To think all dogs should be muzzled in public?

[ToughTalker]

By law.

Many things have been banned as dangerous where less people have been injured and killed.

Obviously we can’t ban dogs but it should be law to have them muzzled outside of your own property to reduce the injuries and deaths they cause.

amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/15/dog-bite-britain-the-problem-with-the-pandemic-puppy-explosion

The numbers quoted are only hospital admissions not people going to their GP to get tetanus shots or antibiotics for infected bites. Nor patching a wound up at home. The true number is likely to be double those quoted at a conservative estimate.

@XelaM would that poor lady have died though if the owners had no choice but to provide muzzles for their dogs or risk them being confiscated or a heavy fine? I doubt they would agree if there wasn’t a legal consequence.

I know I and my DC would feel a lot safer walking in the park or walking to and home from school if all the dogs running around were muzzled!

Dogs are trainable aren’t they? I’m sure there’d be a market for a type of muzzle to be developed that they can get used to? Even old dogs can bite.

As for dog attacks happening in people’s homes, that’s their property and they are responsible for what their animal does inside it. They keep them at their own risk and should face heavy criminal penalties if they injure or kill anyone while in their home.

Not interested in whataboutery. We need men and cars (and even tumble dryers in a UK winter), we don’t NEED dogs (apart from service dogs), dog ownership is not a right and should come with rules to protect the public as they are inflicted on them.

Interesting article. The scale of dog biting attracting a lawyer do specialize in suing the owners is telling. If there is money in it for lawyers, it's a growing problem.

It's a pretty simple risk vs. reward analysis isn't it? The cost of policing such a rule far outweighs the risk (because the risk of being bitten by the dog of a law-abiding citizen in a public place is absolutely minuscule).

Mine are always on lead (extension). If they had to be muzzled, I might start letting them off lead.

Maybe not muzzled but a mandatory lead unless on private land? I would be keen.

We live in a rural area where many locals/ visitors walk their dogs off lead (not to mention people are oblivious to fields with pregnant ewes in.) My DH and DD are both runners, husband has been bitten several times and DD has been chased/snapped at a few times, not bitten, but shaken up 😓. It's tough one as most dog owners are responsible and can manage their dogs well, but the few spoil it for everybody

YABU, but I do think all dogs should be on leads in public, other than specific fenced in areas

Ridiculous

I think a lot of people should be muzzled in public tbf

Well, if you want stupid dog owner just go the pets section where a woman is asking if it is problem that her dog repeatedly growls at her one year old child.

What hope do you have for public control if this is the house. At least she is thinking about separating them

You're not meant to feed bread to ducks.

As long as it's not their sole food source it's fine.

The problem is that they eat it dry and then drink and it swells up painfully in their stomach. If they must be fed bread, it needs to be thrown in the water and wet first.

I think this is the most ridiculous statement ever my baby girl does not have a vicious bone in her body and I would not muzzle her when there is no need to I think every dog is different and a responsible owner knows when and where their dog needs a muzzle if they do I think more people than dogs need to have a muzzle on

If I have to muzzle my dogs, I'll let them off lead. Then you'll see havoc from them.

As it is, they are on (extension) lead and perfectly under my control without a muzzle. Better situation.

I'm not prepared to have them muzzled and on a lead. That would take all the fun out of it for them.

I need my dog more than I need men, that’s for sure!

Nope I think this is unfair. My dog is anxious, we have taken on a dog who was previously mistreated, starved and beaten yet she is the most loveable little thing. She scares easily and due to this will bark when she feels intimidated. I have never walked her off leash unless she is in a secure environment with dogs and people she knows well. I will walk her in quiet places and if I’m heading towards something that I think might scare her then I take a wide birth. She wears a harness that says anxious on it. I keep her on a short lead when passing anyone. People regularly come up and just start patting her, they tell their kids to pat my dog. I say in advance to not pat her becuase she gets scared, she has never bitten anyone and I wouldn’t imagine she would but I’m a responsible owner and would not like to take that chance either.
Not all dogs should not be muzzled because some dogs are viscous. That’s like penalising everyone due to some people’s wrong doings - you just wouldn’t do that.
Those people who mistreat dogs and don’t know how to handle dogs should either have them taken away and given to people who know how to look after dogs or should be forced to go through proper pet training.
I also firmly disagree with muzzling certain breeds. Every breed is capable of attacking.

That’s like penalising everyone due to some people’s wrong doings - you just wouldn’t do that.

BREXIT.

I disagree with@ToughTalker

A better thing to enforce would be all dogs on leads in public places. Simply because these days it seems very few people have control over their dog, and very few dogs appear to know the recall command.

No, digs learn to socialise with play with mouthing with other dogs.

I think the incident had a set of circumstances which were nothing to do with the individual dogs.

Don't be ridiculous, our children played for years without any interaction with dogs.

Animal haters

Straight to the nuclear option! No, all dogs should not be muzzled in public. Also, show me a muzzle for the many designer brachycephalic dogs out there?

Good for you. Mine haven’t been able to. And I’m vegan actually. So probably more considerate of animal welfare than you could even get close to.

They do exist. Makes the dogs look like Hannibal Lecter.

Putting a muzzle on all dogs is absolutely ridiculous. I have 3 cavalier king charles and I highly doubt a muzzle would even fit on their tiny faces! Not to mention it would make it harder for them to breathe.

Muzzling should be part of an escalating action, not a blanket policy.

It would not prevent most deaths and injuries of humans as most happen on private property.

Where I live, a few people muzzle their dogs by choice. If a dog is complained about to the council, and is judged "guilty" there is an escalating set of actions for offences and repeats: owner to provide evidence of re-training, fines, designation as "dangerous dog" so to be muzzled when not on private property.