Reporting dangerous dogs?

[LondonLassi]

Something has been on my mind for a few days after hearing about the poor 12 day old baby who died after being attacked by a dog.

My sister’s neighbour has a 16 year old son who is regularly in trouble with the police. I spend a lot of time there. The screaming and shouting that comes from next door is horrendous and the police are often called out to restrain him. He is not in school. Smokes weed all day. I’ve never seen his face because he wears a hoodie over a face covering (even pre-COVID) I’m just trying to paint a picture of the kind of troubled youth we’re dealing with here. If you make eye contact with him he will swear at you, call you names and threaten you. He is quite frankly a bit scary.

About a year ago they got two puppies from the same litter. They are fully grown now and they look like some sort of pit bull cross. Possibly pit bull/mastiff. They are huge. I’ll attach a pic of what I think they might be. When we sit out in the garden we can hear them next door fighting and growling, they barge my sisters fence to try to get to her small jack Russell terriers. They’ve had to repair the fence three times already after the dogs broke it.

This boy walks the dogs regularly. They are not muzzled. If we happen to leave the house at the same time the dogs go up on their hind legs and get very over excited. The boy has to pull them back to get them away. They try to break free to get to anyone walking near them if they’re out for a walk. Tonight we happened to be leaving as the boy was walking home. The dogs immediately started barking at us and were trying to run towards us and had to be restrained. We often hear people shouting when they walk by because of the dogs trying to get to them. It’s very scary when it happens because they are big and intimidating.

I am terrified of what would happen if these dogs managed to get loose. They have been raised by someone with a violent, anti social background. I can’t shake the image of them getting hold of a child. The boy has a little brother in the house, probably around 6 years old.

What would you do in this situation? I’m thinking of reporting them as potentially dangerous dogs. If IABU please tell me. It just seems like an awful attack waiting to happen.

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople

Also, reading through again and reading some newer comments, pit bulls aren’t really all that big. You said they are huge, you say they aren’t presas, mastiff cross or maybe even something like a bully kutta comes to mind. If they are huge, they are unlikely to be put bull crosses imo.

The comment about chavs and muscle dogs.
I used to live in a rough area full of ‘macho dogs and chavs’, never once saw any aggression whatsoever.
Moved to a nice area and by god I have never met so many (posh, middle class) selfish, entitled people with aggressive, out of control (usually ‘nice’ breeds like spaniels, labs, poos etc) dogs in my life!
Just sayin’

Agree again. Same experience.

Could be a doggo, there are bigger bull breeds.

Leaving after this.

@theemmadilemma

Do you let your dog lunge and bark in excitement, at passerbys on a regular basis?

Do you think an immature and erratic 16 yr old with a history of violence is a suitable owner for 2 strong and excitable dogs?

All you posters who seem to think ALL dogs are potentially as dangerous as each other and that there are no Pit Bulls or X Pit Bulls in this country because they are illegal must live in a fucking bubble. Heroins illegal but you can still get it.

I don't know how to link it but you need to watch the Professor Green:Dangerous Dogs Documentary (2016). Then come back on here and tell OP she has nothing to worry about. The 16 year old she is talking about is typical of the type that own these dogs. A Pit Bull x Mastiff would be quite a large dog so not sure why the comments saying it's unlikely to be a x Pit Bull. The mother has also said it's a Mastiff x Pit Bull.

I don't know how to link it but you need to watch the Professor Green:Dangerous Dogs Documentary (2016). Then come back on here and tell OP she has nothing to worry about
I have seen that documentary, it’s better than the Jeremy Kyle version granted which is the most hysterical pile of nonsense I have ever seen in my life.

But the documentary doesn’t prove much.
It proves there are small numbers of bull breed crosses in the UK that fit the measurements laid out under the law for ‘pit bull type’, remember it’s not a breed, just a set of measurements and a ‘look’.

It also proves (as does the ridiculous Kyle version) that when people, any by people I’m predominant referring to gang members, buy a dog and exclude it from everyone (so it’s fucking terrified of anyone; most aggressive behaviour in dogs is fear remember), beat it, starve it and reward it for any aggressive behaviour it becomes a very dangerous animal.
No shit
You’d get the same end result with a golden retriever.

I’ve often wondered why you never see ‘serious’ fighting dogs, that is, dogs that have been bred specifically to guard and show aggressive towards unknown people like anatolians and Kuttas or on command like Malinois with gang members and wannabe hard men and can only come to the conclusion that firstly most bull breeds are small enough to move if necessary while the ‘proper’ guard breeds aren’t and secondly, if you tried to beat a ‘proper’ big, dominant working guard breed it would probably take you out.

Staffy/mastiff crosses (because there’s no such thing as a pit bull in the UK) don’t tend to do that because most (there will always be exceptions to every breed), like the vast majority of dogs of all breeds in the UK, are non confrontational and want to please their owner and human aggression is a trait that has been very much bred out.

But alas, media brainwashing runs deep.

@sunglassesonthetable
But if I do ever get attacked please make it a Pomeranian
Dear God!
I’m glad you appear to find the idea of a Pomeranian seriously injuring someone so amusing.
Somehow I don’t think the parents of the innocent six week old baby who died would find it quite so amusing though.

I’m glad you appear to find the idea of a Pomeranian seriously injuring someone so amusing.
Somehow I don’t think the parents of the innocent six week old baby who died would find it quite so amusing though.

I know you're put but now by what I said, but seriously don't be daft.

The 16 year old she is talking about is typical of the type that own these dogs
Prime example of the judgemental attitudes/snobbiness people are referring to.

A Pit Bull x Mastiff would be quite a large dog so not sure why the comments saying it's unlikely to be a x Pit Bull
Have you seen any bullmastiffs lately?
I know someone with two.
They are taller, but not by much, than my border collie.
Admittedly much heavier though.
Not what I personally would call ‘huge’ by any stretch.
A dog of ‘pit bull type’ is a little taller than a Staffordshire bull terrier but not by much.
So yes, I very much stand by my assertion that if they are truly ‘huge’ they are unlikely to be pit bull type and therefore, much to OPs disappointment I imagine, highly unlikely to be illegal.

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople
There are Pit Bulls in the UK, they are bred and owned illegally.

A mistreated, unsocialised, or badly trained Golden Retriever or Cocker would be very unlikely to maul someone to death. They might attack and bite but I honestly do not belive those breeds have it in them to kill. The same can't be said for Mastiff and Bull breeds, their physical and breed traits are very different.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24580312

Read that and tell me you think the outcome would have been the same if that had been 2 Cockers and 2 Retrievers instead of 2 Mastiffs and 2 Staffies. If you come back saying you do then you are deluded.

I know you're put but now by what I said, but seriously hmm don't be daft
So it’s not amusing to you?
Because your comments about killer poms and how you wish if you are attacked it’s by a Pom certainly give that impression!

Lighten up Dogs.

A mistreated, unsocialised, or badly trained Golden Retriever or Cocker would be very unlikely to maul someone to death. They might attack and bite but I honestly do not belive those breeds have it in them to kill

The same can't be said for Mastiff and Bull breeds, their physical and breed traits are very different
Fuck me 🤦🏻‍♀️
A quick google will tell you mastiffs were never bred to bite people.

The only dogs who have been specifically bred for that are military dogs like Belgian/Dutch Shepherds and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs and certain livestock guardians like Anatolians and Caucasians.

None of the bull breeds interestingly 🤔

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople

Height wise a mastiff/pit bull cross might not differ much to a lab or collie, however due to their muscular build imo they appear larger.

Op has put a pic of what the dogs look like and stated the boys mim said mastiff x pit bull anyway so no idea why you keep going on about it.

I'd rather take my chances being attacked by a border collie than a mastiff or a poodle over a staffy.

It's pointless responding to you as you are a complete moron.

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople

Ffs, seriously, Mastiff's were fighting and guarding dogs and used for blood sports. Obviously not what they're bred for now and I'm sure they can make lovely family pets. Not a breed I'd personally choose though and easy to see why they're commonly crossed with bull breeds and used by drug deals.

It's pointless responding to you as you are a complete moron
You know me and DH say all the time how sad it is that as a society we’ve lost the ability to debate.
How sad it is that people just jump to insulting the opposition instead of putting their views across.
I wonder if you’d be quite so appalling rude without the protection of anonymity

Tbh the posters claiming bull breeds are unjustly prejudiced against should just google UK dog attack deaths to see that the majority were from bull breeds. In fact SBT's.

Labs are highest for bites, which makes sense as they are or were the most popular family dog. Kids and dogs (any dogs) aren't always a good mix and without constant supervision there'll most likely be incidents. This is exactly why I chose a spaniel and not a larger or more powerful dog for our family, and even then I NEVER have or would leave a baby or small child alone with my well trained, friendly spaniel.

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople

There is zero point "debating" with you as you are so blinkered. I have linked stats, documentaries and new reports which back up what many have said on here. You do not acknowledge these at all.

I hate to admit it but yes I actually do think I would be just as appallingly rude to you in person as you're infuriatingly stupid.

You know me and DH say all the time how sad it is that as a society we’ve lost the ability to debate.

You were really quite rude to me tbh. As if I was laughing at a baby's death. When I was clearly not.

I don't think that was debate. Just a way to get a nasty come back in.

So I wouldn't take the high ground.

@Dogsarebetterthanpeople
It’s a waste of time and effort, these posters have decided what is ‘fact’ and refuse to accept actual facts.
If OP had stuck to the issue of these two
particular dogs we wouldn’t be here but her and her cronies decided to become ‘dog experts’ and pontificate nonsense about numerous dog breeds they know fuck all about.
It’s actually a worry ppl like this own dogs when they have no awareness of dog behaviours and body language.
Rather than accept other ppl have experience and knowledge I’ve been ridiculed as being emotional, ‘think you know because you work in a rescue centre’ an asshole etc
I don’t work in a centre, there’s more to rescue than toodling round Battersea 🙄

It’s actually a worry ppl like this own dogs when they have no awareness of dog behaviours and body language.

😂

Report ASAP. X

There is zero point "debating" with you as you are so blinkered. I have linked stats, documentaries and new reports which back up what many have said on here. You do not acknowledge these at all
The majority of ‘stats’ are from America where the American Pit Bull terrier is an actual recognised breed.
In the UK there is no such thing.
A ‘pit bull’ here is any dog that looks like a staffy and fits the body measurements laid out in the law.
A dog of pit bull type in the UK could be pretty much any dog that at some point has been crossed with a bull breed and therefore has a bull breed look to it.
So the stats aren’t relevant.

The documentary you have linked to I have seen.
There was a second one done by Jeremy Kyle and I watched that too.
Neither documentary conclusively proved that American Pit bull terriers are more dangerous than other dogs.

New reports from where exactly?
America again?

None of the big dog/animal welfare/rescue/training bodies in the UK like the Kennel Club or Dogs Trust or the RSPCA or Battersea or the BVA or the APBC agree with Breed Specific Legislation.
They ALL quote deed not breed.
They ALL claim bull breeds are no more dangerous than other dogs.
They ALL claim the lockjaw is nonsense.

Their views are backed up by the vast majority of dog trainers and behaviourists and vets in the UK.

Are they all ‘complete morons’ and ‘infuriatingly stupid’ too?

I think this info graphic illustrates the facts. In case it doesn’t appear or is unclear here is the link

There is a very relevant quote from the Forbes article that this info graphic is taken from:

The following infographic shows that the Pit Bull is still responsible for the most fatal attacks in the U.S. by far, killing 284 people over that 13-year period - 66 percent of total fatalities. That's despite the breed accounting for just 6.5% of the total U.S. dog population. There is evidence to suggest that owners of vicious dogs are far more likely to have criminal convictions for violent crimes which may go some way towards explaining the Pit Bull’s disproportionate rate of fatal attacks.

The facts, as stated by @LondonLassi, are that the mother of the lad stated that these dogs are a pit bull cross breed, and she (the mother) is afraid of them (and I might surmise she is also afraid of her own son after he broke her nose).

@SBTLove you have referred to the op being responsible / gaining pleasure if these dogs are pts.

For example
... she’s hellbent in her hatred. Quick get back to your Daily Mail and revel in the knowledge these dogs will be pts

The only reason that these dogs would be put to sleep is if they do meet the criteria for being illegal pit bull types. If you don’t like the, law rail against that, but don’t try and guilt trip the OP into not reporting, which is the entirely responsible thing for her to do based on the evidence she has with respect to what the dog’s owner has stated, along with their behaviour.

To various posters, it is not relevant to say that the dog’s behaviour may be motivated by excitement because whilst that is a true statement it is also true that it may be motivated by aggression. No one here knows, but people who meet these dogs lunging and barking at them do know whether or not they are “worried that these dogs might injure them”. Being worried that a dog might injure you meets one of the criteria that the government has set for whether or not a dog is dangerously out of control.

@LondonLassi I voted that you were not being unreasonable, as have the overwhelming majority of voters. You should have started handing out the a long time ago

@MetalDog
Your graphic is irrelevant as it’s from
the US and pitbull is not a recognised breed in the U.K.
And again I said that if OP had stuck to the point about these two dogs rather her nonsense about an entire range of dogs, the tangent she went off in was nothing short
of hysterical and that’s before we met to her inability to acknowledge anyone that gives facts or experience; I explained show traits are bred out and that was discarded as rubbish, so OP is now an expert on breeding, behaviour, breed identity.
If the thread had stayed on topic fair enough but the road OP and her sidekicks went down is awful, ignorant and prejudiced, no debate her way or now way.

excuse typos

As you are in the minority SBT, could it be that you are in the wrong and think you are an expert when you are clearly not?