Two dogs shot in London by police

[flowagurl]

I’m usually very empathetic and recently even posted on an animal testing post but I just can’t find any compassion in my heart for out of control and dangerous animals at the moment, it’s just getting ridiculous. I obviously feel for the owner who I hope gets some kind of mental support/ counselling.

It’s so confusing as I’m usually so compassionate, I guess having a small child and the number of dog attacks does something to your brain? I hate walking past Bullies with my baby in the pram. Even normal dogs I’m starting to get very hesitant about. For context I usually cry if I step on a silver worm in the bathroom so this is a very strange reaction for me.

Interested to hear what other dog owning/ non dog owning people think. Also the government are going to have to step in at some point right?

I must be a heartless cow because i just thought it was a shame that the owner wasn't shot as well.

Well, we have to deal with the aftermath. Even if they are charged and convicted and banned from keeping dogs, what are the chances it will actually stop them doing it again ?

@SerendipityJane like all things payable there could be concession rates for lower income, benefits etc.
If you can afford to pay for a dog and all it’s kit to start with, a nominal additional fee to take classes, get licensed, shouldn’t be a barrier.

The point would be to make it too much effort for those who can’t be arsed to take ownership seriously.

One of the worst dog bites l have seen on a child was by a Jack Russell. Even the maxfax surgeon was horrified. The child's right cheek had been so badly damaged it had been torn right through so it gaped open ... like another mouth

Do you muzzle your dog when out in public ? A lead is of no use if your dog decides to go for someone or another dog.

Why the fuck should I pay a penny to subsidize someone elses pet keeping ?

Would be the rebuttal to that.

I’m assuming if the owner was tasered he wasn’t calmly doing what the police asked him. If he was kicking off he’d have agitated the dogs further. Sounds to me like the incident from start to end is entirely his fault, hope he’s banned from keeping dogs and prosecuted.

I’m assuming if the owner was tasered he wasn’t calmly doing what the police asked him.

This is the UK. You can't assume that.

A badly behaved dog is ALWAYS the result of a badly behaved owner. Right now the decision to be a responsible owner is a matter of choice. That isn't true. I've had many many dogs, mostly rescues. My last two dogs were with me for many years, one dying at 19 and one at 18 but I had one rescue, a GS cross, that had to be PTS. 99% of the time he was lovely, he was very intelligent and easy to train but occasionally he would suddenly lose it and attack. It was always unprovoked. I was bitten, my husband was bitten after 18 months hard work it was agreed it was unsafe to keep him, partly because as he aged he seemed to get more aggressive and partly because the surgeries he needed had been so successful that he was fully mobile.

He was a stray and had been injured, probably by a car, and we spent a small fortune on surgery to correct the damage that the accident caused and the untreated fractures exacerbated. My feeling was he must have also sustained a head injury which resulted in brain damage, our vet felt that was probably true.

So no a badly behaved dog isn't always the result of badly behaved owners.

@shadowchancesassy why do you own an xl?

The owner was pissed, aggressive and not in control of his animals. He also basically challenged the police to a fight. Being tasered was probably a good outcome.

It seems to be the case here going by the footage

@SerendipityJane well why the fuck should anyone pay towards anything in that case.
I don’t drive, so why the fuck am I paying for the upkeep of roads I don’t use?
I don’t have kids so why the fuck does my tax go to schools?
I don’t smoke so why do I pay for street ashtrays or smoking support services?

Ultimately no system is perfect and people will always find something to complain about. If being ornery for the sake of it is preferable to making changes that benefit everyone and a workable solution to a problem, then save the whinging about the demon dogs for the comments section of the Daily Mail, would be my rebuttal.

Oh yes - textbook use of non lethal force.

It's just you can't assume that. What with wheelchair users being taser and pepper sprayed.

I am a teacher, I have to pay an annual subscription to prove that I am not a criminal. This is because Ian Huntley killed two children. Asking why people should have to pay to subsidize other people's poor choices is a bit stupid. It is why we have a police force etc and pay for it in the first place.

So would I prefer to be badly bitten by a Jack Russell or ripped apart by an American XL Bully? I actually don't want either to be honest with you but I think I'd take my chances with the Jack Russell if forced to make a choice.

@toomuchlaundry why does anyone own any breed? Because they like them maybe 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also own a Yorkshire terrier and cocker spaniel because I like them too.

You really do not understand what makes a dog dangerous. Please educate yourself.

@Iwasafool

I'm guessing that you remained in control of him as much as possible and took precautions to protect other members of the public when you were out and about with him though?

No, not all aggressive dogs are the way they are because of their owners. But a lot of the attacks you hear about, where a child or an adult member of the public gets injured or killed are due to owners being at best irresponsible.

Fair question. That's what we have politics and politicians for.

But unless and until dog owners make up 52% of the population, we need to consider the majority.

@Iwasafool

I should have qualified my statement : all badly behaved dogs START with badly behaved owners. As a rescuer there will only be so much you can do to mitigate bad behaviour that’s ingrained or as the result of an injury but that bad behaviour was a consequence of bad ownership at some point in their life.

Pet keeping is a luxury choice, not a right, so the argument doesn't work.

In this instance, making dog ownership the preserve of the rich might just work very well....

@BurntOutGirl I don't know so am just wondering - I wonder if people survive with horrible injuries from a Jack Russell (worst I've seen is a GS, also on that list) and die from other breeds attacking?

All dos muzzled and leashed in public. Easily enforced. Children protected outside at least.

We had a man killed by a dog in Derby a few weeks ago. It's so concerning

I love dogs.
I have a massive bull breed that is a rescue and I have no knowledge of her history.

However, I would 100% support tighter controls on owning a dog.

I don’t think it should be bull breeds specifically as the ‘dangerous’ dogs change every couple of years.
It used to be Dobermans and Rottweilers, then it was German shepherds and now it’s bull breeds, soon it will be something else.

Yes we have a few dangerous dogs due to poor owners but we have way more cases of animal neglect and abuse, overflowing rescue centres, puppy farms, over breeding, breeding for cosmetic purposes like French bull dogs etc.

The first thing I would do is to make breeding your dog illegal unless you acquire a special license which means they need to be vet checked and can only breed a certain amount of times etc.

I think having a breeding licenses and compulsory neutering will be way easier than trying to police every owner having a license.