To be so sick of selfish dog owners...The seal pup in London

[TickTockTick21]

It’s in the news that a seal pup has been mauled by an off lead dog. The seal pup now is likely to be put down.

Recent story of an off lead husky attacking lambs and sheep . A few months ago an off lead dog mauled a deer which had to be destroyed.

Numerous stories of swans being mauled by off lead dogs. On top of the numerous stories of children being attacked by off lead dogs.

Ffs why are people so bloody stupid and selfish! Keep your dog on a lead near wildlife!

I feel so sad for the seal pup . AIBU to think laws need to be tightened around off lead dogs?

I say this as a dog lover and owner .

@LST my DS is petrified of dogs due to an incident. DD fortunately doesn’t remember what happened to her.
There are lots of dogs where we live now - they all seem really well trained. There is a poo problem though.

@Steph64

I despise dogs and their invariably gormless owners.

Is that every dog owner? Wow. And people were arguing that this thread was all dog hate.

But yes my comment is general - people shouldn’t impose their choices on others.

*wasn't

@Jocasta2018

I would've thought the owner should be fined & the dog destroyed. It's already shown that when the urge to attack comes over it, there's no off button. It's tasted blood. The next creature it attacks could be a child.

It’s a dog, not a vampire....

@Steph64

I despise dogs and their invariably gormless owners.

They probably despise you too 🤷‍♂️.

This is so sad. Dogs need to be on leads in all public places. In our local park the same 2 dogs have bitten people, including a child, 5 times now. It seems the owner has finally been ordered to keep them on a lead and with a cone but should it really take 5 bitings? I’m amazed they haven’t been put down. There are so many irresponsible owners.

I hate irresponsible dog owners.

If you can't be arsed to train it, pick up it's pop and be responsible don't bloody have one.

Currently recall training a 4month old, she'll rarely go off the lead but recall is SO important if the lead breaks or she slips it.

Too many lazy owners, and too many lazy breeders (100% think that dog breeding should be strictly regulated).

Not a dog owner but know a lot of dogs! Especially now in lockdown lots of people have bought dogs but struggled to train them. There is so much dog poo on the streets some huge poo too!

Was the dog not on a lead and had broken free?

You could see the catch at the end of the lead (attached to the owner). So it doesn’t look like the lead snapped.

Our last dog would flip like a switch (go from begging for attention to attack- we sadly had her PTS after she bit, then found out from the rescue we were her third home [after they said we should have let them rehome her not PTS😤]!).

She only ever left the house with a lead attached to her collar AND harness, and a muzzle. She once growled (whilst stood at my side) at a dog which was running around ignoring its owner, who then had the cheek to tell me she was out of control! 😂 needless to say, I let rip at her.

All dog owners think they have their dog "under control". Until the time when they don't, and someone gets hurt. As even dog owners say, you can never fully trust a dog.

Us so-called "dog haters" feel this way for this reason, and all the others mentioned! We don't have some secret nefarious anti-dog agenda. I love animals generally and have nothing against dogs themselves, but I do hate that so many of them are allowed to run riot because their owners think their rights trump everyone else's.

@donewithitalltodayandxmas

I think it’s awful that the seal pup was attacked. But it seems to me overkill to keep all dogs on leads at all times except in the garden Yes otherwise we need to do same to cats as well

Or stop keeping cats and dogs as pets.

It's unnecessary and destructive.

@toffeebutterpopcorn

You could see the catch at the end of the lead (attached to the owner). So it doesn’t look like the lead snapped.

Oh right, well that makes a big difference.

Leads should definitely be made mandatory in public, or will it take the (god forbid) death of a child or baby before this happens, because dog attacks have been happening for far too long and nothing is being done to prevent them or protect the public.

@Flaxmeadow

Exhibit 1 looks like a cross breed. #deffonotasraffie.

I don't know if it's a language thing but I hate "destroyed" used when talking about an animal....

Yes it is odd isn’t it? I wonder why they seal wasn’t sent to a zoo (maybe I’m just a bit a naive but they say he couldn’t be released into the wild because of his broken flipper).

@toffeebutterpopcorn

Yes it is odd isn’t it? I wonder why they seal wasn’t sent to a zoo (maybe I’m just a bit a naive but they say he couldn’t be released into the wild because of his broken flipper).

Apparently seals can't have a general anaesthetic because they have a dive reflex and just stop breathing. You learn something new every day!

If the damage couldn't be repaired without anaesthetic, it wouldnt be possible to live in a zoo either - they hall their huge bulk around with their flippers so there's a lot of stress going through the injured joint.

I'm surprised he couldn't be sent to a sanctuary - I know the one at Cornwall has a seal that had the bones from his/her flipper removed.

Or stop keeping cats and dogs as pets.

It's unnecessary and destructive

No, I think you'll find it's destructive in some cases, not all.

@Ontheblink

Leads should definitely be made mandatory in public, or will it take the (god forbid) death of a child or baby before this happens, because dog attacks have been happening for far too long and nothing is being done to prevent them or protect the public.

No they shouldn't.

I'm
Stunned by this. Haven't read the details. What kind of dog?
Me and my golden retriever have come across stranded seals on beaches near us (cornwall) and he is frankly nervous of them so a swift call and he's back by my side. We call the relevant number and someone comes to help the seal.