That's a trite response, and not a particularly helpful addition to the debate - very few people have been mauled to death by spaniels. As you are well aware there is a huge weighting towards bull breeds when looking at serious and fatal dog attacks.
I didn't think it needed an explanation but all dogs can injury or kill someone. A Chihuahua could kill a baby if left alone with it - which could easily happen with an irresponsible owner. You wrote that you thought people shouldn't be allowed to own "potentially dangerous dogs". However, given that all dogs fit this category, some more than others, it would be impossible to write the legislation that you seem to be advocating for.
Goodness, why are some people being so snide? I love a good debate, but it really adds nothing if you're just going to be immature. I personally am obviously not going to be in charge of any legislation, so asking me to compile a list of dogs is not very useful, although for the record I really don’t see why people feel the need to own many of the breeds you have listed. I'm sure someone, somewhere, at some time, has been killed by every breed of dog that exists; that really has no bearing on the argument. Neither does the fact that dear old Killer the staffie is a big softie and everybody loves him. The facts are that most serious and fatal dog attacks are perpetrated by dogs of an identifiable type. I therefore feel that it is not unreasonable to contemplate controls. Or is everyone happy to just carry on and let the staus quo continue?
I respectfully disagree that people other than the police or military shouldn't be allowed to own the breeds often deemed dangerous. I shared my life with a German Shepherd for over 12 years and she never bit anyone, vets always told me they wished all of their patients were as sweet and compliant with them as she was, the vet who put her to sleep in March cried almost as hard as I did. I have been around a lot of German Shepherds in my life and there has only been one who was a dangerous dog and that was the owner's fault (said owner shouldn't have owned any type of dog, much less a powerful breed). I know there are poorly bred German Shepherds as well as idiots who have no business owning the breed but in my experience the vast majority of people who own them are very responsible.
The programme I saw the victim was found on a couch, she may have been unwell before the attack. In the investigation, when the substitute laid still, the dogs ignore them, it was movement and sound that stimulated them to attack. There are also other reports on small dogs being involved in deaths of people, this is why children should never be left with even household pets on their own.
Babies have been killed by cats, but I agree Jack Russells are not stable dogs (I have had a few), and I'd never trust one with a young child.
a) I like the way you criticised me here but not Cortez who made the same generalisation. Neat trick.
They are Labrador-sized in their heads!
The problem is in many of the cases it’s not the owners. It’s nearly always the same story of someone known to the owner and the dogs who had to go into the house for some reason and the dog has killed them.
So your idea for legislation is crack down on XL bullies, but let people get mauled by the rest? How is that going to decrease dog bites and make for a safer society?