a puppy, kept in a flat, never walked in 4 years, lost interest, then kept in room etc etc. Everyone knows how intelligent these dogs are.

The RSPCA did have a good campaign recently, every dog has 42 teeth, every dog has the capability to hurt a human. I know it is the deed not the breed. The owner is repsonsible in every single way. I have seen it time and time again and the Dangerous Dog Act need to change NOW to stop horrendous tragedies.

One last point, the media is known and has been warned that whenever there is a whiff of a dog attack they will often bring up an archived picture of whatever dog is fashionably dangerous at that time. Often it is a totally different breed, but the public dont want to know that their lovely poodle breed could do such a thing. That doesnt mean to say every incident is tampared with. In this case I would be interested to know the facts in a few days time. Some things dont add up and i wish they hadnt destroyed the dogs, the dogs needed to be examined, they are after all evidence. The girls family deserve to know what really happened.
 
This is really terrible. I feel for the family.

Just to say - at one point we had 10 dogs in our pack. Various breeds, a few terriers, labrador, two german shepherds - all bar 3 were rescue animals. Not one of those dogs were aggressive to humans. The terriers occasionally fought amongst themselves, but were swiftly separated. They were all trained and easily controlled.

The terriers were ratters. The labrador was a gun dog. The rest were just happy dogs.

So, yes, it does come down to the human. That poor girl, I can't imagine how horrific that must have been.
 
I continually get frustrated by those people who come on and say 'these dogs are demonised, blamed and vilified' yes, they are, that is what the media does but that dog has to act before the media can expose it. Those dogs are in the media because they are the dogs that attack in the most violent manner and cause the majority of fatalities. How many children have been mauled to death by a Dalmatian? Lab? Border Collie? Springer?

Totally agree. I do also agree that the main problem is the type of person who chooses to own this type of dog, but it seems that when other breeds bite/attack, it's just one or two bites, whereas these bull breeds don't stop; they have to be dragged off and this coupled with the fact that these are so powerful makes them more dangerous than other breeds.

RIP Jade :(
 
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Clodagh, yes you are exactly correct bull breeds have been bred to have certain characteristics, mainly in dog fighting. What you fail to mention or perhaps are not aware of is that for the many years dog fighting has been going on ANY dog that is shown to have any human aggression is instantly culled. This is for a very simple reason. 1. Before a dog fight the dogs get "washed down" by the opposing dogs owner. This is to check the dog hasnt been tampared with before the fight.
2. a third person reffing the fight in in the pit and has to break up the fight with a breaking stick, the dogs cannot then go for that person in a "frenzy".
3. The dogs involved in the fighting or the preparation such as quite a few staffs are used as "baiting" dogs, (this is create confidence for the fighting dog. The bait dog will be forced to be attacked over and over without self defence.) come away with horrific injuries. The owners cannot go to a vet due to the illegal nature of the activity so the owners have to self medicate. Anyone who has spent some time in vets will know how careful you have to be around ANY dog when its either in pain or you are causing pain by helping.
Because of this staffs were called the "nanny dogs", when they were used for dog fighting when it was a sport the dogs were often put in the pushchair with the baby to be carried home as they were injuried, i could go on and on.

I have been involved in numerous "dangerous dog raids" and even dog fighting warrants. I can honestly say that the all the dogs i have seen have been mainly terrifed, and just want to get away from you. I have been bitten once. by a JRT.

I have seen too many to mention beautiful collies condemmed to death for having bitten a child or adult... every single case bar none has been something along the lines off; bought as a puppy, kept in a flat, never walked in 4 years, lost interest, then kept in room etc etc. Everyone knows how intelligent these dogs are.

The RSPCA did have a good campaign recently, every dog has 42 teeth, every dog has the capability to hurt a human. I know it is the deed not the breed. The owner is repsonsible in every single way. I have seen it time and time again and the Dangerous Dog Act need to change NOW to stop horrendous tragedies.

One last point, the media is known and has been warned that whenever there is a whiff of a dog attack they will often bring up an archived picture of whatever dog is fashionably dangerous at that time. Often it is a totally different breed, but the public dont want to know that their lovely poodle breed could do such a thing. That doesnt mean to say every incident is tampared with. In this case I would be interested to know the facts in a few days time. Some things dont add up and i wish they hadnt destroyed the dogs, the dogs needed to be examined, they are after all evidence. The girls family deserve to know what really happened.

Thankyou for saying that,the whole point about fighting breeds,or inded terriers,is that other dogs or vermin are their target,they HAVE to be managable by humans at all times.Over the years I have had to put a stop to accidental fights in bull terriers,never once have I been injured or even feared injury.Somehow,even in the middle of a ruckus they avoid touching the handler,they are just almost clinical and cool headed about it.Of course ,they CAN do a lot more damage than ,say,a shih tzu,but people are not their game.Terriers going to ground are scruffed out of the way once the vermin is located so it can be humanely shot,if one turned on the scruffer it would be next in line,make no mistake.Breeds I have been bitten by are yorkies,cockers and one very screwed up GSD.In each case the owner was inadequate.Children are not taught these days how to behave around dogs..one of those ear piercing squeals while running about is enough to start something .If only they were taught to be quiet and calm around dogs a lot of it would never happen.I remember one blue pittie,locked outside on FIREWORK night (!!!) and finally let in,a three year old asleep on the sofa.The dog wanted to play,probably she screamed and in an already poor mental state the dog attacked..whilst ,so the media said,grandma smoked pot.We need to licence people to own dogs.And in a tiny terrace house an absolute limit of two dogs should be enforced.
 
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Its a very sad story all round.

Rochdale dog's home tweeted today that it has had hundreds of enquiries from people wanting to leave their Staffies with them over the last two days.:(

I had a staff cross years ago, who was the nicest dog ever. My ex boyfriend's mum's West Highland terrier was the nastiest dog I ever met, it would bite you as soon as look at you. My granny had a nasty one too!
 
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