Another fatal dog attack

[tristars]

In all the years and all the many miles I have walked in areas popular with dog walkers I have never felt threated, been threatened or attacked by dogs.

Any problems I have experienced have been dog on dog with nuisance or aggressive dogs bothering or attacking mine.

problem is when it does happen it goes wrong very quickly

i have had some bites and many a time had to haul up my dogs by neck out of harms way, or potential harms way, and have known many, many attacks where it was fatal for the dog, including my own dog being dragged out the the car nearly having his leg ripped off and my hand badly bitten, [by a dog that had done that before]

so its really about he collective experience, i would do the muzzling, so others would in hope it saves others and so on

it happens so suddenly and then its too late sometimes to stop it unfortunately.

 

[Gloi]

Sensible elderly people don't have large dogs which could pull them over and put them in hospital or worse. They have small dogs which cost far less to feed and can sit next to them on the sofa.

 

[ycbm]

In all the years and all the many miles I have walked in areas popular with dog walkers I have never felt threated, been threatened or attacked by dogs.

Any problems I have experienced have been dog on dog with nuisance or aggressive dogs bothering or attacking mine.

In 40 years. I've e had horses attacked by a loose jack Russell (he killed it). a ridgeback and alsation pair and a border collie.

In 60 years I've seen a friend bitten by an Airedail, had my own Yorkie paralysed by a loose retriever, and been lunged at by two rottweilers with bared teeth that the owner could only just hold.

Being tripped up by off lead and extendable lead dogs in my blind spot is so common I've stopped counting.
.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

Sensible elderly people don't have large dogs which could pull them over and put them in hospital or worse. They have small dogs which cost far less to feed and can sit next to them on the sofa.

Wow that sounds so wrong sorry and rather patronising. What's your definition of elderly? I think physical capability is more important and that is not always age relevant. It sounds as if once you reach a certain age one is supposed to toddle off to a raised chair, be risk averse and huddle in a heated blanket waiting to die lest you upset someone.

All joking aside nothing is that straightforward as anyone with an ounce of common sense would know!

 

[conniegirl]

In all the years and all the many miles I have walked in areas popular with dog walkers I have never felt threated, been threatened or attacked by dogs.

Ive had dogs all my life, until the last few years i had never felt threatened but several times in the last few years i have felt in danger from a dog that is not mine.
Ive had a horse chased whilst i was riding, been backed into a corner by a dog and had one of my dogs attacked because she (all 8kg of her) stood infront of me when a dog went for me whilst out walking.
Ive felt threatened enough that i removed myself and my daughter from a public park because of a bully XL.

 

[conniegirl]

Wow that sounds so wrong sorry and rather patronising. What's your definition of elderly?

I actually agree with Gloi.
My father is a prime example of this. He has has golden retrievers all his life (continental ones so bigger then the ones here). He is now in his mid 70’s and fit as a fiddle.

However his last goldie put him in hospital as it pulled him across the road. Nothing more than youthful exuberance and not being particularly well trained yet in a large male dog (my dad only had him 4 weeks at that point, from a family home who were moving into a flat) but the damage done was huge.
He admitted defeat and doggy went back.
He still loves his goldies, and now has a much smaller older female goldie and has admitted this will be his last goldie and he needs smaller dogs in future.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

probably because horses do not head straight for people and rip lumps out of them with their great big teeth, pin them to the floor and keep going til they are dead

Depends on the horse! (Mostly joking, but I’m permanently lame, obviously not dead, due to a horse, it was not an attack on me)

Re large dogs and elder people, Aunty B, our next door neighbour, got a massive gsd, ‘her’ breed in her 70s. She spent a long time getting her to walk nicely on the lead. Goose, a mere 18kg, is a sod on the lead, he Is very rarely on the lead and spent a long time on a longline instilling recall. Are people saying older people shouldn’t have large dogs?

 

[MurphysMinder]

Wow that sounds so wrong sorry and rather patronising. What's your definition of elderly? I think physical capability is more important and that is not always age relevant. It sounds as if once you reach a certain age one is supposed to toddle off to a raised chair, be risk averse and huddle in a heated blanket waiting to die lest you upset someone.

All joking aside nothing is that straightforward as anyone with an ounce of common sense would know!

I agree, a bit of a sweeping statement by Gloi. I know people in their 70s (I'm nearly there) who train their dogs in IGP which is a very full on sport. I also know people decades younger who really shouldn't have a big, strong dog as they have no idea how to train them.

 

[YorksG]

The casual ageism on these boards never ceases to amaze me!

 

[MurphysMinder]

The casual ageism on these boards never ceases to amaze me!

I sometimes feel I should just sit at home with only a budgie for company. In reality I have walked 3 dogs this morning and am about to leave for an agility competition with one of them.

 

[splashgirl45]

Well I will be ageist now, I am 77 and have small terriers and a whippet size lurcher as I realise I am not as strong or agile as I was when younger, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to hold a GSD or Rottie if they decided to go so wouldn’t have a larger dog for that reason, no matter how well trained it only take a small lapse for a dog to decide to chase a cat/ squirrel etc

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Another owner (teeny jrt) told me how well behaved my lot were today-Goose politely said hello to her dog then zoomed off after a squirrel, much bouncing around a tree. She told me how a bully owner’s dog started a fight with a labrador last week and the bully owner could hardly hold the dog-on an extendable lead, bit silly given it was on the main road nearby. I don’t think age is a major factor if you’ve trained the dog. I’d have an issue if my three decided to pull me after a squirrel on the other side of the road, I’m not anywhere near my 70s.

As an aside, I think I maligned my dogs in another post. They won’t let people touch them and don’t actually go up to people! Looking at them today, they are far too busy sniffing and quite wary of other people, probably cos nobody ever comes here.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Someone needs to tell Alfred Wirth, Elmar Mannes, Fritz Biehler, Helmut Raiser and Toshiko Horiuchi etc etc to hang up their leashes
Good luck with that, BTW....

 

[Ditchjumper2]

I sometimes feel I should just sit at home with only a budgie for company. In reality I have walked 3 dogs this morning and am about to leave for an agility competition with one of them.

Exactly! My comp is tomorrow.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Seeing a solidly built 40 something neighbour pulled clean off his feet to face plant on the road when all his non aggressive 3 labs did was to pull forward curiously to investigate just why his elderly mother had decided to reach down to stroke our on lead JRT was rather .

Those of you with large dogs just do not seem to be able to understand why others may find them intimidating.

I think that downsizing your dogs as you get older is just plain sensible, actually.

 

[YorksG]

Seeing a solidly built 40 something neighbour pulled clean off his feet to face plant on the road when all his non aggressive 3 labs did was to pull forward curiously to investigate just why his elderly mother had decided to reach down to stroke our on lead JRT was rather .

Those of you with large dogs just do not seem to be able to understand why others may find them intimidating.

I think that downsizing your dogs as you get older is just plain sensible, actually.

So by your own example, only people under 40 should have 3 labs?

 

[Rumtytum]

In all the years and all the many miles I have walked in areas popular with dog walkers I have never felt threated, been threatened or attacked by dogs.

Any problems I have experienced have been dog on dog with nuisance or aggressive dogs bothering or attacking mine.

As walkers without dogs in the past ten years my OH has been bitten in two separate occasions by off lead JRTs who trotted happily past then swung round and bit him, one on the ankle, the other on the calf. Both bites grazed his skin.
I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback run up, then leap up with its paws on my shoulders and going for my throat. Thank God it was muzzled. Owner was in her house nearby.

 

[CorvusCorax]

People being pulled off their feet is a training/handling/equipment issue, not an age issue.
My neighbour allows himself to be dragged around by a Yorkie.

I've found my smaller dogs with a lower centre of gravity harder to hold than the taller ones.

 

[Tiddlypom]

So by your own example, only people under 40 should have 3 labs?

Nope . Just saying how even a solidly built younger chap who works as a gardener couldn’t keep hold of his 3 labs when they pulled at their leads.

Of course it was a training issue, but he couldn’t physically hold them.

 

[YorksG]

Nope . Just saying how even a solidly built younger chap who works as a gardener couldn’t keep hold of his 3 labs when they pulled at their leads.

So how does that translate to "older people should have smaller dogs"?

 

[Tiddlypom]

So how does that translate to "older people should have smaller dogs"?

Because as you get older you inevitably get weaker. Or do you disagree with that too?

 

[skinnydipper]

I've seen young folk towed along by small spaniels (it makes me smile) and a big strapping young man who couldn't hold a lab. But clearly I'm not sensible owning a large dog who walks nicely on a loose leash.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Nope . Just saying how even a solidly built younger chap who works as a gardener couldn’t keep hold of his 3 labs when they pulled at their leads.

Of course it was a training issue, but he couldn’t physically hold them.

Ok you're making it sound more like a stupidity issue

 

[YorksG]

Because as you get older you inevitably get weaker. Or do you disagree with that too?

At what age? My father, when in his 80's had better grip than I'd ever had. He could still lead and hold a revved up 16hh 2 year old mare, that he'd never met before, let alone a large dog!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I mean we're almost back to the horse comparison....

It's almost as if individials should choose companion animals based on the animal's suitability and their own physical and training capabilities.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I don't believe a dog of sound temperament would become aggressive with less exercise

I think so too, but then I think about horses that become wild and/or frustrated when they don't get enough exercise and/or turnout. Animals communicate differently, or on a more basic animalistic level, so I could see even the nicest of dogs getting fed up at some point if they just had too much pent up energy and/or no exercise. I'm not saying that they'd full on attack or rip your face off, but it's hard, in some instances, to hold it against the dog when they do something as a result of not being cared for properly.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I do just love this thread at times. It really, really, highlights the sh*t show that is society. You can blanket ban all day, but I'm sorry, society is effed.


Yes, I know it may be easier, the best approach at the time, or the most "possible" solution, but man. Again, there's a real problem with personal responsibility.

Not sure what the point of my post is, exactly, but it's interesting to think, "how did we get here?" or depressing, maybe.

 

[Gloi]

I agree, a bit of a sweeping statement by Gloi. I know people in their 70s (I'm nearly there) who train their dogs in IGP which is a very full on sport. I also know people decades younger who really shouldn't have a big, strong dog as they have no idea how to train them.

I was just speaking from experience of one friend and one neighbour , both in their 80's, who have had their hips broken when their dog pulled them over and are now very restricted in what they can do and dogs now living with other family members.

 

[cauda equina]

Of course there are some centenarians who are still lifting weights and running marathons but on the whole people become less physically able as they age; I don't think I'm ageist in saying that
Otherwise why would police officers/firemen/members of the armed forces not go on serving into their 70s and beyond?

 

[twiggy2]

If you drive and have the money to hire one. People may get a dog when there health and finances allows them to manage it in a certain way. Then things change and they cant do that shud they get rid of the dog or shud its quality of life be comprimised which may contribute to behaviour problems that result in aggressive behaviour. Shud elderly people or disabled people or people below a certain income be forbidden from owning a dog (often there main pleasure in life) so someone feels more comfortable on a walk?


Supposedly fighting dogs were culled if they redirected on a person. In reality a good one wud be forgiven (pit lurcher terrier) mailinois lurchers have replaced gsd lurchers and of course many many lurchers have bull in them. Probably harder to find a none bull lurcher now than one with bull.

Bull blood has been in lurcher for a pretty long time, it's usually staffie but I am not sure qhat point your making?