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

I was walking with my son in the park the other day when a JR ran up, jumping, growling and snapping at us. I kicked the little fucker & got a mouthful of abuse from owner.

Don't let your fucking dog off the lead if it can't behave.

I'm an animal lover but I'm sick of dogs tbh. Sick of their shit everywhere for one thing.

I'm an animal lover but I'm sick of dogs tbh. Sick of their shit everywhere for one thing.

Perhaps consider that may be a responsible ownership issue

Perhaps consider that may be a responsible ownership issue

It amounts to the same outcome.

@Veterinari I think we are talking about different type of dog park. The ones I mean you book for say 30 minutes and you have it to yourself , no other dogs unless of course you have booked with a friend etc. Nope it doesn't address the issues at home but at least stops the issues of millions of dogs running around out of control in every day life. Even in kids swings parks now , dogs running about off leads. So unacceptable

Perhaps consider that may be a responsible ownership issue

Irresponsible owner & aggressive, poorly socialised or nuisance dog.
Both are a problem.

[quote Indoctro]@Veterinari I think we are talking about different type of dog park. The ones I mean you book for say 30 minutes and you have it to yourself , no other dogs unless of course you have booked with a friend etc. Nope it doesn't address the issues at home but at least stops the issues of millions of dogs running around out of control in every day life. Even in kids swings parks now , dogs running about off leads. So unacceptable [/quote]
Ah fair enough.
Individual bookable exercise for millions of off lead dogs sounds like a lot of dog parks though.

A lack of off lead exercise in dogs has been linked to behavioural issues and frustration (which can lead to aggression) so we'd need to beware of inadvertent consequences too I suppose.

We go for a walk around the field opposite the house (quite a lot since March 2020 actually 😂)

Anyway, you can never relax walking around it because there is always a dog running up full speed behind you... with the owner quite a way away (obvs as the dog runs fast to stretch its legs)

I'm constantly on edge looking over my shoulder on my daily walks. You don't know when its coming or what it might do when it reaches you from behind.

I don't know what the answer is tbh.

@Fridacaninelo but doesn’t need the same solution.
My dogs like to walk in a variety of places. We meet other dog owners. No way could there be enough dog parks (who pays for these? Where do you find the land?) for each dog to have sufficient exercise in one. Our local ones are booked solid as it is at the moment. And there aren’t lots of spare acres just lying about ready to be fenced in for dogs.

Loads of dogs where we live, there is a dog poo plus some behaviour problems. Some owners don’t seem to understand people don’t want to be jumped on. On the other hand, there are also some really considerate people. It’s not worth arguing with the former, in their opinion, dogs trump everyone else’s wishes. As demonstrated on this thread.

And there aren’t lots of spare acres just lying about ready to be fenced in for dogs

The off-leash areas where I live in Melbourne are all shared with sports. The dogs can't go on the oval if a game/training is running but otherwise fine.

I don't think as many people should own dogs as currently do.

I personally think if you haven't got access to a lot of land where it is safe for your dog to roam without bothering other people, it isn't really fair for you to own a dog.

I haven't got a garden I could secure for a cat, and I don't believe in allowing cats to roam, so my two cats have medical issues which require them to be indoors.

@echt the U.K. is very different. Many city centres don’t have large open spaces for sport.

Probably an ignorant city dweller here, but isn't there some way of banning the general public from farmer's fields? I always thought they were the private property of the farmer?

I don't think as many people should own dogs as currently do.
This. My cousin has tirelessly ran a dog re-homing charity for 10 years. All dogs neutered before adoption, hoping one day no dog is left behind.
The amount of breeding over 2 years is insane. So much for a 2DC limit if we are replacing the population with 1000's of meat eating animals.

[quote Wolfiefan]@echt the U.K. is very different. Many city centres don’t have large open spaces for sport.[/quote]
Good point, I'm guessing most sport arenas are private. The ones in Melbourne are on council land.

This thread is depressing. So much breed bashing, which is just wrong.

EVERY dog, no matter size or breed, has the ability to cause damage. Everyone thinks they know their dog well enough that they’d never cause harm.

Too many people get dogs based on their looks/status symbol etc. Rather than researching WHAT each breed was bred for/intended to work as.

I researched loads before getting my girl. She’s a giant breed (roughly 54kg, males are much bigger). Bred as a companion dog, so no specific skills like gun dogs, retrievers, pointers etc). Socialised the hell out of her as a puppy, brilliant around kids etc. The most docile dog ever.

Until the day she took exception to another dog. It was in a safe and controlled environment, no risk of damage. But I was absolutely shocked at the change in her. Lips curled back, teeth bared and going nuts - it was like a red mist had descended, she wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to me. One occurrence in 9 years, but if she’d been able to get to that dog then I hate to think what could have happened.

As much as we think we “know” our dogs, there can always be “that” one moment.

"Not only the actuality of a dog attack but also the everyday fear of it." Fuck me, I think I'm taking my life into my hands. He could lunge for the jugular at any second!

@echt

And there aren’t lots of spare acres just lying about ready to be fenced in for dogs

The off-leash areas where I live in Melbourne are all shared with sports. The dogs can't go on the oval if a game/training is running but otherwise fine.

Probably wouldn't work in a country where people seem to be adverse to picking up poo

Probably wouldn't work in a country where people seem to be adverse to picking up poo

There's high level of compliance, though could be better, on the oval where I exercise my dog, but actual dog poo on the streets? Very rare.

I must ask a longer-term resident for the backstory on how all this was managed in the first place.

Since lockdown dh and I have noticed a huge rise in nervous dog owners who don't appear to want to socialise their dogs or who don't understand why it's so important for dogs to be confident and relaxed off lead with good recall.

There will be a second wave of even more highly strung dogs when those nervous owners re home them after lockdown ends and they realise they don't work from home anymore and their dog has separation anxiety and has chewed through their entire house.

It will be a disaster unfortunately.

My dogs are brilliant off lead but we are struggling to walk them now because we keep getting shrieked at by terrified new dog owners because their dog 'doesn't like other dogs'.

We have to call our friendly dogs away whereas before lockdown started, they would meet up with their dog friends and have a friendly play and sniff together then continue on a walk with us.

For context, my 'terrifying dogs' are pugs. This is Bunny who is a rescue pug and has just spent five days sitting on my bed while I was poorly.

When he came to us he was frightened of his own shadow, under fed and had never been walked so had no recall. He is still a bit scared and likes a bit of meeting other dogs but then stands close by us because he likes to stay near. If other dogs come near he does a deep woof and I reassure him.

I have never needed to shriek at other dog owners to call their dog. If he had the potential to bite I would muzzle him and I'm surprised more owners don't do that if they are worried their dog is dangerous?

You want to ban an entire breed of dog based on what you've read on Facebook and in the tabloids. 🙄🤦‍♂️

I'm not on Facebook and I don't read the tabloids. Your attempt at snobbery made your argument void.

Grow up.

or you could just ban all large dogs and we will all own chihuahuas

Silly comment. FYI Chihuahuas tend to have a pretty strong kill instinct. They are tiny and can be picked up and removed from a situation though.

Since lockdown dh and I have noticed a huge rise in nervous dog owners who don't appear to want to socialise their dogs or who don't understand why it's so important for dogs to be confident and relaxed off lead with good recall.

There's quite a bit of dog hate on this thread and I'm left wondering why? I'm afraid your post explains some of it. You have labelled owners who prefer to have some measure of control over their dogs socialisation as anxious, why? You have no idea why they might want you to call your dog back, your job is to respect the request not question it because you think all dogs are like yours.

I've encountered many situations where owners prefer their dogs not to be approached including recent injury/surgery, new rescue that they are still getting the measure of, dog recently attacked and is now nervous and they are trying to slowly build confidence again, new rescue that they know is terrified of other dogs etc.

I've watched owners of over friendly dogs wave away the concerns of other owners even when their huge dog has raced up to a tiny dog and the tiny dog has rolled over and exposed their belly as a survival strategy, it's horrible to see no matter how friendly your dog is.

Absolutely loving the people on this thread that say “oh but he’s a rescue dog” well done, gold star! Let your little pooch run off lead and shit everywhere and bite a kid. It’s fine as they are a rescue dog! I don’t care if your dog is made of gold, poops cupcakes and smells like flowers, I don’t want the damn thing invading my body space.

Why do people insist it isn't about breeds? Of course it is. My King Charles cavalier isn't going to kill someone. He's got the patience of a saint with kids (and my toddler really pushes it with him sometimes). He's basically a teddy bear and we are a busy family, apart from a couple of puppy classes and us teaching him to 'high five' he is this way because that is the temperament of his breed.

I don't care how much of a 'softie' your German Shepherd / insert other breed here is - they have proven capable of doing serious damage, size alone they are a risk. One came bounding up, off lead to my cavalier on a walk and nearly killed him, threw him around like a rag doll. Then his owner called me a cunt!

Too many potentially aggressive breeds have become common household pets.