That this is awful for the poor dog...

[Softlysoftly]

....link but I don't feel 1 ounce of sympathy for the feckless owner?

[NOTE FROM MNHQ: we've been asked to warn people that the photo in the linked article may be upsetting for some.]

No sympathy for the owner at all.

Had to be called 'Tyson' didn't it....

She'll just get another dog that she can't control.

I fail to see what the dog's name has to do with anything. I once had an Akita named Cujo. He was not the best trained dog in the world but he was well socialised, walked nicely on a lead and had good recall.

I never wanted him to become an aggressive dog hence why he was well socialised. I never wanted him to appear frightening or out of control which is why I trained him in loose leash walking and recall.

I just thought his appearence suited the name.

If a dog had earned a reputation for threatening or attacking anyone in my area I'd be livid if the authorities had done nothing after several official reports and the dog had attacked mine or myself. In the heat of the moment, I can imagine I'd be kicking and punching. I'd feel helpless against powerful locked jaws around the throat of my dog and if I was near my home I certainly would get a weapon. Probably not knives, I don't think it'd occur to me. Probably a large piece of wood or a pole of some kind and I would beat the animal until it let go. If it never let go, then yes I would beat it to death.

That's a horrible thought. In my mind, the whole time, would be to save my own dog no matter what it took. At some point I would be afraid of prosecution and might stop. If my dog then died on the spot I would be overcome and continue to attack the other dog until it died.

What frightens me the most is what I'd do if someone tried to stop me.

Dogs really are members of the family, aren't they? :( I can't believe I feel so strongly about this. I sound nothing like a dog lover, do I?

dooin - I think people are picking up on the name as it suggests she knew she had an out of control American thug

'Tell me now, if your dog was being attacked, would you have walked off to get a knife or would you have got the attacking dog off with any means that came to hand?'

Two plumbers tried to save the toddler that I mentioned previously who was killed by an American bulldog. One tried to distract the dog, the other ran for his toolkit.
Presumably for a weapon he could use. Sadly, their efforts failed.
So yes, if someone was being attacked by a large dog and I was trying to prevent it, I'd want a weapon if possible.

She wasn't fit to own a dog, the dog could have been easily killed on the road, as it was constantly allowed to wander.

'if your dog was being attacked, would you have walked off to get a knife or would you have got the attacking dog off with any means that came to hand?'

The guy claimed that he tried to kick and punch the dog, but that didn't help. As this happened when he had just stepped out of his door, then his kitchen knives were probably the closest means he could find. If the same thing happened to me, I don't actually have any means around my front door I could use to fight off a 40-kilo aggressive dog - I doubt a doormat or pair of old sneakers would help.

Unless she called the dog the name after a while of having him, it doesn't suggest she knew the dog was out of control. Just because the dog was an American Bulldog doesn't automatically mean out of control, so she wouldn't of known straight away. As with all dogs, they have the potential to be out of control especially when in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, it turns out that Tyson was.

The whole story sounds off - it doesn't make sense. In any case, glad I don't live near either of of them! Getting so fed up with idiots that take on powerful dogs without the responsibility that comes with it.