What’s with all these dog attacks?

[xxcatcatcatxx]

Seems like there’s loads and just read about another. Not sure if it’s always been this was or if the news is just reporting it more.

it always seems to be disproportionately terrier types involved, I’m not a dog person so don’t know if it’s their natural temperament etc. Just feels like there’s so many at the moment. I wonder if they’ll add other breeds to the banned list of dangerous dogs or if it’s more to do with owners and upbringing.

Dogs have always done this , I know so many people who have not ever been around dogs who got them in lockdown !

Zero training just thinking they are cute and stay cute ! 🙄

Dogs can kill very easily and do so , I love dogs and grew up with them but I have seen a cute fluffy friendly dog turn into a killer within seconds when they see a rabbit .. it's not that far a stretch for any dog to do that to anything .. it's literally in there dna !

It is irrelevant for the victim if it is a bad dog or a bad owner or both. I am not just talking about fatalities. It is entirely impossible to go to a big park nearby without all the dogs running around off lead, knocking down small children, ruining stranger's clothes with their muddy paws, chasing runners and cyclists. It is idiotic to even suggest the attacks happen because people don't know how to behave around dogs. People generally don't approach strange dogs for cuddles, especially children. Nobody can guarantee that every dog will have a sensible responsible owners, so the only answer is strict control and regulation.
No dogs should be allowed off lead in public places
All the dogs over a certain size that can cause damage with their teeth should be muzzled in public places
Every dog owner must get a license/certificate they have been sufficiently trained in order to get them to public places

My very dog wary over 6ft tall ds was randomly jumped on (forelegs up at him) by a large aggressive breed while minding his own business walking in a nearby street near the dog’s house. Thankfully the owner managed to grab/call the dog before any damage took place, but this particular animal then went on to bite a woman in the local park and was subsequently banned from the park. I also saw the dog around pre-ban - from the description and area I knew it was him and it was a big f*cker whose owners obv had no idea about controlling a large breed.

No. Not been said.

But some dogs are just dangerous.

@hattie43 exactly this.

Banning breeds hasn't worked. The dangerous dogs act has proved this.

It's the people that own these dogs and the breeds they choose to own

it always seems to be disproportionately terrier types involved

No, it always seems to be scum bag owners. In most of the recent attacks the dogs have all been owned by men in their 20's who appear to be utter dick heads.
In the awful case being reported yesterday the owner was arrested for assault and coercive behaviour amongst other things. It sounds like he may have actually set these dogs on the victims reading between the lines, or they got hyped up by fighting taking place. Either way it is, as always, an irresponsible owner that leads to these types of attacks.

I don’t think the heat is helping but I think it’s mostly the repercussions of too many lockdown dogs with little training or knowledge by their owners. Many will have been purchased when people were at home all the time and then abandoned at home when everyone had to go back to work leading to poor socialisation skills.

The post above (@Iwonder08 ) illustrates why irresponsible dog owners are loathed by those of us who are more-or-less-responsible. It's ones who don't pick up their dog's shit who get the rest of us banned from playing fields, and it's the ones whose dogs take lumps out of people who lead to calls to keep all dogs on lead and muzzled in public places.

The serious problem dogs are usually the result of the combination of breed and owner. How you tackle that without impinging massively on the lives of well-mannered dogs is the issue that we have.

Not sure about that @MrsR87

not to say that there are no lockdown puppies being poorly treated but I don’t think most of them come from families where mum and dad have had to go back to the office iyswim

@EdithStourton I understand, it would impact the life of responsible dog owners, however it is bluntly obvious the majority of dogs/owners are not capable behaving safely and responsibly in public places hence the sheer number of complaints. My local social media group has at least one post/week with dog related complaints. I saw 3 dogs attacking 10 yo boy on a bike a couple of days ago in a small local park full of children. Thankfully, his dad managed to run fast enough and chase the dogs away, he had to use a big stick as one of the dogs was quite big.
Often I see the situations in a big park when big powerful dogs running at high speed with the owners maybe 50 meters behind. How they can get there in time if something happens?
The problem is all these are not one off accidents, with one stupid owner or a dangerous breed. It is everyday life.

@Unattainablepeace is it this case in Derbyshire?
www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11108809/amp/Derbyshire-dog-attack-Two-young-children-mother-covered-blood-bite-marks.html

Sorry for daily wail link

@Thefruitbatdancer
Yes that's the one I was referring to.

My thoughts
Dogs as status symbol to look hard
Dogs bought during lockdown
Lack of training of Dogs
Poor breeding
Lack of understanding dogs needs
Dogs need a 'job' , boredom leads to issues
Hot temperatures- makes everyone everyone including dogs grumpy

I think more people than previously own those evil looking dogs. I don’t know what they are, but they are like dog body builders and extremely ugly.

@FlibbertyGiblets A bunch of little darlings ran up to my dog and threw fire crackers at him- completely unprovoked. He’s a large dog and powerful, he could have easily panicked. If he had attacked in response he would have been put to sleep. Whilst someone’s little shits would have have gotten off scot free. But he’s a Labrador, so he didn’t give a damn and just stood there pondering why his snack exploded.

There are attacks because people get dogs and then don’t train them. They watch too much insta where an XL Bully will ‘happily’ cuddle up to a baby for a cute 30 sec vid. These people make money from breeding, training, posting vids. It’s a job.

So Mr Idiot down the road doesn’t realise what goes in to owning one of these dogs. He goes to get one and wonders why it isn’t like the dog in the vid.
A ton of physical and mental stimulation is needed, you can’t exercise a large breed too much (as a rule, or shouldn’t because of joints).
I think the weather is a factor in some cases and lack of attention, some dogs require constant supervision and if you aren’t going to supervise it, they need to go outside to do a ‘job’ or into another room. Most of the dogs are guard dogs, they need a job and they are pretty obsessed with doing it.
I think lockdown didn’t help- so many dogs who haven’t been socialised at all. One of my work colleagues got a dog, worked from home for two years with the dog, he now said he needs to come back to the office for his mental health- he doesn’t live close so this dog is home alone at least 12 -14 hours a day. He isn’t the only staff member to have done this either.

People always want to blame the dog, humans never make mistakes.

When dogs are puppies people won’t listen to you, if they jump up passers by will say ‘how cute, aww it’s fine, let him jump on me”. Then the dog gets older and suddenly it’s not cute anymore, it’s scary and it’s all your fault as an owner.

There are too many dogs and cats around, too many in shelter, too many breeders, too many idiots. We could do with a ban on any breeding, ANY breed of puppies or kittens until all the current poor buggers have homes. Cost of living etc people can’t afford them anyway.

They do actually get the dogs training with weights and working out, using treadmills etc I imagine they give them drugs to get them looking like that too. Men use full body armour /padding and will let the dog attack them on command.

I have found that lots of dog owners treat their dogs like children, not respecting that they are animals and need to be trained and given a ‘job’. Lots of very anxious and aggressive dogs about who have multiple hang ups. They are not babies (or f*cking fur babies), they all have the capacity to be dangerous if not handled or trained correctly. They shouldn’t be in endless tic-tok videos sleeping next to babies, no matter how ‘safe’ and well behaved you think your dog is you can never entirely predict what they will do. I know this from personal experience. Sadly.

Terrier types? Yorkies or westies? All the recent attacks I've read about are xl bullies. Which should not be family pets and are bought for their hard looks.

Be careful. I have a bull terrier and, like most of the breed, he is a people pleaser. Don't generalise. It doesn't help anyone. Demonising a breed rather than crap owners isn't the answer.

And yes, to others. People and kids really do feel free to come up to us and touch him, ruffle him. I can't always keep them away. And why should I be hyper alert against every human that walks passed? I'm already watching the dog, making sure he doesn't react to noises, people etc.

You should be hyper alert because that’s what dog owners should be and human safety trumps dog safety.

I know. That's why I am.

But other adults need to be responsible for themselves, their kids, their dogs.

A four-year-old boy has been left with serious, life-changing injuries after being attacked by a bull mastiff type dog in Liverpool

Yesterday, I had a staffie bound right up to my 18mo in the park where we were sitting. Alarmed, I grabbed her to get her away. The idiot owners followed by shortly after and just laughed and simply said 'oh don't worry, he won't hurt you.'

You know what? I don't fking care!!!! I don't want your dog near my toddler. I don't know it. Have some control over your pet or don't have one. Some people seem to be under some misapprehension that everyone likes dogs. They don't.

In short - there are TWO sides to this.

In a neighbour's house? Dangerously out of control? And she had her own kids too.

The madness of crap dog owners, sadly, never ceases to depress.

Completely agree with this