Woman 80s, Savaged to Death by Dogs, Birmingham

[Flaxmeadow]

A woman in her 80s has been savaged to death by neighbours dogs
Am I being unreasonable to want much stricter controls on keeping dogs as pets

This is distressing to read but it does give some interesting information about fatal dog attacks in the UK. There are a shocking number of children included in the list. In most instances people were killed by family pets and in quite a few cases the dogs involved were illegally kept banned breeds. Quite frighteningly there are 3 or 4 people killed by their own dogs whilst having epileptic seizures.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

If a dog has attacked locally do we as residents in the vicinity have any right to find out what’s happening with this dog?

I’m terrified thinking this dog could attack again.

[quote FOJN]This is distressing to read but it does give some interesting information about fatal dog attacks in the UK. There are a shocking number of children included in the list. In most instances people were killed by family pets and in quite a few cases the dogs involved were illegally kept banned breeds. Quite frighteningly there are 3 or 4 people killed by their own dogs whilst having epileptic seizures.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom[/quote]
The biggest risks are pet dogs in the home with children. One of many reasons why leash laws and other anti-dog soap boxing is irrelevant to this issue

If a dog has attacked locally do we as residents in the vicinity have any right to find out what’s happening with this dog?
I doubt the dog would be allowed back if it attacked locally once with the authorities.
Well I bloody hope not.

@Flaxmeadow the breed if dog responsible for the most bites in UK is the labrador.

The labrador is #20 on the list of dogs with the strongest bite - note staffies aren't on this list
petcomments.com/ten-dogs-which-have-the-strongest-bite/

Based on your requirements for dog banning, labs should therefore be banned. They cause most of the 8000 bites you keep quoting and are objectively assessed with high bite force so have the potential to inflict serious injury.

@FOJN That list was eye-opening the sentences punishments are a bloody joke, the ones who lost their life to a pack of dogs has really freaked me out.

The Presa Canario is a scary dog, there was a death a few years ago an elderly woman mauled by 2 of them, recently the start of lockdown a young boy was killed by 2 rottweilers the family pets he grew up with.
If I couldn't physically overthrow the animal I would not have it in my home.

Then there is the problem of dog poo in urban areas causing both a minor nuisance- stinking dog poo all over shoes and buggies, and major problems - blindness

Toxocariasis, which can lead to blindness, is incredibly rare, 120 cases pa, most of which aren't serious.

www.fareham.gov.uk/licensing_and_inspections/dog_control/petsorpests.aspx

And it's easily prevented by worming. I've owned dogs for more than 33 years (until very recently) and they've never had worms.

So sick of vicious dogs and their stupid, selfish owners; the harm they do, and the mountains of shit they create.

In the local council I am in in Australia, we seem to have more dog ownership laws than the UK. This doesn't stop attacks.

Having had a dog that was attacked whilst out walking on a leash, I can say that the council response was fast. I called at 6.45am and the call was answered. The local ranger came to my house at 8am but we were at the vet. By the time he returned at 12 he had seen the dog, taken pictures and spoken to the witness. The dog was declared dangerous. From memory I was notified of this decision 3 days after the attack.

Dangerous dogs have onerous conditions to abide by including being kept in a defined enclosure, muzzled when out, high annual registration fees. The owners opted to PTS.

In general, all dogs have to be on leash unless in a designated off leash area. Dog laws are set by councils, so can take into account requirements of dogs in their area eg if farmland, then working dog laws / exceptions.

There are also laws around compulsory registration, compulsory microchipping, requirement to have a supply number recorded with the microchip information (ie owner contact details). The supply number legislation is only recent but the data from that will be very interesting to see in a few years around the ultimate source of dogs in rehoming facilities.

With all of that, can you believe that dogs are found loose without registration or microchip.

Can you also believe that some councils approve puppy farming facilities?
www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/5244419/its-unanimous-council-backs-dog-breeding-facility-at-fosters-valley/

It's irresponsible breeding at it's worst. Those dogs will not be socialised and will not have a nice life.

*The biggest risks are pet dogs in the home with children. One of many reasons why leash laws and other anti-dog soap boxing is irrelevant to this issue.

So that would mean no dogs as pets at all, according to your logic.

Leash laws are not anti-dog, they assist in controlling dogs.

Obviously a hugely sad incident. Personally I don't know why people have these kinds of dogs.

But I don't know why every other dog / dog owner is tarred with the same brush! I've got a pointer. He likes to run, a lot. We live rurally but he just needs a good run off the lead - he would never get enough exercise otherwise and I do run miles with him on the lead as well. He minds his own business, doesn't approach people or dogs on the lead. Would literally never hurt a fly. Why should he not get to run, because of a completely different dog in a completely different situation?

The majority of dogs on that wiki list are large breeds. At least you could drag or kick a smaller breed if attacking a child, a small breed wouldn't kill most adults. Disclaimer I don't kick animals I do think large breeds including labradors are a problem.

My dog is about lab size. In height at least maybe a little less weight. I've never heard of any pointers attacking any people. I don't know what all these Labrador bites are about but I've never heard of a lab killing or seriously injuring anyone? Please link to the info if they do??

@imamearcat Nope there was no labradors on the list (bull dogs & terriers)
I've only had good experience of labradors, just heard it on here after checking there's no evidence of killer labradors.

I have a little terrier myself, he's quite mellow but my mum has one who's a bit feisty.. I don't 100% trust her. She's very friendly to people but aggressive with other dogs.. my mum and dad have been caught in the cross fire a couple of times.

I do think it's different though, potentially getting a random bite to getting mauled to death! 99% of dogs just wouldn't have it in them.

People always bring up labradors on these threads. But do labradors ever break through fences and kill people in their garden? There are multiple cases of pit bulls doing this (many in America where pit bulls are legal). Labs do a lot of the biting on the stats but are they mauling victims to death? It doesn’t seem like it.

The JRT and babies also comes up and I think homes with dogs should be assessed as part of maternity care - or advice given anyway. Those cases are tragic and avoidable.

The biggest risks are pet dogs in the home with children.

Absolutely, my blood runs cold when I see photos on SM of small children crawling all over the family pet. There were a couple of cases on that list of rescue dogs who had killed children too which explains why rescues are so strict about their rehoming policy. I would never leave my dog unsupervised with child, he's not aggressive at all, I trust him but it would be completely irresponsible and the possible consequences are never worth the risk.

If I couldn't physically overthrow the animal I would not have it in my home.

It's one of my criteria too, some people think I'm a bit mad but I've seen far too many owners being dragged down the street by dogs who are too strong for them to control and it gives me no confidence that they could stop the dog doing anything it chose too. When the law says your dog must be under control I take that to mean you must be able to physically control it too, should it be necessary.

They should just put the owner down

I don't know what all these Labrador bites are about but I've never heard of a lab killing or seriously injuring anyone?

Neither have I. Labs are very popular dogs, often owned by families so I would imagine they are responsible forms many bites just because of the sheer number of them about rather than them being more likely to bite. I did see a family out and about with their lab recently, the child was playing very roughly with the dog and kicked it in the end, the parents were not taking any notice at all, I watched it all unfolding thinking it was just a matter of time before the dog bit the child.

I actually think it's irresponsible and just bad parenting to have a baby and a dog. It does not matter what breed/temperament the dog is, it is an animal and you can't 100% control it ever. My mum had a small dog (Jack Russell mix) for years and he was very gentle, never any issues. Then one Christmas day we had the whole family over, he got overwhelmed I presume by all of the young kids and he lashed out and bit me when I tried to take some tissue away from him.

The other problem is that when babies get to 7/8 months they can be quite bulky! Pulling you hair, kicking, putting everything in their mouths without realising that it genuinely hurts. If they do this to your dog, chances are that your dog will snap.

I'm a dog Walker and a long time labrador owner. I am biased towards them and live their nature.

I have though, been asked to walk three labradors over the years with serious aggression problems. Two had a bite history. I turned all three away and recommended a behaviouralist.

It's always a sage reminder to me when I meet a dog like this, that any dog can be aggressive. A sad combination of genetics, early experiences, fear, bad owners, living conditions and lack of training honestly can make any dog reactive or aggressive.

@echt

*The biggest risks are pet dogs in the home with children. One of many reasons why leash laws and other anti-dog soap boxing is irrelevant to this issue.

So that would mean no dogs as pets at all, according to your logic.

Leash laws are not anti-dog, they assist in controlling dogs.

Only if you make illogical assumptions and don't read my previous posts.

Illogical assumptions seems to be the backbone of this thread

Handsoffstrikesagain

That's horrendous. I agree with freckles, any dog can become reactive/aggressive if not cared for properly.

I took some large dog chew treats to a friends house once to give to her lab and GS, I gave the same one to my dog but he is much smaller and was unable to chew it, I took it home to cut up into pieces for him but even with a very large, razor sharp kitchen knife it was a struggle to cut through it, the lab and GS demolished the same treat in under a minute. The demonstration of their jaw strength was quite sobering, I was left in no doubt that either dog would be capable of crushing bones if they attacked.

Agree @FOJN

I have a small dog and always worry he will be breakfast for the huge dogs we meet!