powerful, potentially life-threatening dogs

[Bjarnum]

AIBU to think people who own such breeds which then go on to kill/maim a child / pet/adult should automatically be prosecuted? With so many smaller weaker breed available ( which may well be snappy but who would struggle to inflict the ghastly injuries seen lately) WHY would you pick a dog so heavy and powerful that if they turn they would be unstoppable? Another child in the paper today maimed by his "best friend".

@DonnyBurrito I agree. It's like carrying a huge knife tucked into belt for everyone to see.
I always wonder what sort of person enjoys seeing others in distress, crossing the road, etc.

@DonnyBurrito

I don't understand why people are insisting those big muscular breeds make a suitable part of the community... they are to intimidate with the potential of being lethal. That's literally the only point to them. I would keep my baby away from any dog, but I would literally cross the road if I saw a muscular/pitbull looking breed coming our way.

Honestly, I would gladly see every pitbull PTS.

The story that inspired the thread was about a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Are you honestly trying to say that Staffies are the preserves of thugs and gangsters? They have a long nickname of “nanny dogs” which admittedly is taking things a tad too far, but they’re family dogs.

Why do people insist on conflating them with pit bulls?

They have a long nickname of “nanny dogs”
That was apparently invented whole-cloth in the 1970s.

They were bred for bull-baiting and then dog-fighting. 'Nannies' they ain't.

Bite force is important (maybe this is what people are seeing and conflating it with the mythical locking jaw).

I have seen Cane Corso (700 psi) and Malinois (195 psi) out and about in recent years. Never even heard of them 10 years ago. I wonder about the wisdom of these types in a domestic setting.

The scariest dog I ever encountered was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. That was definitely on the owner though.

@EdithStourton

They have a long nickname of “nanny dogs” That was apparently invented whole-cloth in the 1970s.

They were bred for bull-baiting and then dog-fighting. 'Nannies' they ain't.

No modern breed bears much resemblance to its Victorian forebears. Staffies are not like pit bulls.

"Social media is full of it. A kid with its arms hugged tightly round the dogs neck, and the dog body posture, eyes, mouth and whole demeanour screaming get it off me and the caption will always be something idiotic like aww best friends. "

This times a million. And all of RomansTheyGoTheHouse's excellent post.

@IggysPop

Bite force is important (maybe this is what people are seeing and conflating it with the mythical locking jaw).

I have seen Cane Corso (700 psi) and Malinois (195 psi) out and about in recent years. Never even heard of them 10 years ago. I wonder about the wisdom of these types in a domestic setting.

The scariest dog I ever encountered was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. That was definitely on the owner though.

The scariest dog I have ever met was a chihuahua.. owners let them get away with aggression because they "are small".

We own a large dog, malamute to be precise. The attitude of "oh but a small dog is only snappy". I'd say 90% of small dogs we see out bark and lunge at ours, and the owners find it hilarious... but if it was the other way around there'd be uproar. A small dog could easily kill, especially a child. All it needs to do is go for your throat.
I'd trust my big lump and most big dogs over nasty little ones. It's also alot about teaching kids respect, no climbing on, shouting at or ignoring the dog when it shows it doesn't want fuss

Of course all dogs can be aggressive but I work with dogs everyday. A snappy chihuahua can be challenging to deal with but it will never make my heart pound like an aggressive dog of anything large staffie size upwards ( and I can think of several beagles and golden retrievers in this group ). A little dog is unlikely to rip my face off unless I’m unconscious on the floor, which I try to avoid. Let’s be a bit sensible here.

The bigger issue is possibly any irresponsible pet owner leaving any dog unsupervised with a child.

I honestly think dogs should be banned as pets. Only farms etc should be able to have dogs as working animals.

@Florenz

I honestly think dogs should be banned as pets. Only farms etc should be able to have dogs as working animals.

Fine. So what happens to all the pet dogs now? And what happens to dogs who are brought up to be working dogs, but don't make the grade?

No dog is safe. My dream world would be dog-free. Why risk human health. No dog is worth it.
But at the very least, those big and strong enough to do serious damage must be eradicated.

Can we also stop with the cutsie, fluffy names like staffie and rottie as well? Call them what they are - Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers etc. Trying to make these dogs sound less than they are just makes the owners look like they are trying to hide something about what these dogs are really like to me.

its not the breed. It’s the owner and their (lack of) understanding of how to handle a dog. We have an American bulldog, a coy dog (part coyote, part dog - in her case the dog part is a husky) and another husky. Until
recently we had a malamute also until he died of cancer. We have the space, time, resources to care for them properly.