Woman killed, seven dogs seized

There is a man who has a big van and drives up to a field near me. It is enclosed but a one point a little river runs under the fencing (wire stockproof fencing) so there is a gap where the fence is at ground level and the stream/river runs a couple of feet under it in a ditch arrangement(if that makes sense). There use to be lots of undergrowth around the gap so it was not at all obvious. I have walked there for years with my 2 and seen the man with 6 or 7 big GSDs and rotties among other big breeds over the last 2 years. They all run loose in the field. They are intimidating if you walk alongside the field as they throw themselves at the fence sometimes and bark a lot.
Last time I walked there the undergrowth had been cut away and my JRT who loves water jumped into the stream and was staring at the gap underneath which was big enough for a big dog to get through if they wanted. I saw the GSDs x 3 running over barking madly. I am not saying they were attacking but they were bloody scary. The man did not call them back. I put my 2 on lead and hurried past feeling very frightened. I have not walked there again. He was completely disinterested sitting on a chair looking at his phone.
I know this man has been reported for having these dogs (he is a professional doggy day care person) running in the field but apparently it is enclosed and safe so not a problem. To me they are a pack of large breeds most of whom could become aggressive and would certainly be hard to defend a dog or another person against. I believe he rents the field he does not own it.

That poor poor dog walking lady what a dreadful way to die and why is nothing done to stop what are usually predictable "accidents".
 
Amymay said:
It’s now being reported that it was the dogs she was walking that attacked her. Simply awful.
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It's horrific. She'd travelled from London to walk them there. It's not yet clear if she was a professional dog walker.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/woman-twenties-killed-dog-attack/

A woman was set upon and killed by the dogs she was walking at a Surrey beauty spot, it emerged today.

The 28-year-old woman was with eight dogs when she was attacked by one or more of them as she walked the animals along the North Downs on Thursday afternoon.

Another woman who was passing by is understood to have tried to help her, suffering dog bites in the process.

A police source said: “The woman who died was walking eight dogs and was attacked by one or more of them.”
 
That is awful poor woman so sad ?

Lots of dog walkers use the woods opposite our house I really avoid going anywhere near early morning which is when it's the busiest, there is a guy that has had 10 dogs on occasions when I have been riding and have had several run full pelt towards me, he does often have another woman with him but it's scary and he just belows at the dogs so I can hear him before i see him and then I will go in the other direction to get away from him.
 
misst said:
There is a man who has a big van and drives up to a field near me. It is enclosed but a one point a little river runs under the fencing (wire stockproof fencing) so there is a gap where the fence is at ground level and the stream/river runs a couple of feet under it in a ditch arrangement(if that makes sense). There use to be lots of undergrowth around the gap so it was not at all obvious. I have walked there for years with my 2 and seen the man with 6 or 7 big GSDs and rotties among other big breeds over the last 2 years. They all run loose in the field. They are intimidating if you walk alongside the field as they throw themselves at the fence sometimes and bark a lot.
Last time I walked there the undergrowth had been cut away and my JRT who loves water jumped into the stream and was staring at the gap underneath which was big enough for a big dog to get through if they wanted. I saw the GSDs x 3 running over barking madly. I am not saying they were attacking but they were bloody scary. The man did not call them back. I put my 2 on lead and hurried past feeling very frightened. I have not walked there again. He was completely disinterested sitting on a chair looking at his phone.
I know this man has been reported for having these dogs (he is a professional doggy day care person) running in the field but apparently it is enclosed and safe so not a problem. To me they are a pack of large breeds most of whom could become aggressive and would certainly be hard to defend a dog or another person against. I believe he rents the field he does not own it.

That poor poor dog walking lady what a dreadful way to die and why is nothing done to stop what are usually predictable "accidents".
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If this is an official dog walking field I would alert the planning authority, as it is not secure.
 
Spotherisk said:
If this is an official dog walking field I would alert the planning authority, as it is not secure.
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Sadly it is owned by someone who's beautiful house backs onto it. The house has a huge really well fenced garden so the dogs cannot get to the house. The field used to be let to someone who used it for pigs years ago when I first moved here. The pigs did a good job of getting all the brambles etc gone and it is now a pretty nice flat field. I guess the man just rents it for the dogs.
I will try telling the dog warden again but the last person who told the dog warden was advised that it was secure enough.
I am avoiding it at the moment as those dogs really do worry me. I would never walk past with my granddaughter either. The footpath runs next to the field and the stream and there are gardens the other side with high fences and big gardens so nowhere to go if the dogs got out.
 
misst said:
Sadly it is owned by someone who's beautiful house backs onto it. The house has a huge really well fenced garden so the dogs cannot get to the house. The field used to be let to someone who used it for pigs years ago when I first moved here. The pigs did a good job of getting all the brambles etc gone and it is now a pretty nice flat field. I guess the man just rents it for the dogs.
I will try telling the dog warden again but the last person who told the dog warden was advised that it was secure enough.
I am avoiding it at the moment as those dogs really do worry me. I would never walk past with my granddaughter either. The footpath runs next to the field and the stream and there are gardens the other side with high fences and big gardens so nowhere to go if the dogs got out.
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Can you not speak to the owner of the house? They may not care, but at least you've raised it and if nothing else they would be liable if the worst did happen and may check the fencing themselves.
 
misst said:
Sadly it is owned by someone who's beautiful house backs onto it. The house has a huge really well fenced garden so the dogs cannot get to the house. The field used to be let to someone who used it for pigs years ago when I first moved here. The pigs did a good job of getting all the brambles etc gone and it is now a pretty nice flat field. I guess the man just rents it for the dogs.
I will try telling the dog warden again but the last person who told the dog warden was advised that it was secure enough.
I am avoiding it at the moment as those dogs really do worry me. I would never walk past with my granddaughter either. The footpath runs next to the field and the stream and there are gardens the other side with high fences and big gardens so nowhere to go if the dogs got out.
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Anonymous letter sent in the post to the address, politely informing of the problem and with phrases like ‘I’m concerned for your liability if the dogs get through the broken fencing?’
 
DEFRA looked at regulating dog walkers and livery yards when they wrote the 2018 Act but ran out of time and dropped both activities off the legislation.

I really hope this incident brings it back to the table to be debated and legislated on. Many Council's have byelaws in for dog walking on Council owned land, parks etc but I really do think the whole industry needs regulating now.
 
There is something really weird about this. Normal pet dogs don't just turn on people, do they?

When my father was in hunting his hounds were once exposed to a substance (thought to be LSD by the police) laid by saboteurs which literally blew their minds. He said they were terrifying. He was so upset, mainly about what could of happened if there had been a person in the vicinity. He was frightened to get in amongst them at the time, his dear friends.
 
Alwaysmoretoknow said:
In no way wanting to deny how awful this situation is it must also be dreadful for the owners of the possibly innocent dogs which have been seized by the authorities and kennelled awaiting investigation. The whole situation is just heartbreaking.
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How will those owners feel about the fact that their much loved pet has been involved in the death of a person? (if, as reported all the dogs acted as a pack)
 
Is it definitely a dog walker or is it someone with their Own dogs, seems odd that a dog walker would Travel from London. In a couple of days the full facts will come to light.
 
meleeka said:
How will those owners feel about the fact that their much loved pet has been involved in the death of a person? (if, as reported all the dogs acted as a pack)
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I'm not sure 'all the dogs in question' are responsible for what happened as the authorities had to locate some of them using drones as they'd run away from a stressful situation There has been some irresponsible news feeds feeding into the click bait theory of ' all dogs are dangerous'. Perhaps we should wait and see what the investigations reveal?
Generally speaking 'much-loved pets' don't usually kill people.
 
splashgirl45 said:
Is it definitely a dog walker or is it someone with their Own dogs, seems odd that a dog walker would Travel from London. In a couple of days the full facts will come to light.
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The police have said "We know the owners of all the dogs and are in contact with them over their animals”.
 
The Times has printed a more detailed account, but I can’t seem to copy it. The 7 dogwalker dogs, including a leonberger, attacked a small dog owned by another woman. The other owner picked her little dog up and was bitten by one of the dogwalker dogs, then all of the dogs turned on the dog walker and got her down on the ground. Apparently some horse riders approached and were chased, with a rider coming off. It sounds like absolute bedlam.

The poor woman, to be turned on by the dogs you were supposed to be looking after. Tragic.
 
Petalpoos said:
The Times has printed a more detailed account, but I can’t seem to copy it. The 7 dogwalker dogs, including a leonberger, attacked a small dog owned by another woman. The other owner picked her little dog up and was bitten by one of the dogwalker dogs, then all of the dogs turned on the dog walker and got her down on the ground. Apparently some horse riders approached and were chased, with a rider coming off. It sounds like absolute bedlam.

The poor woman, to be turned on by the dogs you were supposed to be looking after. Tragic.
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Who in their right mind walks a Leonberger with 6 other dogs? A Leonberger can easily weigh as much as an adult woman. And somewhere where they are likely to be more excitable than usual!
Of course it's tragic but the scenario sounds like a disaster of some kind just waiting to happen.
 
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