Dangerous dogs

[Poppyseed14]

My neighbours' cat was killed this week by two dogs outside our local shop. They were on a lead but being held by the owner's partner who wasn't able to control them. Think American Bully XL types. They take part in those training sessions where they are trained to attack the guy in the padded suit. Not a banned breed in the UK though larger and stronger than a pitbull. A few days ago an adult in Rotherham was killed by the same breed and her partner sustained life threatening injuries trying to get the dog off her. That was their family pet. I know it's all to do with the owners more so than the dogs themselves but I cannot get these awful situations out of my head. The death of the cat has shaken the local community as he was a well known and very much loved local character but it could so easily have been a child instead. And the owners will continue to endanger people and pets. No AIBU just venting really. Feeling so sad for my neighbours, they are understandably devastated.

I hope the police were involved, as you say, it could easily have been a child.

I'm not sure if they were involved or not. I would hope so. I don't feel like I can ask them as they are so so upset at the minute. I might try to find out more when it's a bit less raw.

Oh God that's so awful. What a terrible death for someone's beloved pet.
The owner of the dogs should face serious consequences.
Next time it could be a child.

If they are being trained with people using padded suits, theoretically, they should be well trained and will attack on command.

Im guessing it’s not a professional training them, rather a mate in padded clothing.

Unfortunately the police won’t care about a dog attack on a cat.

You can't compare an attack on a cat with an attack on a child. I wish people would stop trying to say that dogs with prey drives are a danger to people.

As sad as it is that this cat was killed, dogs are predatory animals and will chase small furry things - it's their nature. It doesn't mean these dogs are bad or aggressive, or that they're going to go on and kill or hurt a person.

Maybe you missed the part in my post where a lady was recently killed and her partner badly injured by one of the same breed? And it was a family pet.

I’m not a fan of this breed and the owners who don’t train them safely are to blame.

Attacking and killing a cat is terrible, but how many birds and rodents do cats kill as part of their prey drive?

But you can’t compare that situation because of breed either.

You saying all American bulldogs are bad is the equivalent of saying all Muslims are terrorists.

It simply isn’t true. It’s how the dog is trained and brought up. A well trained bully is a very good dog

I would say a dog that kills a cat is aggressive

Did I say that all American bulldogs are bad? My OP in fact says it's more to do with the owners. What's any of it got to do with Muslims? Am I a racist somehow for being upset about my neighbours' cat?

No not at all. I’m just saying people always seem
to blame the breed of the dog.

Of course I didn't miss it, but that's a different dog in a different part of the country. It's nothing to with these dogs.

The dogs you mention are not dangerous simply because they've killed a cat. They may be dangerous for other reasons, but saying "it could have been a child instead" doesn't make sense. Children and toddlers aren't small furries and don't ignite a dogs' prey drive.

Prey drive and aggression are two totally separate things. Most dogs have a prey drive, some stronger than others, but having a strong prey drive doesn't equate to being aggressive and a danger to people.

Are cats aggressive when they kill mice or birds, then? If not, why not?

Yes you have a point re rodents and birds of course. But it's little consolation to people who are devasted over the loss of a family pet sadly. And I agree the owners have a lot to answer for.

Agreed.

Yes cats are aggressive, if it killed some kids pet mouse or indeed gerbil, wouldn't be great

Yes, but you never hear of cats murdering people.

My dog also has a prey drive, but only for rabbits. He leaves cats and children alone. He isn’t a ‘dangerous’ breed (he isn’t any breed, in fact!)

Yes, larger dogs are responsible for more fatal attacks than smaller ones, purely because of their size and bite power, plus the fact that they often attract the wrong sort of owners. However, my friend was attacked by a Jack Russell aged 4 and it’s left her with lifelong facial scarring. Sometimes it’s just the dog, sometimes it’s the way they’ve been brought up. However, lumping all bull breeds into the ‘dangerous dog’ category just isn’t fair.

My next doors cat killed my hamster actually.

He came upstairs, and clawed it through the cage. Had to find my hamster dead on her side with 3 long claw marks on her

Why would a small child not be prey to a dog with a prey drive, especially one receiving the kind of 'training' OP describes? I'm a dog lover and own 2 bull breeds but I'm also not blind to the issues around 'status breeds', unregulated breeders and the resultant poorly bred dogs, and a certain type of owner, which is what OP is talking about. I don't believe in breed specific legislation (because it doesn't work) but we do need to do something about irresponsible owners and breeders because they create dogs who absolutely are a danger to humans.

The OP says they were on leads but the person holding the leads wasn’t able to control them. Another twat. 😡
I really hope the police take action,

Unless your cat is going round and killing gerbils next door then they're not killing someone else's loved pet are they? There's a pretty big and obvious difference. I've known many chunky dogs that could easily have munched cats but didn't. Taking a dog out, that you can't control, or haven't got muzzled, that'll eat a cat is the behaviour of a wanker

Because children aren't prey. Dogs aren't stupid, they know the difference, and dogs aren't bred to chase and kill people, they are bred to chase and kill small furry things - rabbits, squirrels, foxes, badgers etc.

The breeds with the highest prey drives are very very rarely aggressive to humans - greyhounds, spaniels, foxhounds, terriers - you never see those breeds in articles where humans have been hurt or killed.

I'm not saying this type of dog isn't dangerous - they are generally bred to be aggressive but that's a separate issue to any kind of prey drive they may have.

Completely irrelevant how many birds cats kill. Not remotely comparable

You train dogs not to attack cats or anything for that matter and if you can't trust your dog then it's on a short lead well under control.

This is horrific behaviour.

Cats are let out to roam at the owners' risk. I say that as someone who has cats.

If you let your cat out to roam in public, you can't guarantee their safety. If you don't want your cat to be at risk from someone's dog, stop letting your cat off your property.