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Dangerous dog. What would you do?


sadako

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Hello. Thought I'd ask everyone's opinion on this as I witnessed something horrid today and not really sure what to do (or if there is anything I can do).

 

I was walking with family and friend at Lymm Dam today and a staffordshire bull terrier (think it was thay breed) attacked a puppy. The staff was on a lead but was being controlled by a young girl (around 12) who obviously didn't have the strength to stop the dog when he decided to attack. The dog's owner (girl's father) was shouting at the dog to let go and was trying to prize it's jaws open which didn't work and he got injured as a result. The owner of the puppy was frantic and her kids were traumatized. It wasn't until my partner grabbed the dogs tail that he let go. The lady of the puppy ran off holding the pup that wasn't moving. Not sure if he was dead or stunned. The man and his staff walked the other way.

 

Do/should I report this? It is playing on my mind and I'm shook up thinking about it but not really sure how to go about. If I did I couldn't give a good description of the man or any details as to where they went. It bothers me thay this dog didn't have a muzzle and the owner didn't know how to deal with its behaviour. There were young kids about including my own thay witnessed it. Really angry.

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OMG what an awful thing to happen and to witness for all involved :(  I hope the little puppy is ok :( 

I'd imagine the pups owner will have reported it or their vet will have as I presume they would have taken it to a vet.  Personally I would probably have reported it myself too though so there was a record and maybe the pups owner might need witnesses if her little dog was badly injured.

Pretty scarey stuff and yes best to report just in case so that the staffie owner and dog can be found and evaluated etc

Staffies are usually lovely dogs though and very gently, sadly they get a bad name because of awful incidents like this :(

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Dogs can either take to each other or become highly aggressive to each other - that's nature.  Proper training can help, but keeping the dog on a lead, held by a competent adult,  helps even more.  However, there may be a need to give the dog a proper run (for a ball etc); so I guess you have to find some empty space.  If reported, the police will test the dog, to see if it's got an aggressive temprement; if it passes, the owner will probably just receive a police caution.

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Definitely report it, and keep a record of any communications with the police.

 

Like most public bodies services are stretched and this isn't going to be at the top of their priorities, but they need to know.

 

There's been similar occurences around here over the past few months and the animal in question was returned to the owner on the condition that it was kept muzzled when outdoors. It's been seen numerous times since, and neither it or its owner was wearing a muzzle.

 

The police know and have done bugger all.

 

Then there's stuff like this:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-37094526

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  • 2 weeks later...

So are you saying that the police view is that if any dog viciously attacks another dog but the attacking dog is on a lead then that's ok?  Surely not !! 

What if the dog (on a lead) attacked a child or any other person would the police take action then or would the view still be the same?

I'd have thought they WOULD have taken some form of action even if only to to find who the other dog belonged too so as to assess its temperament etc just to be on the safe side.

So sad to hear that the small puppy dog died :( :(  Its owners must be heartbroken not to mention traumatised from the whole experience. 

 

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So sad for the poor puppy and it must have been a terrible experience for it's owner and the children who witnessed it who would have been traumatised.

It's annoying that the police don't take these matters seriously enough. Was it known whether it was actually a police officer or a PCSO? to whom it was reported? These 'Community officers' are merely to deal with minor incidents in the community and don't always seem know the law.  

 

There could be a couple of reasons that this was not dealt with more seriously by either the police or PCSO'S. 

1) The owner of the puppy didn't press for charges to be made.

2) or no witnesses came forward who were prepared to make a statement. 

 

What could have happened is that the owner could have been informed that the attacking dog was on a lead and so the other owner couldn't have been charged. (I've heard of this happening before) - but this is incorrect.

A dog has to be kept under adequate control, the attacking dog was obviously not or it wouldn't have been able to kill the puppy, the fact that the attacking dog was on a lead has little bearing on the matter. The only 'defence' the attacking dog's owner would have is if the puppy was not on a lead and had not just approached but attacked their dog first. Even so, one would expect that they should have enough control over the animal to prevent it killing the other dog.  

A similar incident happened in Latchford (it was all over the news at the time) - 2 dogs, both on leads, attacked another dog - the owner was prosecuted for not having them under adequate control.

 

If there are witnesses who have, for whatever reasons, not reported this and made a formal statement they should ask themselves how they will feel if the same dog at some time in the future attacks and kills a child.

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  • 2 months later...

And then it all went quiet, I'd guess.

 

Here's the latest on the one I referred to in #4:

 

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2017/01/12/dog-lovers-blame-owner-after-staffordshire-bull-terrier-put-down/

 

A necessary but unhappy outcome.

 

Good work, Gary.

Thanks - we highlighted the issue back end of the year working closely with residents and although a sorry outcome probably the right one on this occasion - although there should be a penalty against the owner who should be banned from having a dog for life!

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Such a shame but yes clearly the only outcome for the dog in this case thanks to the pathetic owner.  It obviously had issues with other dogs but must not have been aggressive in any other way
or the police would not have given it back to him the first time after assessing it. 

The owner should be banned for life from owning dogs and should have been heavily fined too for not keeping the dog under control on a lead and for not ensuring it wore a muzzel when out like he was told to do  :( 

Clearly no action will be taken against him though from what the story says seeing as though he voluntarily handed over the dog agreeing to have it put sleep.

 

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Why do people always seem to blame the owners? Yes the owner may own the dog, but it is the dog itself that clamps its jaws around a childs face and rips it to bits.... Frankly I can't see the purpose of any private owner having a dog like a Staffie or a doberman or any other huge and powerful dog. They are a loaded gun waiting to go off and you can have the best trained, nicest seeming dog on the planet, but if it is frightened, agitated, goaded or provoked, it will lash out in the primitive way it knows best.

 

If you have to walk your huge dog around on the end of a piece of chain strong enough to tie an ocean liner up, surely that should tell you something about its potential

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Seems to me when it comes to dogs,some people seem to leave their brains on a hook by the door. How often have you seen people hauling on leads whilst the dog snaps and snarls and come out with the expression "oh he's a big softy really wouldn't hurt a fly" or the equally "Just ignore him he's just being playful".

 

As for the size of dogs it is one of the few cases where size does not matter when it cones to the potential for doing harm, take this from somebody who was once bitten quite savagely by a chihuahua and spent twenty five minutes trying to get my uncles jack russel to release my trouser leg.

 

 actually i have been bitten by nearly every pet i have ever owned over the years with the possible exception of the goldfish and even that gave me threatening looks, i am sure there was a touch of piranha in it's ancestry.

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