Another dog attack- 4 year old killed. Devastating

[singingsussie]

Just woke up to this news this morning. It's just so incredibly heartbreaking for all involved. Seems to be happening so much more than ever these days

I agree completely, but again, so much of this breeding goes on quietly behind closed doors, selling to neighbours etc. it’s a huge problem but unfortunately I don’t think the police have the time, money or resources to deal with it.

It's not responsible dog owners who are the NRA equivalent though.

I have no problem with getting a licence. My dogs are neutered, chipped not aggressive and don't jump up at people.

The trouble is the people who own aggressive dogs won't follow the rules so unfortunately I don't think it will stop people being hurt and killed.

I would start with licensing breeders and legislating accidental pregnancies so that puppies are registered.

Charging a realistic license fee could finance it. I don't know what the figure would be but I'm sure some clever person could work it out.

Poor little girl. What an awful death.
I am sadly no longer surprised when I hear these stories. I'm a vet nurse. I locum all over, there is a stark difference in pet ownership and breeds depending on whether I'm working in an affluent or deprived area.
Currently working in a deprived area and my observations are that there are a very high number of large powerful breeds, many of whom are aggressive/unhandleable/unable to even be muzzled. These dogs are, by and large owned by young men, usually stoned and stinking of weed who also have very young children/babies. It terrifies me on a daily basis to see these extremely dangerous dogs going back home with toddlers and babies in tow.
I don't know what the answer is but personally feel social services should be made aware when there are known aggressive large breed dogs in homes with children.

And you’ve just found how they will get round it.

“mines a registered security dog so it doesn’t need to do all that”

just look at cropping. That’s banned yet it’s everywhere

Well no it's not spot on. I'm a dog owner. I've had dogs all my life and I would bring in lots of restrictions on dog ownership. A licence, home check, compulsory training for starters.

In the last 3 years I've encountered more poor dog ownership and more dogs I'm wary of than I ever have before. Clueless owners and untrained, lockdown dogs are everywhere now.

I personally don't have an issue with restrictions on the size or type of dog you are allowed to own, if you rent a council or HA property. Nobody needs a specific breed of dog as a pet, everyone has preferences, but these preferences shouldn't put human lives at risk.

I have a small fluffy dog as well, and people in this country are totally clueless about how to interact with dogs. I've had so many adults stride right up to her and stick their hands in her face or reach for the top of her head without asking if it's alright to do so. I've also had parents instruct their small children to come up and pet her without even speaking to me first.

To be honest it's usually middle aged men that do this. They'll basically lunge at her with their hands out. Maybe we need a PSA campaign about how to approach strange dogs and how to read dog body language.

All dogs to be muzzled in public. No exceptions.

Dog licences brought back.

And yes, I am a dog lover/haver.

No dogs in restaurants.
No dogs in shops.
No dogs off lead in a public area unless a designated dog exercise area.
Compulsory dog training and licensing and assessment of home and person environment.
Ban breeding and selling of all bully and larger breeds (exception for true working dogs on farms, estates and for police force)

It gets my vote.

In Spain all dogs have to be on leads in public places and dangerous breeds have to be muzzled.

You must get insurance and apply for a licence where your criminal record is checked.

blog.abacoadvisers.com/who-let-the-dogs-out-advice-about-dogs-in-spain/

I care more about my dog than any random child

I can't understand this mindset. Am I alone?

Mine too.
They shouldn't be in shops and certainly shouldn't be in any restaurant or café.

Yes because all HA/council tenants are the dregs of society and only homeowners are capable of having dogs that 100% won't maim or kill someone..........what a nasty comment!

All larger breeds? That seems unnecessary, if you're including Labradors and the like. If you look at the fatal dog attack data it's almost always bully breeds, German Shepherds, Mastiffs and Rottweilers and mixed of the same.

It just amazes me the knee jerk reactions, every time there is a dog related incident, nobody knows the full story, wildly speculate about the incident, there are 1700 deaths a year from car accidents in the Uk, 10 deaths caused by dogs, usually known to the victim, Still most of you are happy to put your little darlings in a car and drive, which is far more deadly than walking past a dog

RobinaCherry,
why not, the local pub around here would be shut, most of his business is from dog walkers, in fact he would probably tell you to go elsewhere if you complained

I saw plenty of off lead dogs in Torre del Mar this past summer, but the dogs were all very well behaved and didn't run up and jump on strangers like they do often do here. I think the dogs in Spain must be very well-socialised because they go to busy bars and restaurants with their owners. There were dogs everywhere on a Friday night in the city centre

But cars are necessity, and there's been a lot done to make them safer, from driving security systems, airbags technology to stricter fines etc. On the other hand, dogs are not necessity but it seems nothing can be done about them. I love dogs and come from a family who always have had at least one at home, but I think in the UK the attitude towards them is incredibly lax. I think dogs should always be on a lead in public places and bigger breeds should also be muzzled.

Dogs can cause harm even when friendly, I had two such encounters, one with a golden retriever and one with a labradoodle - one jumped on me and tore my jacket and the other one knocked me down when I was heavily pregnant. Both of them were of the lead in a park and both of them were super friendly and just wanted to play.

False equivalency. Owning one of these dangerous bull breeds most commonly responsible for fatal attacks is more like driving a car that at any moment could lock its steering wheel and accelerate at top speed into the closest brick wall. It’s a identifiable risk to your family and others near you, that can suddenly become uncontrollable and determined to maim.

Most definitely not. It's an absolutely ridiculous stance.

RobinaCherry
yes I can fully understand your sentiments,

And that's why you need a license to drive, you need insurance, regular health checks to keep your license, compulsory seat belt etc.

There's a gazillion rules put in place to limit the risk posed by cars.

Which is exactly why dog ownership should be regulated to the same standard.

Thanks for proving our point.

Fancylike
yes anybody’s car could cause a death or main or cause a life changing injury, mechanical or driver failure, or a medical issue that could cause the driver unable to control the car, most dog related deaths are by people’s own dogs at home or very unfortunately a visitor

This is a terrible event and, as a dog owner I would welcome controls but I suspect that the sad truth is that they would just be ignored by the types of people who own the majority of dogs that cause such tragedies. My dogs are well trained and I have every confidence in them but I would never leave them unattended with a child - I can control my dogs' behaviour but I can't control what a child left to his/her own devices might do and what the consequences of that might be. It simply isn't worth the risk.

I really don't want to underplay the seriousness of the situation but being outraged at 1,000s of fatalities is just sensationalizing things. There was a European report published in 2021 which concluded that there were less that 1,000 deaths over a 22 year period across the EU and UK:

"This is a study involving small death numbers accrued over a 22-year period. Countries with the highest number of dog bite bite fatalities between 1995 and 2016 include: Hungary (94), France (79), Romania (67), United Kingdom (56) and Poland (49). Overall, 599 deaths were coded as W54 deaths, "bitten or struck by dog," the same ICD-10 code that US hospitals use (The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision).

Due to some countries not reporting data to Eurostat prior to 2011, the study estimated the actual number of deaths to be closer to 827. "The true number of Europeans killed by being bitten or struck by dogs during these 22 years should therefore lie somewhere between 599 and 827, but considering the large amount of unreported years (26%), it may be closer to the latter," states the study. Eurostat may also underreport small death numbers, just as CDC Wonder is presumed to."

dog report

If you really want to make a comparison with the NRA, it is worth noting that 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. in 2020 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is a far cry from the UK average dog-related number - it is reported to have been nine last year, but the average before that was just over three - and the majority occur in a home.

According to the NSPCC, in the last five years there was an average of 58 child deaths by assault or undetermined intent a year in the UK. That is 58 child deaths compared to a total of nine dog related deaths (and that included adults). Surely that is something to be more outraged about - the very sad truth is that child deaths at the hands of others (and mainly relatives or persons within the family circle) is more commonplace and therefore less newsworthy than the rarer event where a dog is involved.