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

For people saying they've never read about a Labrador killing or maiming someone:

A newborn getting mauled: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/jealous-labrador-mauls-newborn-twin-22286373.am

A four year old got killed: https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/boy-4-killed-by-family-labrador-in-horror-attack-20160817

A nine year old girl needed 230 stitches after one attacked her: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-takes-down-mirrors-home-20333269.amp

A three year old attacked and bitten on the face https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003849/amp/Boy-3-left-horrific-facial-injuries-Labrador-savages-Poole-Harbour.html

An eight year old bitten on the face
https://www.dogexpert.com/labrador-retriever-viciously-attacks-eight-year-old-girl-face-florida/

A 12yo knocked to the floor and bitten by one https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/labrador-dog-attack-boy-common-19880005.amp

An adult bitten by one as she ran past in the woods https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19100178.amp/

Labradors do bite and they can be very severe bites. They are big, strong dogs with strong jaws as well as lovely family pets.

@imamearcat @Emeraldshamrock @LegoPirateMonkey @FOJN

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.

This is an issue and it's important to teach children to be good dog citizens (and supervising them while they are young). No pulling tails and ears, no hitting, giving dogs space to eat. No approaching strange dogs to stroke them without checking with the owner. No approaching dogs from behind or otherwise startling them.

I was bitten in the face by a springer spaniel as a child at a friends house.

I’m a ex staffie owner, she was soft as muck and never showed any aggression to anyone or anything, her best friend was the cat who she shared a bed and a food bowl with.

sunflowersandbuttercups

I don't think anyone is suggesting labs don't have the potential to cause serious injury.

The first link you posted isn't working for me. The other cases are shocking, particularly the Newbury case where the child was attacked and the owner left with the dog rather than getting help for the child. The case with the little girl who required 230 stitches is confusing, the dog is reported to have been tied up but then made a beeline for the child. The runner attacked by the dog in the woods is another example of crap pet ownership, halti's are the lazy owners way of controlling a dog without spending the time and effort training it to walk to heel and even then they appeared to have no control.

@ShadierThanaPalmTree

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.

Should have just rehomed mine then?

It's nothing more than prejudice and a huge lack of education

A dog bred to restrive......labrador
A dog bred to kill bulls....pitbull

You can dig out all the quotes you like but there we have it.

A dog likely to be a family pet.......labrador
A dog likely to be a thug trophy dog......pitbull

Just for the record, I am indifferent to dogs. I walk a couple as a favour. I can see some positives.

I completely agree any dog can be dangerous but what I was specifically freaked out by were the incidents of bull breed dogs breaking or digging through fences to attack neighbours in their own gardens. I’ve only seen stories of pit bulls or other bull breeds doing this.

I know most dog attacks are family dogs (the Lab attacks listed seem to be in that category) and the thing is, I can control that by not having a dog and not leaving my children in the care of dog owners (one of them is severely allergic to dogs so I wouldn’t be able to anyway). But if my neighbours decided to keep a couple of bull breed dogs in their garden, I’d be afraid and I can’t control that (unless they’re actually illegal pit bulls that I could report). As it is, I don’t worry because my neighbours have a lovely, slightly bonkers beagle and she’s not intimidating at all. I wouldn’t have my kids unsupervised near it but I’m never scared it will break down the fence like in the pit bull articles I’ve seen and as in the case of this poor woman in Birmingham.

@FOJN numerous posters upthread said they've never heard of a Labrador mauling or maiming someone - I was just pointing out that it definitely happens.

Three of the instances I linked to were dogs attacking strangers (ie. not bites in the family home) - the runner being bitten, a 12yo being knocked to the floor and bitten (ending in a hospital stay) and a young boy in Poole harbour getting his face mauled.

However you never see anyone advocating for labradors to be a banned breed, and they're constantly recommended as nice friendly family dogs who wouldn't hurt a fly.

My point is that all dogs can be dangerous and can kill or disfigure someone if they do choose. You shouldn't trust any dog whether it's a pit bull, a lab or a chihuahua.

@legopiratemonkey exactly right.

I actually own a dog. I supervise that dog with my children. We have a trainer who comes every week. She works. She burns off enough energy etc....this is something I can control.

I can't control next doors bull breeds who are trying to kill my children everyday.

We have secured our fences as much as is possible but the sheer strength of two huge dogs lunging still makes it sway.

If my children are ever on the street and thet get out front for any reason that's it game over. That is out of my control and its not fair.

Killer chihuahua, what would it do , leap up and go for the jugular?

@LegoPirateMonkey sadly three of the attacks I linked to happened in public and were attacks on strangers, not family members.

My point is that all dogs can be dangerous and can kill or disfigure someone if they do choose. You shouldn't trust any dog whether it's a pit bull, a lab or a chihuahua.

I completely agree with you. I haven't heard of serious injuries caused by labs but it doesn't mean I don't believe they can and do happen. The fact remains that in the majority of serious/fatal dog attacks the animal is known to the person attacked.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

The fact is, as I said before, certain breeds should not be available to the general public. The majority of people will not have the required skill set to train them correctly. All dogs need training but some undoubtably more than others. The Belgian Malinois I mentioned yesterday for example.

The fact is that there are banned breeds/types and it's made bugger all impact in reducing dog bite injuries

My point is that all dogs can be dangerous and can kill or disfigure someone if they do choose. You shouldn't trust any dog whether it's a pit bull, a lab or a chihuahua.

I agree entirely.

@randomer

Killer chihuahua, what would it do , leap up and go for the jugular?

I don't know why you think it's so amusing?

Yes, chihuahuas are highly unlikely to kill you (though they have been responsible for a death in the US) but all it takes is for a bite to become infected and you can be left with a pretty nasty wound.

The point is that all dogs have the capacity to bite and hurt you - if someone is bitten and ends up in hospital I doubt the fact that a Labrador (as opposed to a pit bull) put them there is going to be any kind of comfort to them.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

The fact is, as I said before, certain breeds should not be available to the general public. The majority of people will not have the required skill set to train them correctly. All dogs need training but some undoubtably more than others. The Belgian Malinois I mentioned yesterday for example.

That's already the case. Four dangerous breeds are already banned in the UK yet numerous people have linked to stories where dog attacks have resulted in newborns being killed or children ending up in hospital with life-changing injuries.

Banning a breed won't stop dog attacks from occurring.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

vet (I am going to guess at this point you are a vet! Apologies if that’s incorrect). Do you see many dogs injured from suspected dog fight injuries? As in, organised fights? It still goes on of course I just wonder to what extent.

No. There was a thread about this recently. Dogs either don't survive fights, are dispatched by their owners or the winners get at-home first aid for their wounds. Most people don't appreciate the type of criminals that run professional dog fighting rings. They're extremely dangerous and don't just turn up at the local vet practice with injured dogs.

We have secured our fences as much as is possible but the sheer strength of two huge dogs lunging still makes it sway.

If my children are ever on the street and thet get out front for any reason that's it game over. That is out of my control and its not fair.

I do not think anyone should have to put up with that. The dogs are already demonstrably aggressive and out of control we should be able to take action before a tragedy happens, not wait for it to happen and then take action.

Well those horrific lab attacks on strangers only strengthen my desire to see much tighter restrictions on dog ownership of all breeds and far stricter leash laws that are actually enforced along with dog mess laws as well - I would absolutely never trust any dog or any owner who claims that their dog is ‘soft’ and ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’.

But it is still bull breeds who are disproportionately responsible for severe maulings and deaths. It’s clear that other dogs do it too but that list of fatal dog attacks is very damning. And the sheer aggression and horror of dogs breaking down fences to get to innocent neighbours - that seems associated with bull breeds too. I’m more in favour of strong legislation on all dogs than on banning particular dogs but I don’t think people are unreasonable to be more wary of bull breeds even though all dogs must be treated with caution and regarded as potentially dangerous.