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.

The link you posted says a dog can still be considered out of control in its own home.

The pit bull that killed 10yr old Jack Lis had attacked a cat days before it killed Jack while at his friends house…

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-caerphilly-dog-attack-eight-25422902

See
”The dog was eventually homed with a family in Penyrheol but neighbours have revealed it was only believed to have been there a short time and had had attacked a cat, another adult and lunged at child in the last few days alone.

Neighbours described the animal as having "huge muscles" protruding from its shoulders as they saw it moments after Jack's death.”

No one is gathering the data except the Cats.org people. But attacking cats is a well known red flag of a dangerous dog that is a danger to children.

The thing that shocks me is that these dogs were on lead while the owner couldn't control them. Not sure if OP means they broke free from the owner's grasp of the lead or if they killed the cat while still being held on the lead. Horrific in any event, if the owner cant control these beasts they should be removed, if it happened outside the shops they would be CCTV, I would report to the Police and dog warden. While I am sorry about the cat, what really worries me is the complete lack of control of the owner, it could be a child next time.

Round here there was an elderly woman walking through the park who was savaged by one of these Bully breeds. it took 3 men to get the brute off her , she would have been killed if it wasn't for these men who were working nearby and heard her screams.

I think a dog's aggression level is a combination of their nature (often partially dictated by their breed), with their training and the behaviour of their owners.

Yes, all dogs can be aggressive in the wrong hands but some breeds are more aggressive as part of their breed-type and I think American bull-dogs are more prone towards aggression.

This thread is nuts ! Lots of dogs would kill a cat given half a chance, they're no more aggressive than a cat killing a mouse. Mine would certainly kill a cat if it caught one. And a squirrel. Children aren't prey .

If I was standing outside a shop with my dog and a cat sauntered within its range it would grab it . He's not at all aggressive, I've never even heard him bark or growl! As he has a high prey drive I muzzle in residential areas but not in his garden and I wouldn't on a high street either .

That does sound like a dangerously out of control dog.

My dog has caught a squirrel before. Funnily enough, she do not go on to attack a child afterwards.

Honestly, MN in general seems to hate dogs, and thinks that if your dog snapped at a passing fly, then it will be a kid next.

Unpopular opinion…. But. These breeds have been bred (selectively) to attack without warning for thousands of years. By humans. They’re very capable of it. Just as a collie for herding sheep. Or your retrievers for retrieving.

Only when humans breed them responsibly and breed these traits out of them will there be any change.

Look into the evolution of dogs and theirs predatory motor patterns. And how each section of that pattern is edited.

As long as I have small children I’d never own such a breed (amongst others).

I can only speak for sighthounds but they're unbelievably placid and gentle and many adore children - mine does. But they've been trained to chase prey and also have the genetics and so they will do.

If a cat gets my garden and it kills it, I'd hate it but it's not mine or my dogs fault. I am careful out and about but same applies, if we're walking away from houses and a cat is within range that's also not my fault, it is the risk with letting cats out . I've had cats and I let them out knowing the risks.

I think this attitude is a little irresponsible. A lot of sight hounds are muzzled for this very reason. If you let your dog off a leash where you know there might be cats and you think your dogs recall isn’t good enough to stop when chasing a cat it should be muzzled.

No he doesn't go off lead, so he's always on lead, and always muzzled on residential streets. Not muzzled where cats are less likely .

Except in my garden of course, he's off lead and unmuzzled . And we do get cats, he eats all their sodding shit so I know they come in!

Put soaked Orbeez where they shit. You’re welcome 😁🤣

I am not going to muzzle my greyhound in her own garden.

In a trip home from a play date recently I came across a young lad with two very large dogs on leads walking towards us. One of the dogs was acting very aggressively towards us, snarling it’s teeth and jumping against the lead to get at us. I decided I didn’t feel safe enough to walk passed them so I walked my little daughter around a hedge to avoid them.

My daughter is only 4. I’m in no doubt that this animal would have gone for her given half the chance. Sorry but if you want to own a dog like that then it needs to be licenced. They need to bring back dog licences to this country. I was so upset that evening because I kept going over it in my mind - what could have happened.

🤣🤣

I agree, it’s a facile, crowd stirring thing to say. Many dogs are renowned for chasing/killing small furries-my lot sprung a fox this week, they went straight into predator mode. I have no doubt they would have chased it down had I let them. Very, very few dogs will attack a human, hence why it’s always such big news.

Saying it’s the person and not the dog is pretty outrageous-victim blaming at it’s finest. @Poppyseed14 are you seriously telling me it’s the woman’s fault she was killed by the dogs?? ‘all to do with the owners more than the dogs themselves’? Wow!

@stillherenow laughing at your wording rather than the cat shit which is obviously minging...

@ScabbersChin does that work? It's literally every uncovered bit of earth (new garden so still planting). And ddog has a digging area and I have to cover that with weed membrane every night or they shit there . I used to like cats - but so much shit from pets that are NOT MINE!

It did here. But I don’t have a lot of places they can poop. Then I for our own cat and it’s stopped completely. But I’m certain she poops in others gardens 😬😬😬💩💩💩

@Cherrysoup hardly! And wow yourself. But I do blame the owners of the 2 dogs near me who are teaching their dogs to viciously attack and letting them be solely handled by a small woman who cannot even control them on a lead! You think in some way I blamed a dog owner for their own death?! Honestly?! Catch yourself on. Your comment is not only laughable but despicable.

American bulldogs are not bullys.

These attacks are from bully type dogs. They were originally bred from pitbulls. American Bulldogs have absolutely no pitbull in them. American bulldogs descend from the English bulldog.

The problem is that the Bully is a new breed of dog that was bred in response to the very bad reputation and banning of pittbulls. The breeders apparently sought to take the positive traits of the pittbull, AM staff and English bulldog to create a docile but large muscular dog. I don't believe that stated aim, was ever the true aim, and subsequent to this because the Bully is not recognised as a distinct breed breeders have bred into them Cane corso and mastifs. So now its a huge disfigured brute with the bite force of a Mastif, the instinct of a pitt, the bite pattern of the Am Staff (descended from the original bull type fighting dogs/terrier type) and the look of a bulldog.

It would be impossible to ban them now. There is no oversight or breed standard. Its a wild west of chain wearing dope dealing gangstas breeding dogs to look hard, to be huge and intimidating and some training aggression into a dog that already has a toxic soup of a brain and temperament.

What worries me is that all bull breeds are going to be tarred with the same brush. Bull breed dogs were bred to be tenacious, with high pain thresholds and bait bulls, later for dog fighting. They were bred to be docile around humans.

I think we need to be clear about which dogs are attacking. In view of the fact that we cannot be certain what is a "BULLY" we can only be clear about what isn't. Staffs, AM staff, English Bull dogs, English bull terrier etc,....are not "Bully" dogs.

I think the law needs to be changed so that breeders need to be strictly regulated and licensed. There needs to be set fee/cost for all puppies that is not in the thousands so its no easy cash cow. I also agree with the person who suggested that if a dog attacks, or harms, kills animals belonging to others as pets, or attacks people the owner should be charged with that offence as though he himself committed that crime.

Would it also not be your fault of your unbelievably placid and gentle sighthound killed another dog because it thought it was prey? Or what about if it got into a field of sheep? Where I live sheep often escape their field and can be found on the road. Would it also not be your fault if your sight hound killed one of these?

I won’t have sight hounds because I’m under the impression (and I’ll admit I am no expert so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) they are bred to kill other animal and I do not like this. If you want one then that’s fine but atleast be responsible and keep it on a lead or long line when in a public space.

I have a staffie and I’ve never had a problem with her when it comes to over animals. she gets on great with my cats and chickens.