A fourteen year old girl has been killed...

[JustGiveMeFiveMinutes]

...mauled to death by four dogs.

RIP

[TotemPole]

I just read about it.

It's horrific. the poor girl.

[HarrietSchulenberg]

Horrific as it is, it's just going to stir up the dangerous dogs debate again. When will people realise it's not the dogs it's the bloody owners.
Poor girl and poor family.

[seeker]

Sometimes it's the dogs........

[Nancy66]

horrible. what a way to die.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

'It's not the dogs' is no defence. It looks as though the dogs killed the girl, not the owner. The owner should be prosecuted for whatever version of manslaughter is applicable and the dogs should be destroyed if they haven't been already. Poor kid. She must have been terrified.

[Callisto]

It absolutely was the dogs. Two staffie types and two bull mastiffs. And while I do think that you get the dog you deserve, this would not have happened if these dogs had been greyhounds or jack russels for example. No doubt someone will wheel out the old staffies = nanny dogs rubbish again soon.

I actually think the owner of these dogs should be prosecuted for murder.

[HeySoulSister]

Wasn't much in the news this morning. How do dogs just turn in this way? 5 dogs, 4 destroye

[DreamsTurnToGoldDust]

Horrific for that poor girl. RIP Jade

The owners without doubt should be prosecuted, 5 quite big dogs in a fairly small house, its just wrong isnt it really.

[Nancy66]

it is wrong but, sadly, the sort of people who own dogs like this aren't usually blessed with a lot of common sense

[bubbles1231]

There'll be lots of factors at play here which culminated in this tragedy
genetics of the dogs,
the owner,
the type of training they have or havent received,
the conditions in which they were kept,
the possible lack of a proper stimulating environment,
their feeding
and also why someone thought it was a responsible thing to do leaving a child alone with what was essentially a pack of dogs, while she was eating.

[LIZS]

Dreadful - time that certain breeds are only permitted under specific conditions.

[cleangreens]

They were 2 bull mastiffs and 2 staffordshire bull terriers.

I could be wrong but if it had been a golden retriever, a black lab, a dalmatian and a beagle I doubt it would have gone the same way.

That said it is the type of people that are drawn to this type of dog which can lead to a potentially disastrous scenario. They possibly weren't trained properly (if at all) socialised, exercised, fed properly etc.

Absolutely horrific poor girl .

[Lizzylou]

Absolutely horrific.
I read that the dog's owner had sold puppies from 2 of the dogs last year, so the cycle continues.
Agree with Callisto and Nancy's posts.

[duchesse]

What horrifies me most is that will be mawkish displays of sentimentality from people all over the country who actually still bloody own dogs like these. They are bred for fighting and nothing can overcome that, no amount of gentle handling - they will always be fighting dogs no matter what you do.

Poor child.

[DeepRedBetty]

Wasn't a child killed by a Jack Russell a while ago?

And I've seen a beautiful cute Golden Retreiver ripping into an adult - needed hospital treatment.

It's owners, not dogs - but any dog can be aggressive in some circumstances.

[MyOtherNameIsFunnier]

I give this thread about two minutes before the dog lot turn up in force to protect their poor much maligned dog breeds.


When's the last time you read about someone's King Charles Spaniel or Westie ripping a child to shreds? Thought not.

[TheNebulousBoojum]

Bull mastiffs are huge though. I was out walking once and I heard a gallumphing noise, so I turned round.
The dog stood up on his hind legs, paws on my shoulders and licked my face.
Huge.

[Sparklingbrook]

Who needs to own 5 dogs? Really? In a normal house. It's just unbelievable.

[MyOtherNameIsFunnier]

Jack Russels are bred for hunting and will go after small prey.

Having seen a pack of them tear a cat to pieces, they're another breed I dont' think anyone with half a brain would leave unattended around children.

[duchesse]

I own a 13yo labrador and a 2 yo bernese mountain dog, both very gentle, lovely tempered creatures, but I still never, ever leave my 3 year old alone with them. It's just not worth the risk. If I have to go upstairs I shut them in the hall if DD is in the sitting room.

[duchesse]

Have to say I would never have expected a 14 year to be killed though.

[TheDegglyDonkey]

I think the locking jaw thing is a myth.
However, I do agree that generally, these horrific attacks are carried out by certain breeds. Whether this is down to training and socialisation (or lack of), or breed characteristics, or sheer bad luck, I don't know.

[Sparklingbrook]

I think it is the age of the child that is most shocking. To think that a 14 year old was so overwhelmed by the dogs she couldn't save herself.

[TheNebulousBoojum]

Here's a lovely picture of bull mastiffs. Fancy your chances against two?
www.bodaciousbullmastiffs.co.nz/Photos/Bodacious%20Bullmastiff%20Team%20September%202009.jpg