horse attacked by dog in bournemouth

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lamlyn2012

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Has anyone read the recent newspaper article about the horse, Monty, being attacked by a dog whilst out hacking. I am thinking of getting another horse after a 6 month break but articles like this really terrify me. There have been a number of attacks recently and in each case the owner of the dog always takes off without a thought for the injured party.
I know the BHS are currently compiling stats but I feel something radical needs to be done so that we can all go out into the countryside and feel safe. People are afraid to go back to these places for fear of being atacked again and that is just not fair. I think all dogs should be licenced and passported and issued with an identity number which should be prominently displayed by both dog and handler when out in public places. The number could be attached to the dogs collar but should be alot bigger than the current identity disc for ease of seeing. The handler should also wear a number. The number could then be passed to the police in the case of an incident. The police have been issued with extra guidance recently and are now taking these issues more seriously, thank god.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do in an attack? I have read that pepper spray is good but I don't know if it is legal in this country or where to get it from if it is.
Other suggestions are to throttle the dog (easier said than done) or gouge it's eyes out, but who could do that. As horse riders, should we be lobbying our MP for a change in dog laws to state that dogs should be on leads at ALL times when in public places. There is no point the BHS campaigning for places to ride if loose dogs are making places dangerous. Sorry to upset dog owners but the situation is now getting much worse. Did anyone hear thr Radio 2 debate last week about dogs attacking cyclists in parks, and of course children have always been a target. In my experience dog walkers are usually very arrogant and refuse to put thier dogs on leads even when asked politely. Do we want them sniffing and jumping up at us with dirty feet and when they have been licking thier bottoms- I DON'T. It appears to me that dog walkers want everywhere to themselves so they should pay for the priviledge.
 
I would probably ride hell for leather towards the owner and frighten the living c**p out of him! Either that or if I was quick enough and agile enough I'd get off and grab the bl**dy dog or give it a swift kick or ten! Sorry about that, believe it or not I am a dog lover, I own 4 dogs and would never harm a hair on their bodies but if a dog attacked my horse it would know about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I think you might be winding yourself up a little bit. Given the large number of horses and dogs in the UK, the proportion of dog attacks on horses is really tiny and you are unlikely to be the unfortunate victim of an attack. In addition many horses will stand their ground and kick at a dog so even if you are attacked there is a good chance the dog will be more injured than the horse.

I entirely agree with you that dog owners should keep their animals under control, although I have to say people around here are very considerate, and we've never had a problem.
But if you are bothered by dogs sniffing at you, I think you are exaggerating a bit.

Not sure the licensing system would as it would be extremely expensive and the ID number would have to be huge to be visible even if dog owners did display it (I would imagine someone who had not bothered to either train or control their dog probably would not bother registering it or displaying its ID number either).
 
Where I keep my horse the dog got in the field,tried nipping my horse's legs but dog got the worst end of it,got a wallop of a kick from my horse.Dog doesnt go near now.
 
When we ride through the park, it happens regularly where owners have their dogs off the lead and they chase the horses whether we are walking trotting or cantering and they dont have the power to call them off. This has caused, falls, bites, kicks, mostly injured dogs but when the horse has a dog between its legs they get very spooked and can cause injury to themselves. And always the owner shouts at us saying to control the horse - control you bl00dy dog!!!
Plenty can call the dog to their side till we pass (and we thank them) but too often they cant - if you cant call your dog back it should be on the lead
 

I agree with you that dogs can be a danger when riding and just like yourself i think we ought to do this thing properly.
i feel it's really improtant than rather then punish those dogs/owners that attack or harass others we should in fact punish ALL dog owners.
Actually i'm not overly keen on children either, particularly those really friendly ones who want to put their horrid sticky hands all over my dog. There are always children wanting to cuddle and stroke my dog. i say all children should be kept on a harness if out in public places. and i was reading in the paper just the other day that some teenager had attacked someone so best punish all teenagers, just to be sure!

Sorry Mal, but i'm a tad fed up with all us dog owners being tarred with the same brush!! and you may not want to 'upset dog owners', but generalizing like that is a very good way to go about it!
Of course dog owners should do their best to keep their dogs under control at all times, but would you believe it, MOST of us do!
and in my experience MOST dog owners are a friendly bunch, who when i'm on my horse are quick to call their dogs, and often hold them out of the way as i ride past.
 
We have reported a dog owner near us who walks 6 ridgebacks and lets them off the leash on the common and encourages them to chase the horses. 2 riders have fallen off and only then do the dogs get called off.
I have been unfortunate enought be chased by these dogs too and Bondi bolted with me in a blind panic. It is terrifying.

As I say, we have reported them to the police, but this has been ongoing for near enough 3 years now.

The police have "spoken with him" and he has fobbed them off with some story about getting split leads for the dogs, so he has more control.

I do think that something needs to be done about it, but what? We cant stop people letting their dogs off the lead and can only be polite and ask them to gain control of their dogs. The area that I ride (Ashridge, Berkhamsted) is very popular with riders and dog walkers and we only have issues with this one owner. Everyone else pops their dog on a lead as we approach or calls their dog away. We never canter past dog walkers, I find it quite rude, and anything could flick up off the horses hooves and cause an injury.

We as riders need to remember that not all people know how to behave around horses and neither do most dogs. Its pure excitement in most cases and is very rarely out of maliciousness.
 
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I know the BHS are currently compiling stats but I feel something radical needs to be done so that we can all go out into the countryside and feel safe. People are afraid to go back to these places for fear of being atacked again and that is just not fair.

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I ride out in the country and feel safe.
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Yes, I have even been attacked by a couple of dogs, whom I notified the police about, and as it happens they were caught and PTS, but I don't worry about hacking out around there since.
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I think all dogs should be licenced and passported and issued with an identity number which should be prominently displayed by both dog and handler when out in public places. The number could be attached to the dogs collar but should be alot bigger than the current identity disc for ease of seeing. The handler should also wear a number. The number could then be passed to the police in the case of an incident. The police have been issued with extra guidance recently and are now taking these issues more seriously, thank god.

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There are an estimated 8 million dogs in the UK, therefore identification numbers would be many figures, and if you want them visible from horseback then they would have to be huge. My little dog wouldn't be able to support a collar with a tag that size, lol! Your idea is completely unworkable.

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Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do in an attack? I have read that pepper spray is good but I don't know if it is legal in this country or where to get it from if it is.

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No Pepper spray is not legal!
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Other suggestions are to throttle the dog (easier said than done) or gouge it's eyes out, but who could do that.

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Yeah right....
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As horse riders, should we be lobbying our MP for a change in dog laws to state that dogs should be on leads at ALL times when in public places. There is no point the BHS campaigning for places to ride if loose dogs are making places dangerous. Sorry to upset dog owners but the situation is now getting much worse.

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I think as horse riders we should be far more concerned about safety on the road, and that if we start campaigning to restrict dog walkers freedom it is only going to going to make us less popular with the public.

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Did anyone hear thr Radio 2 debate last week about dogs attacking cyclists in parks, and of course children have always been a target.

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Radio 2 debates are a joke
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They aren't remotely factual and just made up of a load of overexcited Daily Mail readers who enjoy being outraged and putting in their £2 worth!
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In my experience dog walkers are usually very arrogant and refuse to put thier dogs on leads even when asked politely. Do we want them sniffing and jumping up at us with dirty feet and when they have been licking thier bottoms- I DON'T. It appears to me that dog walkers want everywhere to themselves so they should pay for the priviledge.

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LOL! Not where I live and I spend hours a day walking my dog...
The fact is, dog walkers who aren't in control of their dogs are already breaking the law and there is no need to punish the rest and make all stay on their leads.

If you think about it, it could be said by many of the public that horse riders are arrogant, for taking over the road, making everyone slow down, sh*tting on the roads, and wanting special treatment etc etc, but the fact is we just all need to show a little consideration and it's perfectly possible for us to all share our enjoyment of the countryside.
 
Thanks for taking the pee. If you don't have anything constructive to say keep your sarcasm to yourself. If you ever have a problem with a dog you will probably take this more seriously. Keeping a dog on a lead is not a punishment, it is common courtesy and can be implemented by local councils under a Dog Control Order. People have had very nasty accidents and other dogs, horses, cyclists and children have died or been severly injured as a result of dog attacks.
 
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There have been a number of attacks recently and in each case the owner of the dog always takes off without a thought for the injured party.

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Right yes, because its so much more constructive to stay with a dog who has just attacked the horse, to see if its ok
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You really didn't think before you posted did you...
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Sorry, my last post was to Perce. Thank you to those who have offered support.
Kitsune, not sure where you are coming from. If your dog had caused an accident would you really leave a wounded horse and rider in the middle of nowhere and run away? If it were me I would put the dog on a lead, call for help on my mobile, and stay with the injured parties till helped arrived. (You can still keep the dog at a safe distance.) Then face the consequences with the police and promise to keep my dog on a lead in future and hopefully then it will not be PTS.
 
If my dog were gunning for a horse then no - I wouldn't keep my predatory animal around a frightened prey animal - I personally would phone for help, leave my telephone no and take the dog home and then come back.
 
I think we have both made things clear enough and the point of my post was to to obtain some constructive advice in the event of an attack and to prevent attacks from happening in the future. All CONSTRUCTIVE comments welcome . If anyone has suffered a dog incident they can complete the Dog Incident report form on the BHS web site. They are currently compiling data in an attempt to eridicate these incidents. I think this proves that there is a problem out there.
 
No I don't you you have made anything clear, you have just run your mouth off suggesting outlandish ideas that have no basis whatsoever in reality.
 
Without exception, every competion I have been to states in the rules that dogs must be kept on leads at all times, yet, without exception, at every competion I have been to there are loose dogs in the lorry park.

I went to walk a xc course on saturday (day before the competion) with my two small children, nearly two and nearly four, and as we were walking back to our vehicle, I saw a group of people coming towards the start with three dogs, all off the lead. We were in clear view of them from quite a distance, yet as we got closer, two of the three dogs came tearing up to us and were jumping up at and licking the faces of my children, who were holding each of my hands, not running around. The owners managed to call them away eventually and did say sorry, but this was private land, and it had been stated that dogs should be on leads at all times!
These dogs were friendly, but no dog should ever be trusted, how often do you hear "Oh, he's never done that before".

To Perce, My children have a right to go out and get fresh air and exercise and their rights will always come before those of any dog!
 
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Dogs that injure horses should be PTS as they are obviously a danger to society,once they taste blood they will want more.Well known fact!!!

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LMFAO best post ever. Fact!
 
I can certainly see where you are coming from, mal. Something does need to be done so we can all enjoy our right to the countryside with out being at risk from dogs. IMO all dogs have the potential to bite. I think you do have the support of the larger organizations,like the Kennel Club and BHS, and the Government too. Dog owners should note the advice from the Kennel Club re keeping dogs on leads! There is a pending Dog Control Act being debated in Parliament at the moment and the Animals Act is soon to be amended so lets hope this helps those of us who are frightened by dogs.
 
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Without exception, every competion I have been to states in the rules that dogs must be kept on leads at all times, yet, without exception, at every competion I have been to there are loose dogs in the lorry park.

I went to walk a xc course on saturday (day before the competion) with my two small children, nearly two and nearly four, and as we were walking back to our vehicle, I saw a group of people coming towards the start with three dogs, all off the lead. We were in clear view of them from quite a distance, yet as we got closer, two of the three dogs came tearing up to us and were jumping up at and licking the faces of my children, who were holding each of my hands, not running around. The owners managed to call them away eventually and did say sorry, but this was private land, and it had been stated that dogs should be on leads at all times!
These dogs were friendly, but no dog should ever be trusted, how often do you hear "Oh, he's never done that before".

To Perce, My children have a right to go out and get fresh air and exercise and their rights will always come before those of any dog!

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What's that got to do with the price of fish?
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You're talking about private land, where it has been specified that dogs should be on a lead. OP is talking about public land and changing the law.
 
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Dogs that injure horses should be PTS as they are obviously a danger to society,once they taste blood they will want more.Well known fact!!!

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LMFAO best post ever. Fact!

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*giggles*
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Yes and us all wearing little bibs with our numbers on - its like 1984 brought to life
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Good job I have such a big rack then, if the numbers are going to be 8 million +
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OP - I walk my dog in the dark sometimes, will I get glow in the dark numbers on mine?
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QR
I think you are much more likely to get hit by a badly driven car than attacked by a dog so I wouldn't get too stressed about it.
 
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I think you do have the support of the larger organizations,like the Kennel Club and BHS, and the Government too.

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*chokes on tea*
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QR
I think you are much more likely to get hit by a badly driven car than attacked by a dog so I wouldn't get too stressed about it.

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Good point. I think we need to keep all cars on leads!
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