Another tragedy

huskydog

this week a Preston lad has been killed by his dog , a Pit-bull type , is it not time that something is done about owning this type of breed and some others , it's seems to easy to own a dog that could be a danger to the owner and other people without knowing
a thing about the breed or how to handle a dog

everyone says there dog is not a problem ,but you don't know 

I would not trust my dog 100% when around other people , you never know if for some reason she ( the dog) would take a dislike to someone and react 

a few of my customers who own dogs haven't got a clue how to bring up their pet , and in some cases have them for all the wrong reason

volvoman9

According too todays paper the guy could have been haveing a fit or some type of seizure at the time the dog attacked him.This is a possability as he was only 22 years old and should have been able too fight the dog off under normal circumstances. A friend
of the deceased did say that the dogs behaviour had changed and become more aggressive over the last couple of months.A tragic case.

peter.

Pippah45

Indeed Peter tragic - I believe dogs react to what they consider weird sounds - and having a seizure would be one.  I am truly concerned that my son and DIL are not careful enough with the new babe - they have two Cavapoos (cavalier KC x poodles both boys)
and the babe has been left in the small rocker - easily within reach of the dogs.  On the surface the dogs look quite fond of the baby but who knows if he gives off the wrong signals in the dogs minds? 

volvoman9

Well Pippah thats the problem with animals we dont know for sure what they will do in any given situation and in this case it seems the poor lad was in no position too defend himself and there was nobody there too help him.

peter.

Takethedogalong

Awful for the poor man, an undoubted tragedy. Pit bulls are on the DDA list, however, no one seems to check who buys/owns a listed dog, nor is there likely to be much law enforcement given that our Police forces are stretched to the limit.
They are a known problem, so why take one on? Only the owner will know that, and has to live with any consequences. Given that they are supposed to be neutered, and that it is illegal to sell one, then you have to wonder to what lengths people go to obtain
a Pit Bull.

Not to be confused with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or English Bull Terriers, totally different breeds. 

Rocky 2 buckets

It is sad to see so many of the owners of Dogs(any breed) coming out with the statement-'but it wouldn't bite or be aggressive to anyone' either before or after an attack. NO Dog is predictable anyone who thinks otherwise is courting tragedy. Never ever
should a Dog be left alone with the vulnerable of any age. These painful tragedies are avoidable.

Serge

yes

JVB66

As Martin Clunes said in his programme about dogs,"you are living with a wolf" no matter what breed it is

AJB

Absolutely true.... and if anyone notices a difference in the behaviour of their dog, then a trip to the vet is not a bad idea! (yes I know it costs, but that's much better than someone being injured/scarred/killed)

Pippah45

I fell downstairs a few years ago and mine all descended on me in a pack thinking I was playing!  I was very glad I hadn't injured myself!  I am cautious about the epileptic labrador and the other dog - as she pokes her nose in when a seizure is on.  It
is of course natural for fit dogs to kill off what they consider an injured one or weak one - such a tragedy - with the Wolf in any breed and of course they are animals too.  My father was always convinced that my GSDs would kill me - only injuries from the
two he didn't trust was a concussion in a play incident! 

mickysf

As Martin Clunes said in his programme about dogs,"you are living with a wolf" no matter what breed it is

Write your comments here...absolutely right, this pedigree thing is just a manmade misnomer for inbreeding! 

Also like us human 'creatures' I'm sure there are dogs which are mentally/socially/emotionally different to the rest of the pack. Both nature and nurture play there parts. Thankfully all my dogs have been excellent faithfull friends and companions but I've always been aware of the fact that even the most placid ones could behave unpredictably even though I never witnessed the likes.

Athel

I think it is dangerous in situations like this to confuse actual pit bulls and pit bull types. Any dog of any breed or combination of breeds can be deemed pit bull type if they fit a set of measurements. I haven't seen the news about this other than the
headlines. Bull breeds actually tend to be very good with people (thinking about what they are bred to do you do not want a dog that is going to turn and attack their owner during a fight) but I can understand a dog being confused by a fit if that was indeed
what happened.

I used to work in a vets and one of the saddest things I remember was a lab that had a brain tumour (diagnosed post mortem) and had to be put to sleep after attacking one of the grandkids - this was a dog that had spent many years as a much loved family
pet with no issues at all with the kids. It was so sad seeing how upset the owners were. As AJB says changes in behaviour can be down to a medical issue so worth getting checked out.

mickysf

Sad and tragic as they are, these events though extremely rare, are a fact and do/will happen. Just a thought, I'm no behaviourist but with pack animals there always seems to be an alpha adult. The subordinates will accept their position in the 'pecking order' but these betas will bide their time and strike out for leadership at any sign of weakness and will take the opportunity to overpower the 'top dog'. We as owners of dogs assume the alpha role. 

Athel

Actually we don't. The research that domestic dogs operate by pack theory in terms of alpha members etc (and in fact the original research into wolves) has long since been disproved. The research was done on an artificially created pack - the individuals
did not know each other and were forcedto live together so the pack they created was nothing like the dynamic in a real wolf pack. Link explaining if anyone is interested in reading further - http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_12/features/Alpha-Dogs_20416-1.html

mickysf

Actually we don't. The research that domestic dogs operate by pack theory in terms of alpha members etc (and in fact the original research into wolves) has long since been disproved. The research was done on an artificially created pack - the individuals
did not know each other and were forcedto live together so the pack they created was nothing like the dynamic in a real wolf pack. Link explaining if anyone is interested in reading further - http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_12/features/Alpha-Dogs_20416-1.html

Write your comments here...yes I've seen this article before but don't forget, like my suggestion, it is just a theory, nothing more! Artificially trying to recreate a pack with already adult 'socialised' dogs proves very little If anything. The core dominant
instincts may run deep and dormant until triggered.

kenexton

Awful for the poor man, an undoubted tragedy. Pit bulls are on the DDA list, however, no one seems to check who buys/owns a listed dog, nor is there likely to be much law enforcement given that our Police forces are stretched to the limit.
They are a known problem, so why take one on? Only the owner will know that, and has to live with any consequences. Given that they are supposed to be neutered, and that it is illegal to sell one, then you have to wonder to what lengths people go to obtain
a Pit Bull.

Not to be confused with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or English Bull Terriers, totally different breeds. 

Write your comments here...thanks TDA ,we have a Staffie in our household.She is has been professionally trained and has excellent manners and is not a "thugs" dog.However we would never leave her alone with a child or a vulnerable adult but we would not
do that with any breed of dog.The problem with most  problem dogs  is at the end of the lead held by the owner.

ABM

According  to  B,B.C.  Lancashire  today  --  The  young  man  was  having  an  Epileptic  Fit.  They  also  stated  that  the  dog,  which  has  been  destroyed,  was  NOT  a  Banned  Breed.

None  the  less  its  still  a  tragedy  all  round.

 

Brian

spk

My cocker goes mad if you even sneeze. I suspect this dog got very excited and then scared by the fit and then its natural self preservation instinct kicked in.

A sad lesson to us all that dogs "can" revert back to "dog" pretty quickly.

IamtheGaitor

Any dog can pose a threat - doesnt have to be a 'type'. We have two GS crosses and before that we had another GS and a bull terrier, before that medium/large crossbreeds.   All could have been potentially dangerous if they decided to bite.  Breed specific legislation is inherantly flawed - some of the worse behaved dogs are the little yappy snappys. What does need controlling is the random breeding and lack of socialisation/care/training that some dogs suffer from.  Also the way some children are allowed to treat dogs like toys.

All dogs should now be chipped but whether there will actually be any enforcement I dont know - there certainly isnt in the horse world where passports and chips have been mandatory for years.

  I personally believe all dogs should also be neutered unless owned by a suitable breeder (not KC approved as a breed type but an approved breeder) but how that would be enforced I am not sure as the backyard breeders would just claim ''accidental'' breeding.

mickysf

Any dog can pose a threat - doesnt have to be a 'type'. We have two GS crosses and before that we had another GS and a bull terrier, before that medium/large crossbreeds.   All could have been potentially dangerous if they decided to bite.  Breed specific legislation is inherantly flawed - some of the worse behaved dogs are the little yappy snappys. What does need controlling is the random breeding and lack of socialisation/care/training that some dogs suffer from.  Also the way some children are allowed to treat dogs like toys.

All dogs should now be chipped but whether there will actually be any enforcement I dont know - there certainly isnt in the horse world where passports and chips have been mandatory for years.

  I personally believe all dogs should also be neutered unless owned by a suitable breeder (not KC approved as a breed type but an approved breeder) but how that would be enforced I am not sure as the backyard breeders would just claim ''accidental'' breeding.

Write your comments here...not sure neutering should be manditory. We owned an intact std schnauzer who was the most placid, respectful and friendly companion. We also had a cockerpoo with all his attributes and never had an issue with him either. However, we were always mindful of the heritage of all dogs and maybe this neutering should be applied to those breeds only which have caused concerns!

spk

Its all about training imo. But never trust any dog with vulnerable people of any age.

Pippah45

I doubt there are any breeds that have not had issues of some sort and I think its a mistake to think any animal is safe in all situations?   I remember being left alone quite young (under 10 I think)  when my grandmother went to the phone or something. 
I started talking to her labradors and it upset them and they really barked at me - fortunately my instinct told me to shut up and sit still - I wouldn't have rated my chances if I had thought of leaving the room in a hurry.  Grandma was astonished when she
came back!