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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Woman 80s, Savaged to Death by Dogs, Birmingham

999 replies

Flaxmeadow · 02/04/2021 22:53

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
LEMtheoriginal · 02/04/2021 23:54

Focusing on breed is a red herring. Also, the type of dog in this incident has not been released. I have found this story upsetting. That poor poor woman.

I am a vet nurse and i cannot recall the last pit bull i have seen. I see many pit bull types and American bulldogs and i do worry about the sheer strength of some of these dogs. I say that as an ex rottie owner. Im quite strong but those types of dog are too much for me in terms of restraint. Thankfully most are robust and friendly and pretty amenable to exam and treatment but a 40kg American bulldog that doesnt want a pedicure, aint having a pedicure! At least not without a fair amount of bribery and negotiation. So the thought of a strong dog owned by a fuckwit and out of control is terrifying.

OppsUpsSide · 02/04/2021 23:55

Dogs are living beings, they should not be treated as accessories.

Yes!
Someone just compared a dog to a peanut, how?!

IdblowJonSnow · 02/04/2021 23:55

I'd like to see all dogs on a leas too.

Sick of them bloody jumping on me and my kids and their owners saying that they won't hurt or bite. HmmAngry

KingstonTownThePlaceILongToBe · 02/04/2021 23:56

Definitely agree with stricter controls on having dogs, my child was bitten very recently while on a walk. The dog was on a lead and we walked past it and it just went, pierced the skin and drew blood.
I think I'm still in shock and have a million thoughts of what ifs and how much worse it could have been.

OppsUpsSide · 02/04/2021 23:57

I would’t put lightening, men, dogs and peanuts into to the same category, personally.

Original poster
Flaxmeadow · 02/04/2021 23:57

Unless my maths is wrong, that would be about 150 people admitted into hospital a week with dog bite injuries. Many them children and some with life changing injuries.

OP posts:
Osirus · 02/04/2021 23:57

@yeOldeTrout

I thought pitties were already illegal to own in UK.
It’s illegal to breed, buy or sell a pit bull. Not illegal to be in possession of one, but I believe they have to kept under strict control, especially in public.

I ended up with a pit bull cross that I believed (as a puppy) was a Staffordshire bull terrier. He was a gentle dog, but did not like most other dogs. Their jaws are so powerful; it’s what does the damage. I’d never touch another one, as much as I loved him.

SmokedDuck · 02/04/2021 23:58

Reactive approaches to legislation don't produce good legislation.

Dog attacks like this happen but they actually aren't that common, and there is little evidence that what you are proposing would make a difference.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 03/04/2021 00:00

@ViciousJackdaw

Statistically, you are more likely to be killed by a human being than a dog. Let's ban people.
Not to mention cows, bathtubs and ladders, all of which kill more people than dogs.

And, of course, we'll need to ban alcohol, which kills 21 people a day from liver disease alone, and fuels domestic violence, accidents, and abuse.

Timeisavirtue · 03/04/2021 00:00

I defo think people should be vetted to get a dog, how some people treat them and train them are the problem. I’ve known pit bulls that have never even hurt a fly, they were trained by good people but the ones that have attacked people due to bad owners have given them a name.
My uncles have had 3 staffies and not one of tHem has so much as bared their teeth, some of my friends have staffies and no issues whatsoever ever. One of my friends had an Akita and it was the softest dog you would ever meet. I had a Doberman from when I was a baby till I was 15 and not once did it even growl at anyone. My lab now is more psycho but she would never hurt anyone, only lick them to death maybe,
Dogs are what thier owners make them and those people should be strung up because it is animal abuse.
I’m sad a woman was bitten but we don’t even know the full story. I’ve seen people be horrible to passing dogs for no reason.

LEMtheoriginal · 03/04/2021 00:00

Oh and yes, absolutely agree with stricter controls. Waaaay to many dogs end up with behavioural problems because people dont properly consider whats involved.

I'll tell you the dog most likely to have no manners and try to bite me at work? Cockerpoo lockdown special!! So its not all about chavs and status dogs

SmokedDuck · 03/04/2021 00:00

And a "pit bull" is not a breed of dog, as it happens, they are a general name for a type of dog, including Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, and a few others.

They are strong dogs but not more so than some other common dogs.

The real risk for dog attacks is dogs allowed to roam in groups.

AcornAutumn · 03/04/2021 00:01

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow

Every death is tragic.

There are 5.5 million dogs in the UK, and they kill 3-5 people per year. The risk of being killed by a dog are only marginally higher than being killed by lightning (2 per year).

I'd be more concerned with the attack figures. I realise deaths will be low but there do seem to be issues with breeds. Also gang members use them as weapons.
DIshedUp · 03/04/2021 00:01

I think people forget their dogs are not people. They are dogs.

A dog who attacks a sheep isn't naughty, it's a dog. That's natural behaviour. Its natural for a dog to bite a human if its scared or feels threatened. Its not a bad dog, its just a dog

Dogs can bite, they are animals. Sometimes these bites will cause quite a lot of harm if they are a bigger or more powerful breed. If you have the space and time for a dog they can be wonderful. But so many people get a dog because they think they are cute, or for the wrong reasons and it leads to things like this

TiredSloth · 03/04/2021 00:02

Cross a lab with a staffy, both pedigree parents with dna and paperwork to prove it and you can have a dog who grows to fit the pitbull type measurements and is, ergo, an illegal dog!).

@WiddlinDiddlin we have had a couple of lab x staffys and in my experience they definitely don’t grow into the pit bull type. Each of ours were short like a staffy but not as stocky or broad. So just shorter, smaller labs really!

HoHumAlex · 03/04/2021 00:02

So sad.

Pit Bulls and Staffs look really similar to me. What are the differences there? Staffs are my favourite dogs. Staffs aren't illegal are they; just Pit Bulls?

Timeisavirtue · 03/04/2021 00:03

@IdblowJonSnow

I'd like to see all dogs on a leas too.

Sick of them bloody jumping on me and my kids and their owners saying that they won't hurt or bite. HmmAngry

This! I’m a dog owner with a shy scared dog who doesn’t always get on with other dogs. She stays on a lead for this reason and I constantly get dogs coming up to her with the owners stating they are friendly despite me mentioning she’s not always friendly, depends on her mood and then wonder why she snaps because they let thier dogs do what they want.
knocke · 03/04/2021 00:04

Statistically, you are more likely to be killed by a human being than a dog. Let's ban people.

Yes, let's do nothing because people kill

Nightbear · 03/04/2021 00:05

As someone’s already pointed out, knee jerk reactions make for bad law. The fact that a dog can be ruled a ‘pit bull type’ based on measurements even if it can be proven their parents are other known pure breeds is a result of legislation made in response to media and public pressure.

malificent7 · 03/04/2021 00:09

The excuses on here! Dogs are animals...they can kill. If i die of alchohol poisoning that is my own stupid fault. I do not wish to because some dumb dog owner thinks their dog it too 'friendly' to warrant keeping on a tight leash.

Nat3kids · 03/04/2021 00:09

I had a nasty experience a few months ago walking down our quiet suburban street. A massive Doberman came charging down the street barking at me while I cowered trying to cover my face! Luckily it ran off after what felt like a long time! Turns out a neighbour had got a new guard dog and it had escaped. Afterward I just kept thinking about what would have happened if my toddlers had been with me...

knocke · 03/04/2021 00:09

I’m sad a woman was bitten but we don’t even know the full story. I’ve seen people be horrible to passing dogs for no reason.

Well we know that the dogs got into her garden & attacked her which may have resulted in her death.

Nightbear · 03/04/2021 00:09

With lockdown and people travelling to walk their dogs in ‘nicer’ areas I’ve seen very muscular, bull breed dogs with docked ears twice in the last few months. Amateurishly docked ears too. It’s tragic because the dogs are being abused and it won’t be the bastard who hurt them that they end up lashing out at.

SilverLiningSearching · 03/04/2021 00:10

Poor lady, and her family must be devastated. Totally agree OP something needs to be done, I fear that attacks will increase due to the increase of dog ownership during lockdown.
I am of an age when the Rukhsana Khan case was in the news, ( the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act partly due to the horrific attack) never forgot the description of the dog ‘shaking her like a rag doll’ she was lucky to survive.
However a three month old baby in Wales was killed by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a Jack Russell in 2009, this occurred in the family home. I believe these breeds would not fall under the Dangerous Dogs act.
In my area a pensioner was savaged in a local park by a pit bull she was rescued by 5 men working nearby who heard her screams, it took all them to get the dog off her. She lost a finger and required skin grafts.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but tougher penalties for those can’t keep their dogs under control would be a start.

JeremyIronsBenFolds · 03/04/2021 00:13

The news above is horrific. I don't honestly know what you can do to stop the problem - the type of owner that should get a licence is the least likely to do so.

My DH and I were attacked by two large mastiff types as we were out walking our dog ona residential street. As we walked by a house a woman started shrieking at us to get our dog away (we were on the other side of the road!), then we saw her husband struggling to hold these two dogs on a lead. Next they they pulled free and chased us down the road - while we were running away my DH fell and broke his arm. Luckily me and the dog were unhurt, but it was terrifying. The couple hurled abuse at us. The police said there was nothing they could do. We still saw the bloke.round the neighbourhood later, with only one of the dogs. It was part of the reason we moved.

Would he ever get a licence? I doubt it.

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