"Are rescue dogs risky?" on the Wright stuff

[giraffesCantGoGuising]

From the story of the poor little girl killed by her pet dog. Very very sad.

I always thought rescue dogs were very very well checked and approved with different families on the basis of their needs. I am not sure if it was a charity that re homed the dog in the story though? So I hope there is not a general backlash against general reputable rescue dog charities.

[OrmirianResurgam]

I guess it depends on the charity as to how hard it works to ensure the right match. I know that the one we used refused several owners with one dog who wasn't suitable for a home with kids.

[SharpLily]

I'll say first of all that I'm only going on what I've read in the news - if they've got it wrong and the information is incorrect then I apologise.

However... (and I know this is harsh) from the information I have seen, the mother was thoroughly irresponsible. Who the hell thinks it's reasonable to put a dog like that in a one bedroom flat?

Apparently she got it from a website where people offer pets for sale rather than a dedicated rehoming charity but had been advised that the dog had suffered abuse in the past. Now if she had gone to a reputable doggy charity, they would a) have properly assessed the dog and b) properly assessed the environment and would NEVER have allowed her to take that particular dog home in those circumstances.

The issue is not rescue dogs, it's irresponsible dog ownership. I say this as the owner of rescue dogs past and present. There is a place for abused dogs, in the correct home environment - and that wasn't it.

[GooseyLoosey]

We had a rescue greyhound. It attacked dd and she needed plastic surgery.

We had had home visits and the rest and the rescue centre were well aware of our children. I thought it was a reputable charity.

It also turned out that there had been warning signs about this dog which they had not told us.

We had a feeling about the dog and had infact arranged to take him back to the rescue the day he went for dd.

[Raddy]

That dog was huge. The woman and her daughter lived in a very small flat. This alone makes me think stringent checks weren't carried out.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

As far as I am aware there is not much regulation of dog rehoming charities and there is nothing to stop a well meaning but clueless dog owner setting themselves up.

[SharpLily]

Oh of course, I should point out that even the best dog rehoming centres can misjudge, but as this poor child's mother didn't go to one of those in the first place that is a different issue. With kids in the house I would be very, very careful about rehoming a dog.

[tabulahrasa]

Reputable rescues assess dogs are careful about where they rehome them and offer back up if needed afterwards...but, there are pounds who take in strays and don't have any history and rehome them to the first person that wants them, people buy dogs from places like gumtree and call it rescuing or take in dogs from other people.

It's an awful situation for that wee girl and her family, but at the moment no-one knows which dog it is or where it came from, the dog being shown in the photos in papers is not the dog that attacked her.

[Dumpylump]

Thought the discussion was actually quite balanced, and there were callers from rescue centres saying that reputable ones would not have rehomed that dog, to that house.
There was also an addendum after the break where they said that the dog pictured may not be the one that attacked the girl.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

You know the dog in all the pictures (French mastiff)is notbthe one who killed her?

[NoBloodyMore]

Leicester police have said the dog who attacked the little girl is not the one in the pictures the media are publicising

[tabulahrasa]

police statement on the dog

[StillSlightlyCrumpled]

A friend of mind returned her rescue dog after only two weeks due to aggression that she had not been warned about at all. It was a reputable centre, her children are all over 10 & all home checks etc were done. Maybe this dog just fooled them.

This incident is on our local news too & the impression given (tho NOT fact) was that it was rescued from an owner rather than a centre.

Terribly, terribly sad, & another reminder to those of us with dogs to never 100% trust them.

[Floralnomad]

I was reading about this sad case on various sites and some said 'rescue 'where others said 'pound' , from my understanding pounds don't check anything in some cases .

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I would have been very interested to see this.

I always assumed reputable places home checked and assessed dogs before allowing them to go to homes.

What I would also like to know is whether owners take responsibility themselves. Charities can only do do much surely, and make a judgement on what is said and what they see.

Owners also have a responsibility. To look up breeds they intend to get, to look at food and exercise requirements. To work out if they have the time and money for a dog and whether or not their home , whether it met minimum requirements on the day, is really truly suitable.

[Scheriously]

I am pregnant and we rehomed a dog a few weeks before I found out. We are well-versed in dealing with difficult dogs, and although this dog - so far - is wonderful and displays no sign of aggression, it will never be left alone with my child. Adults can exercise a certain amount of authority and control over dogs (which is not to say they won't be bitten), but children cannot.

[giraffesCantGoGuising]

Just came on to update about photo dog not being the dog in question. D

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I think that's incredibly dangerous to be circulating random pics.

Anyone will look at it and assume that breed was evil regardless of the fact it's not even the dog responsible

[SharpLily]

That picture should not be used if that is not the dog and French Mastiff is not a particularly definite description but these are big, powerful dogs. They make excellent pets - under the right circumstances.

[SnakeyMcBadass]

I didn't know that the dog which attacked was not the same as the dog in the pics circulated by the media. How irresponsible of them. My heart goes out to the mother of Lexi. Yes, she may have made an error of judgement, but fuck me what a price to pay.

[Scheriously]

Should add that I don't judge the poor girl's mother - some dogs do just turn.

[BMW6]

On the six o'clock BBC news tonight the breed involved was named as a bulldog, 8yo, from a Rescue centre.

Reported that the Mother stabbed dog with kitchen knife to try and stop the attack.

TBH I would be wary of taking on a grown dog that has such a large bite and powerful jaws. ANY dog can bite, of course, but surely you have more chance of fighting off one type over another, and less severe injuries IFSWIM.

A couple I know (pub owners, so dogs are guard dogs) have 3 American Bulldogs, and I wouldn't give much chance of a large adult man fending one of those off, let alone a child.

[Greydog]

i have a rescue dog. We were visited by the rescue people, asked searching questions, our home and garden looked at. We now have a lovely dog, who after being ill treated is sometimes nervous, but is only ever seriously scared of labradors, and irish accents.

[phantomnamechanger]

a family member had a rescue dog, they/their home were vetted, the dog had not shown any signs of aggression and had not been maltreated - all seemed fine - then one day the dog saw him at the opposite side of the garden and went for him - he had to fight it off with a garden fork. Thank god their DC was at school!! One possible explanation was the dog did not recognise him in/or did not like his gardening hat and sunglasses!

Rescue dogs may be slightly more risky than a dog you have had since a pup, in that you do not know what may trigger bad memories if the dog has been abused etc. But fundamentally ALL dogs have the ability to do harm, some obviously more so than others due to size and strength, and therefore no dog should be left with children regardless of how soft they previously seem to have been. how well trained they are, or how sensible the kids are in petting them.

[jamtoast12]

I honestly can't understand the logic of some people - As harsh as it sounds, i cant help but judge the family. there are far too many of these stories and nothing improves because people still have that attitude that it wouldnt happen with my dog! Another life lost and everyone else from the dog to the rescue centre or whatever gets the blame.

There are various photos in the media. One of a white dog and one of a huge brown dog ..either of which should not really be in a flat or left around such a little girl alone. Every few months there are similar stories. I really wish they'd bring in some laws to protect children as this is totally irresponsible. What's happened is totally awful for the family but sadly preventable. I just hope one day dog owners with children take more notice.