Woman, 68, suffers potentially life-changing injuries in dog attack in Worcester

[DuckIings]

"A 68-year-old woman has suffered potentially life-changing injuries in a dog attack in Worcester this morning.

Three people were injured after the incident at a house on Boughton Avenue.

The 68-year-old woman was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, while a 38-year-old man was taken to Worcester Royal Hospital, with injuries which are not life-threatening."

Two men were injured, one elderly woman was in critical condition upon entry to hospital (now stable).

Glad it was the owners, not innocent people.

Surely the government needs to step in and completely ban dogs capable of doing such damage? I feel I can't let my children walk around outside by themselves, in case one of these bloodsport breeds is out. No leash will hold them. I know I couldn't fight one off either, but at least if I was around my children and there was only one dog, they'd have a chance to escape.

They haven't released the breed, but I think we all know what type of dog it will be.

There's a second attack by dog of a nine year old boy, same day, also Worcester. Leg injuries described as serious. Poor child.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-66188011?fbclid=IwAR0u7h0Je6qxVUQGr0p_sTPv08YVSRkTKqQEz25d7mfTVlEwYgwJ7RE4Uo0_aem_Ab5Y2WpBWtORYzfubSlMhQesNn9-IiFq1AhkqcWlV-_xbEEpHe8IGKZJktjoqhibZMA

We are beyond help as a species when we allow this to happen to us.

Also (and stating the bleeding obvious) we don't live in these areas because we were too stupid to choose Harpenden. We live in these areas because we have no fucking choice.

This!!!!!!
Please post on every dog biting thread until the message gets home.
I was bitten by a dog last year /still have the scar but worse is the mental scarring - which dog owners just dismiss.

I don't like these dogs, and don't think they are suitable for domestic settings. Or many other settings if I'm honest. But I am constantly bemused by the MN comments about how common they are, how they don't go out any more because of them, and how many attacks there are. Because I go to places where there are dogs multiple times a dog, I get around, and I don't stay in nice leafy suburbs either. I think I've seen 1 in the last few years. Where do you lot all life, that there are so many of them about?

I live in a village in Rutland, and I've never seen one here in the village, but I've seen two in the last year (separate occasions) when I've walked my dog through some local woods about 2 miles away. I don't like them at all, and I'm a life long dog enthusiast.

I have also seen a huge increase in them. As usual people who don't see this dismiss the experience of those that have to live with it. And worse, attack those who live with it as delusional or unreasonably prejudiced. (Same with most things).
Of course they should be banned. (Although I would also crack down on dog walkers - woman yesterday walking five dogs. She could barely hold them and they took up the whole pavement. Two other people each with a dog coming towards her - they walked in the road. Several of the dog walker's dogs went mad at the other dogs. Dog walker couldn't hold them and was being dragged, (it looked as if they were clipped to her belt??), still standing, but only just. Other dog walkers kept tight hold and got by. But very noisy and quite scary.

@NoSquirrels

Same here.my main gripe is untrained cockerpoos jumping up with muddy paws when I'm wearing decent clothes on the cut through to the main bus stop!

I have grumpy older dog who likes to be left alone when he's staying with me which can also be challenging but due to surgeries he doesn't go offlead now, he'd mostly hang out in the pub by choice

You see staffies occasionally but they are generally with holidaymakers, not seen anything bigger

They need to crack down on people cross breeding them to get around the laws.
I was bitten by a dog the other week in someone's house. I was tutoring there and they have a dog which constantly jumps up at me and paws all over me as soon as I enter the house. Can't stand that bloody dog tbh and glad I don't have to go there anymore. I hate how owners just expect you to
I tried to pull it off me as I was sick of of happening, and it bit me on the hand.
However these dangerous breeds don't just bite you, they rip you to pieces, they are beasts. They need to crack down asap.

I'm guessing they live in cities and aren't exercised

Meant to say I pulled it off me not aggressively, just firmly, and it responded by biting my hand

We banned handguns because people use them as weapons to kill and maim. We ban knife carrying for the same purpose.

These dogs were specifically bred for fighting. Their instinct is to clamp down and not let go. They are weapons. People are getting them because they are status dogs that look intimidating. I don't see any difference between banning XL Bullys and banning knives. There are plenty of other dog breeds out there that don't generally kill in such high numbers and don't have the same level of strength and fighting instinct. Absolutely no need for anyone to own one.

A colleague has an XL bully/staffie cross and she's a "nervous rescue". Colleague was saying only this week that the dog is getting more nervous and last weekend, "went for" the neighbour's dog. Her DH was hurt trying to stop her. They have a 2yo child. I can't imagine how they think this is a good idea.

Saw one the other day, took two grown men to hold it. Made me very nervous because I had my two dogs with me. This Gov description is interesting:

I stumbled on this story recently, it shows that even when people survive their injuries can be horrific, never mind the mental trauma.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66082157

I saw another XLB this afternoon, so that's now 3 in the last year. In the town centre, on a lead, a bitch with cropped ears 🙁. She had a loose belly and enlarged teats so looked as though she had recently weaned (we were sitting outside a coffee place, and she was large). I probably notice them more now that I've acknowledged my fear/dislike, because dh wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't. But there are definitely more of them around.

@BreehyHinnyBrinnyHoohyHah absolutely they are weapons

Absolutely agree they should be banned. I’m a middle-class twat who lives in a nice area. Lots of people in the area (including me) have dogs and they are mainly labs, spaniels, golden retrievers and poodle-crosses (or mongrels if you prefer). There aren’t a huge amount of XL bullies or staffies in the area but, just because I don’t see them often, doesn’t mean I’m not aware of them and how dangerous they are.
The issue is that all owners should have the ability to be in control of their dogs. Nobody should have or walk a dog stronger than they are. And all dogs should have a certain level of training.
Having a dog is a huge responsibility and there are too many people who pick their family pet based on looks (on both ends of the cuteness and tough-ness scale) without considering the amount of care required or looking into temperament, exercise needs, ease of training etc. This results in unhappy dogs in a best-case scenario but couple this with powerful dogs bred for fighting and it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
The really sad thing is that it’s often children or other animals who are attacked and killed, rather than the irresponsible owners.

Nobody stands a chance against these dogs but if you do ever have to protect yourself against one the only thing to do is try to choke it out...lift with its collar. If you're a dog owner take a spare slip lead to protect your dog if it's attacked

Supt Love said an investigation would establish the breed of the dog and whether further action was needed.

From a news report...this leads me to suppose it is a Pitbull type

All sorts of useful things would be banned on OP's criteria. Bulls. Cars. Trains. social media. paracetamol. stairs. knives. Bicycles, for sure!!

As someone already responded...these things have a use to society. It's a trade off. As well as this cars are legislated. Justifying having a dangerous dog because "any dog" can bite is like saying driving a tank through the high street is the same as driving a mini.

Those things do have a use for society! Dogs -not so much…

There it is. It doesn’t affect me, usually because I live in a fairly affluent area, so I can afford to be sneery about your so called anxiousness.

I have said before and will say again that if children living in the Home Counties were being torn to shreds something would have been done before. But because it happens on dreary council estates we just ignore it.

There is a lot of legislation & regulation about dogs, must have microchip, can't legally be cruel to them, can't take them to many places, need vaccinations to enter the country, etc. You can ban specific breeds but not clear that will stop attacks any more than legislation has managed to eradicate dangerous driving.

There is a lot of legislation about cars, still lots of them moving around the streets in illegal condition or being driven by someone who lacks insurance/license.

Interesting thread from "a nation of animal lovers." The popularity of dog ownership shows how out of sync PP are with rest of country. Dogs are quite useful. I walk dogs for other people, the owners have health issues & live alone.

One owner is very shy, I don't think she has any friends. Her dogs are her only companions.

The other owner I walk for is different, highly sociable, but most days he's at home all day, just the tv & dog for company. Maybe a pub outing.

Having a dog is psychologically beneficial & people who own dogs get out more & get more exercise than comparable non-dog owners. We haven't talked about assistance dogs or working dogs, yet, too.

I wasn’t being sneery and I’m sorry if it came across that way. I said that perhaps OP’s anxiety - which seems extreme to me - is justified. I take a PPs point that if you regularly see brick-shithouse bully breeds being walked by muscle-wasted crack addicts then of course you’re not unreasonable to have that anxiety.

But still, the facts are that the vast majority of the attacks happen in people’s homes, carried out by dogs they live with, not from out of control dogs in public. That’s where I think OP’s anxiety seems extreme to me, talking about not letting her children out alone specifically because of dangerous dogs. It’s like the fear of street abduction vs the real threat to children which is unfortunately usually by someone they know.

I would support a ban - I don’t think ‘children on dreary council estates’ should be ‘torn to shreds’ any more than you do, FFS. I’m all for feckless idiot owners being banned from owning dogs they cannot socialise or control. No one should die after being attacked by a dog, especially not children.

Fair enough @NoSquirrels but can you really not see how it came across?

If dogs weren't available though, we could argue that these people you reference would have accessed alternative help and learned 5i exist better with their fellow humans. It's very sad to me that people have resigned themselves to dogs for company.