to not understand why people have these types of dogs in their homes

[FunnysInLaJardin]

I've heard the arguments for and against keeping pit bull/mastiff type dogs and just don't understand at all why anyone would keep a powerful muscular dog as a pet in a family home. Yet another sad news story today in a village just down the road from my home village.

This isn't a AIBU really, just a 'why do they do it'. Is a pet really worth the risk? There are so many other dog types to chose from. I don't understand at all.

Dogs like that shouldn't be in flats. Agree with expat.

And who in their right mind 'looks after' a Dorgue De Bordeaux for a 'friend'?

In a tiny flat?

With a small child?

When she is not allowed to keep dogs anyway?

It just gets worse if these stories are correct.

I've just googled the other breed. Good god that's a muscular looking dog and not small either.

There seems to be a sort of wilful blindness at work in some cases. Surely the only responsible mindset for a dog owner is to appreciate that there is always a risk of attack and to remain mindful of it. Soppy anthropomorphising is not going to keep anyone safe. There is no room for sentimentality when you are assessing risk, and people who fall into that trap are doing both their children and their dogs a serious disservice.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=files.dogster.com/pix/dogs/18/218/218_1120267763.jpg&imgrefurl=www.dogster.com/dog-breeds/Dogue_De_Bordeaux&h=290&w=300&sz=14&tbnid=7IpLD0McaX2M5M:&tbnh=80&tbnw=83&zoom=1&usg=__JOjMY5MEyW75dX4i8yGYk9-B320=&docid=i0FsiTX-YEKzdM&sa=X&ei=SH97Us_NLcbP0QW_jYGADg&ved=0CJgBEP4dMAw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Makes your blood run cold

no words, Crowler.

Earlier we were talking about tighter controls/behaviour testing for dogs and how the government or councils could afford to implement that - I have to say I was amazed at how low dog tax is in the UK. And the complete madness that there is a discount of you have more dogs (at least that's what our council used to do).

In other countries dog tax is way higher, e.g. in Germany depending whether you're rural or in the city it can range from around €25-€130 if it's your first dog up to €250 if it's your second dog and you're in a city.

Having a dog on the indexed list costs you about €400-€800 a year in tax. Dog licenses are quite strictly enforced, too.

It's balanced out with shelters that all have a no kill policy and very strict animal rights rules. It's quite expensive to adopt a dog or cat, too.

I know people will disagree, but I think having higher costs involved when getting an animals makes you think more about whether it is worth it and whether you can give it the care it needs.

I think it's a good idea BEEwitched - although what does it mean for a dog to be "indexed"? is that similar to a dangerous breed? 800 EUR a year is too much for a dog license, though - it's only 250 GBP for a car!

The problem is that the UK is batty when it comes to dogs. No sense whatsoever.

I am a dog owner. My dog plays with my children. I wouldn't let them play together unsupervised but I trust my dog as much as anyone can trust a dog (which is never 100% but can be fairly high). She is the gentlest dog going.

There are three things that are essential to this:

1. My children have been trained how to behave around dogs and to recognise the signs that the dog may not want to engage.
2. I am always on hand to intervene if I see those signs and the children are ignoring them. I have made it a responsibility of mine to learn about dog behaviour so I can see even the most subtle signs.
3. My dog is extremely well trained and treated as a dog at the lower end of the pack - not a substitute human or leader of the pack.

I do not take unnecessary risks. I don't even do it consciously these days as it is second-nature to me, but I am always risk-assessing prior to and during any interaction between dog and child.

I don't know the ins and outs of this case, and I would never seek to judge a woman who has just lost her child in the most awful circumstances. That woman deserves nothing but sympathy right now.

However, as a wider debate on the subject of dogs and responsible ownership, I am frequently horrified by the awful understanding many people have about their dogs. Many don't even have the most basic understanding of canine psychology - which is the most powerful tool you have when it comes to having a dog who can be an asset to your home rather than a liability (at best) or a dangerous accident waiting to happen (at worst).

I don't think dog licensing is the answer unless we employ enough dog wardens/police to make it a probability that you will be stopped and asked to produce your licence. Otherwise all that will happen is that the good owners will pay for the licence and the bad owners will simply ignore it.

If we did have a licence, however, I would make it a condition of that licence that all dog owners either have to attend training courses, or pass an exam about dog behaviour and training.

dog tax? we don't even have it do we

what strikes me when watching that paul o grady program is alot of the strays etc that go into battersea need hell of a lot of veterinary care and I always think it's why they are strays in the first place and if you cannot pay for treatment don't get a sodding dog ffs. They are expensive (vet bills are ££££ ebven with insurance), they require time - training costs money too, they require stimulation. If you cannot afford that cost or time wise, don't have one in the first place.

No id agree.

It's too easy to Get hold of a dog or cat. And too many are just dumped when the cost and implications of ownership become clear.

I got sick of hearing the "I can't afford to Get them spayed" argument for instance. So feeding kittens after kittens is cheaper is it? Really?

Vaccinations chips and neutering are the basic set up costs of dogs and cats. Why get one if you can't factor it in?

If you had to pay people might actually think about what they are doing.

Owllady I am considering the license fee here (I am in NI) a sort of dog tax - didn't know England didn't have it! It's £12.50 for a dog, £5 if it's sterilised.

Crowler Yes, it's a list of dog breeds that are considered 'fighting' dogs and have to pass a character test. You'd have to really love a breed like that to be prepared to pay that much. It varies a lot from area to area, as well, owning a dog in a larger town can cost a fortune but it's still relatively cheap in the rural area I'm originally from.

sorry my last post sounded a bit random, what I mean is, that dog belonged to someone else before. They have knowingly let their dog, who most probably was aggressive before hand , become a stray and be rehomed instead of taking responsibility and either training it properly in the first place or being responsible and having it put to sleep if the agression couldn't be dealt with. The dog hasn't been wandering around ashby de la zouch for the last 6 years being all nice and docile, you can bet

I find it interesting that we can license/tax cars & find people to patrol for cars not having pay and display, but we can't do the same for dogs - particularly in areas where this is a big problem (densely populated urban areas). If they patrol, scan & confiscate unlicensed dogs/fine the owners consistently then people will license their dogs just like the pay their pay and display.

I'm aware of the obvious difficulties in comparing a dog to a car but the deterrent principle should be the same.

surely whoevers dog it was previously will know aswell seeing as it is splashed all over the news

sharplilly don' t you dare compare different dog breeds to different human races. Don't start such crap. Don't you dare!

What is with all these deletions? Are we not allowed to have an opinion that contradicts that of others anymore?

Am getting heartily tired of this.

Omg there was nothing that warranted deleting

Are people not allowed a different opinion?

Deletions?
Where?
I'm

It seems anyone thinking owners can be idiots is being deleted

Dog bashing only on this thread

This is ridiculous! Quite clearly we are not allowed to pass any kind of negative comment upon this case.

Am getting sick and tired of trigger happy deletions-not necessarily my own (doesn't often happen) but of anybody who says something that others disagree with.

There were no personal attacks on here. The actions and behaviours of this Mother/Grandmother are being criticised and commented upon.

And harsher words spoken by others [cobfused]

Fail

MNHQ what is going on?