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Original poster

“Getting ANY adult dog breed is strongly NOT recommended”

659 replies

tallulahtoo78 · 22/03/2022 09:51

From a dog expert interview on LBC discussing the utterly awful, tragic death of the 17 month old little girl.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Madrenetterhere · 22/03/2022 12:13

I think the reality is there are lots of adult dogs living with children all around the world without any problem for the people or dog itself. The fact is incidents like this will always happen but it is not the norm. We know children and adults alike die from car accidents. We don't then say no children should ever get in a car do we?!

Owning a dog rescue or otherwise will always come with a risk. How much of a risk will depend on the People owning it. Everything in life is risky.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 22/03/2022 12:14

YANBU

My DM rehomed a golden retriever when I was a child, which attacked my brother and also another child.

It's any adult dog. I don't get why people just don't learn. There have been so many incidents in the news and they're the ones that get reported on.

leatherboundbooks · 22/03/2022 12:14

my daughter brought up dachshund from a puppy and she has never ever even as a pup nipped or been agressive, she rehomed one from a friend who was unable to keep him due to circumstances, again she had known the dog since puppyhood, not all dachshunds are bitey, but they are small and an unknown child towering over them or picks them up,ignoring the help go away signals might well make for danger, I'd not leave a small child with them until I was sure that they understood how to read dog language and leave them be if that's what they wanted, it is dangerous for the dogs too. Even with adults they have to get to know them first before they will happily go to them
I've known families with adult dogs and small children/babies and it's been fine, they havae been known dogs and both dog and child havae learned how to behave with the other, it has not been throwing a randome unknown dog and expecting the best

FoxyFoxyLoxy · 22/03/2022 12:15

@ClariceQuiff

*Maybe there needs to be some kind of licensing system involved in buying and selling animals, so there is a registered owner and a record of things like how old the dog is and who has previously owned it. Dogs should be rehomed through registered charities rather than bought and sold on facebook*

This. Much tighter regulation of dog ownership.

And as with everything, the good and responsible dog owners will comply.

The shitty, stupid dog owners won't.

axolotlfloof · 22/03/2022 12:15

@Madrenetterhere

I think the reality is there are lots of adult dogs living with children all around the world without any problem for the people or dog itself. The fact is incidents like this will always happen but it is not the norm. We know children and adults alike die from car accidents. We don't then say no children should ever get in a car do we?!

Owning a dog rescue or otherwise will always come with a risk. How much of a risk will depend on the People owning it. Everything in life is risky.

@Madnetterhere Would you rehome an adult dog into a home with an existing baby/toddler? I cannot imagine why someone would do this.
MadisonAvenue · 22/03/2022 12:17

@CannaBelieve

What breed was the dog? I can't bring myself to read the article!

I strongly believe all dogs should be neutered. We have too many dogs in homing centres

I’m not sure if their policy is still the same but when we adopted our dog from Dogs Trust 10 years ago part of the agreement was that he had to be neutered when he was old enough, and that had to be done by the vet connected to the centre where we had him from. They were very strict on this and actually called to make the appointment when the time came rather than wait for us to arrange it.
Agrudge · 22/03/2022 12:17

Has anyone ever seen a news story about a staffy from a good home with decent owners attacking/killing someone?

I'd guess probably not or extremely rare . There needs to be more focus on the human at the other end of the lead.

BSL has never worked, just like gun laws in the uk.

Responsible owners gave up there guns/dogs

Criminals still have them

UKRAINEwearewithyou · 22/03/2022 12:18

@CannaBelieve

What breed was the dog? I can't bring myself to read the article!

I strongly believe all dogs should be neutered. We have too many dogs in homing centres

From the article:

"I saw them bring the dog out. I couldn't tell what breed it was but from the back it looked like a Staffordshire bull terrier or pit bull," she said.

and

"Police will carry out tests on the animal, which was killed by officers, to see if it was an illegal breed, as well as trying to identify its previous owners."

Anyone with small children please do not get an adult dog without a complete history check and then be very cautious. For all the people who shout don't buy a puppy rehome or get a dog that needs a new home - DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. Puppies grow up with children and they socialise and become used to the family members. Adult dogs come into a home and massive red flag.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 22/03/2022 12:23

Puppies grow up with children and they socialise and become used to the family members.

Not always. There have been cases,of children being attacked by puppies.

purplesequins · 22/03/2022 12:23

I thought selling dogs privately is illegal now?

am I missing something?

poor poor baby
and poor dog

2022HereWeCome · 22/03/2022 12:24

I do find it odd that when DS was a toddler we got all sort of stuff from health visitors etc about preventing childhood injury including toxic plants etc but not a damn thing about the danger of dogs.

I do know children and adults who have been bitten, including my dad at age 70 who was just walking past a large dog on a long lead and the dog lunged and grabbed his arm. The dog was out with a young teen who couldn't control it

OopsaDayZ · 22/03/2022 12:24

@Goldbar

This will probably be controversial but I strongly believe that dogs should not be brought into households with children younger than 7 or 8 (fair enough if the dog was there beforehand and the parents can manage the risks). I don't understand why anyone chooses to have dogs around young children. We'd love a dog but will be waiting until our DC are older and less at risk (and can behave responsibility around a dog).
100% agree with this and said exactly the same to my DH. We have a very soft, gentle breed but we still waited until our youngest was 8 before getting the dog. Toddlers/young children AND dogs both need attention, and it's impossible to supervise both at once.
ZoeCM · 22/03/2022 12:25

I think a lot of people have bought into the idea that as long as you treat a dog right, they'll be fine around kids. The whole 'don't blame the dog blame the owner' when attacks happen.

Yes, I used to believe this. I've never owned a dog, so I just assumed that people who use the mantra "there are no bad dogs, just bad owners" knew what they were talking about. Looking back, I can see how naive that was. Dogs aren't supernatural creatures; of course some of them have higher tendencies towards aggression than others do! It would be weird if they didn't.

kittensinthekitchen · 22/03/2022 12:26

Sorry, but what do you mean by "adult dog breed"? I've googled but not throwing anything up and not sure if I'm missing an obvious typo that everyone else seems to understand but me.

ClariceQuiff · 22/03/2022 12:28

@kittensinthekitchen

Sorry, but what do you mean by "adult dog breed"? I've googled but not throwing anything up and not sure if I'm missing an obvious typo that everyone else seems to understand but me.
They mean 'an adult dog, irrespective of breed'.
AskItaliano · 22/03/2022 12:28

@ZoeCM

I think a lot of people have bought into the idea that as long as you treat a dog right, they'll be fine around kids. The whole 'don't blame the dog blame the owner' when attacks happen.

Yes, I used to believe this. I've never owned a dog, so I just assumed that people who use the mantra "there are no bad dogs, just bad owners" knew what they were talking about. Looking back, I can see how naive that was. Dogs aren't supernatural creatures; of course some of them have higher tendencies towards aggression than others do! It would be weird if they didn't.

The 'no bad dogs only bad owners' thing makes me cringe. Like yeah, on paper, I agree... because when a dog attacks, it doesn't make them 'bad' in a moral way like it would a human, because they're animals that act on instinct and they don't have the same capacity to choose their actions and behaviours as a human, despite their intelligence.

But that's not what people are saying, they're claiming that the only time a dog will attack is if they're being raised improperly. When in reality even the best raised and trained and loved dog can attack, they're domesticated wild animals at the end of the day. We're so used to having domestic dogs we expect them to be perfect and to be completely safe, in a way that we wouldn't expect if we brought a wolf into our home. But you can never breed out the wild completely.

UKRAINEwearewithyou · 22/03/2022 12:28

What breed of dog attacks the most UK?
The 5 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds in the UK
Jack Russell. These tiny balls of energy were originally bred for ratting so it's not surprise that a lack of exercise and training can lead to unwanted aggression piling up. ...
Staffordshire Bull Terrier. ...
Pitt Bull Terrier. ...
German Shepherd. ...
Rottweiler.

DogInATent · 22/03/2022 12:29

@purplesequins

I thought selling dogs privately is illegal now?

am I missing something?

poor poor baby
and poor dog

There are no restrictions on selling an adult dog privately, unless it's a listed breed in the DDA.
UKRAINEwearewithyou · 22/03/2022 12:32

There is a recorded list of fatalities from dog attacks here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

It is clear to see the predominant breeds that kill, hence a number of breeds were subsequently banned. Reading down the list of fatalities it's the same old same old ones.

There is a proposed study into dog attacks (bites as well as deaths) to see what the common factors are.

DogInATent · 22/03/2022 12:34

But you can never breed out the wild completely.
@AskItaliano - true, you can see it in some of the human children in the park too.

kittensinthekitchen · 22/03/2022 12:35

@ClariceQuiff

Ah.
So does that mean any dog that is 'given up' for any reason should be euthanized? Or are we just meaning in a home with young children?

Madrenetterhere · 22/03/2022 12:36

@axolotlfluff no I would not. I am am a mother and I do have ' hard' breed type dogs at home but I have owned them since 8 weeks and I trust them more than most humans around my children as I know them and I've raised them to a high standard. It wouldn't be worth the risk to have a rescue around my children which is why I haven't rescued. Once the children leave the house I would rescue a dog no problem. An old friend of mine, a single mother had two staffies which she owned since pups. She gave them up to a rescue as she didn't trust them around her children. She felt they were becoming aggressive and one had nipped one of her sons. She was shocked that after telling the rescue about this and explaining that she felt the dogs needed an adult only home that they were advertised as being able to go to a home with older children.

LakieLady · 22/03/2022 12:36

@DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat

I have to vote get a puppy for anyone with children of primary age Not sure I agree with either tbh, any idiot can turn a puppy in to an absolute menace of a dog if they don’t know, and don’t want to learn, anything about dogs. Case in point, acquaintances of ours bought a Ridgeback puppy with no previous experience of any dogs, did no research and sought no help from anyone who might have been able to advise early on how to approach training etc. Now have a 40 odd kg dog aggressive dog that also doesn’t like ‘strangers’ and has to be walked at night or early hours of the morning to avoid people and dogs.
In the right hands, Ridgebacks are fantastic dogs, but not a breed for a novice owner imo.

When I was looking for my last dog but one, I researched the breed extensively. I still had to practically pass an audition with the secretary of the breed club before she would give me contact details of breeders who were likely to be having litters in the next few months.

I think it's far too easy for people to buy/acquire dogs and for people to breed them. I sometimes think you should have to take an approved course in how to train and look after them before you're allowed to buy or adopt one, and that anyone selling or rehoming a dog to a person who hasn't passed the course should be fined an amount equivalent to 100 x the price of the puppy.

Making owning a dog more difficult might deter the idiots who aren't capable of looking after them properly.

ClariceQuiff · 22/03/2022 12:38

[quote kittensinthekitchen]@ClariceQuiff

Ah.
So does that mean any dog that is 'given up' for any reason should be euthanized? Or are we just meaning in a home with young children?[/quote]
Unfortunately I didn't hear the interview - working all morning - perhaps @tallulahtoo78 can clarify the extent of what the expert was saying?

Madrenetterhere · 22/03/2022 12:39

To be fair to the dogs she did a poor job of raising them and there was no training. She should never of owned them.