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

Yes of course I have. I’m not sure how many times I need to explain this, it is the bite, the grip and what they were genetically bred for.

I mean, no-one intends for their dog to hurt anyone. They don't go and get a dog with this in mind. The problem is manifold though; firstly, there do need to be stricter laws in this country around dog ownership, full stop, and I think some current breeds that are allowed should be discontinued. Secondly, people need to be more educated about the risks and challenges of owning a dog - so they can make sound, informed decisions about whether it would be right for their family. There should be very strong guidelines around re-homing dogs, who have a documented history of nervousness/anxiety/aggression.

Just more needs to be done in these quarters. It can't go on like this, kids being mauled to death by essentially, what is a dangerous animal. It's just got to stop

This was on another thread today and totally agree:

"Very sad. Individual dog licences would be useless so I think the only way would be to licence breeders and strictly regulate breeding but unfortunately even then we don't have the resources to police it.

I also hold the very unpopular opinion that all dogs held by rescues that are considered unsafe for families should be put down. Having worked in a shelter, I stopped supporting them when I realised that most of the dogs in there would never come out - they were destined to a very restricted life in captivity. We should also ban the import of rescue dogs - we have too many dogs in this country already."

@Namechangedforthisonetoday

Better to ban stupid people from having dogs . Don't demonise Bullbreeds , I have had them for 30yrs in fact I've got a Bullmastiff sleeping at my feet now . Never had a single problem or issue . But then I socialise , train and care for my dog's properly, they have acres of space to run and play in .
These XL Bullies terrify me though and I keep my dogs well away if we chance upon one .
These brute dogs are badly bred by the wrong people and if they are trained and it's a big if it's for protection and to be tough , not a winning combination.

We need to be told about the circumstances of these attacks if it’s going to be made public knowledge at all.

People are to blame for this, not dogs, and those people shouldn’t be protected while a pet that wasn’t being cared for properly is killed.

I mean, no-one intends for their dog to hurt anyone. They don't go and get a dog with this in mind.

unfortunately this is incorrect. Plenty of the morons purchasing certain latest ‘status breeds’ do it to intimidate, for dog fighting and as protection for their ‘dealings’.

I'm assuming that sadly most dog deaths are children. I would never want any dog, including staffies, to be around young children and babies. So that solves that outright for all breeds of dogs.

Secondly, all dogs were obviously originally bred for different kinds of hunting purposes, so that's a rather odd comparison - as though staffies are the only ones that ever were.

Thirdly, I don't know where this magical dog death bible is, but what are the breeds that actually bite the most? My vet tells me it's labradors and jack russells. Just because someone hasn't died doesn't mean they haven't suffered immense pain or fear. So is that okay in your book, so long as it's 'just a bite'?

@Namechangedforthisonetoday

Yes - I see your point about certain villainous types wanting to own dogs for violent purposes. I think I meant a family, who wanted to get a pet for the kids

hattie43 you are absolutely right in so much of what you say. Unfortunately many of the scum that buy certain breeds do not adequately care for them and as another poster said, they are often left to rot outside. I really really don’t know what the true solution is. It’s a difficult one. Licensing won’t work, we can say that much I think.

Problem with banning breeds is it’s a slippery slope. Where does it end up. Banning working line labs and spaniels if they aren’t actually ‘working‘

I’m not sure there is any point continuing this conversation with you. You have your opinion and I have mine and perhaps we should leave it at that. A child has died, another poor child dead no doubt because of some moron owning a dog they shouldn’t have been allowed near.

This sort of whabouttey is ridiculous

I was attacked once by an Alsatian - when I was about 13. He was the loved pet of a family friend. Had been with them for years and never shown any aggression. But he took a dislike to me for some reason and literally went for me, snapping and snarling, my friend's mum picked up his chain and stood between us, beating him off. He still managed to rip my shirt from wrist to elbow. I can honestly say I've never been so frightened in my life - not before or since.

I don't trust dogs, full stop. Would never, ever have one around my children. Not ever

I’m not sure there is any point continuing this conversation with you. You have your opinion and I have mine and perhaps we should leave it at that. A child has died, another poor child dead no doubt because of some moron owning a dog they shouldn’t have been allowed near.

There is no point continuing this conversation with you. But I will still have my lovely staffy and they will not be banned, as much as you would like. People will still demonise staffies the instant there is a dog attack, even though none of the recent tragic attacks seem to have involved a staffy at all, and ultimately it is people and parents and walkers and their relationships and choices and education around dogs and behaviour that needs to change.

It’s interesting that you keep just saying ‘staffy’ over and over. You haven’t looked logically at bull breeds. You are just worried about your ‘staffy’. Btw, the link was provided by another poster regarding deaths by breeds. Not that you’ll look at it though. It mentions ‘staffys’.

I'm a dog owner I have absolutely no problem with strict licence being brought in , paying for these licences and I also never have mine off lead in public ... I do pay to hire a private dog park field because I chose to keep dogs and therefore won't throw them at the general public to accept , it's my responsibility to exercise them and if I want to walk amongst the public out walking in the woods etc I fully agree that mine should be on a lead and away from everyone ... adult to child and also other dogs ...
I don't see why any responsible dog owner wouldn't want licences or to have their dog / dogs under control at all times
Anything is a weapon , dogs have their own thinking brain it's the owners job to look after that responsibly and keep both people and them dogs safe

Totally agree with you . Don't demonise any dog just because morons need saving from
themselves. The parents let that little girl down not a whole country of dog lovers . My parents have a staffie and you wouldn't meet a more gentle boy .

@JarByTheDoor yes I agree enforcement should be far more pro active. Do we still have Dog Wardens? i remember them when I was a kid in the 80s but don’t seem to hear of them these days.
@JesusInTheCabbageVan I am so sorry that sounds traumatic, hope your pet gets better as soon as possible

I dread to think of the amount of maiming and injury that occurs with these out of control dogs.
I still remember the Ruksanna Khan case, and how the dog ‘shakes her like a doll’ in its jaws. Miracle she survived . I think the Dangerous Dogs act was passed through parliament not too long afterwards.

We have a dog

I completely support dog registration; with a requirement for the register to be updated if a dog is sold or passed to somewhere else; and fines/ rehoming of dogs for non compliance. Also a requirement to have public liability insurance as part of your ownership.

There would be non-compliance with this; but it would be a start.

I'm also interested in how they manage this in Germany; where there are restrictions on ownership for certain breeds. I think it would be reasonable for larger or guarding breeds such as German Shepherds to have to complete a course first

The issue is that these incidents nearly always are at home, the "beloved pet" is usually from one of the trophy breeds that are bred for head size, or to look hard, and they usually come from unlicensed breeders.

An untrained large powerful dog not exercised enough ... very different to trained family pets. My ddog is usually off lead but is trained not to approach people, he also can be sent away and lay down etc at a distance using hand signals - he is more of a ball fan than other dogs

Spot on.

Also, according to neighbours it was never taken out. The thing must have been going crazy without my mental stimulation and probably got fed up and snapped.

Poor little mite. I don’t know if they have revealed the breed of the dog but we all know it won’t be a Yorkshire terrier or Shih tzu?
If you Google fatal dogs attacks in the U.K, throughout history, you will see there has been a huge rise in deaths over the last 10 years or so and virtually all have been from bully XL/bull mastiff/Pitt bull breeds and cross breeds. Sadly, these dogs are popular amongst certain members of the general public and no matter what laws are put in place it will continue, these dogs are not bred by reputable breeders or offered by hard working rescue centres, they are bred by nasty people and purchased by nasty people to be used as a status symbol and/or weapon. I honestly can not see how we can stop this, it is now becoming like dugs and weapons, they will and are bred behind the scenes and off radar. The UK is becoming a lawless society in certain areas and these dogs and the poor children killed by them are absolute victims of it all. It’s beyond heartbreaking. Poor little girl.

Livpool
why? I am just trying to point out the facts that deaths by dogs are very rare, but people seem to want to make a big deal out of it,

📣

I will never why potentially dangerous dogs are chosen by people. In public places, ALL dogs should be muzzled.