Something needs to be done about unleashed pitbulls/ XL bullys

[TheyareEverywhere]

We've just moved to a new area which seemed nice and a good place to raise the kids.

After living here for just a week I've had two encounters with one of those big, bulky pitbull / XL bully type dogs off lead with the type of owner you'd expect to have them - young, unable to control them, the sort who use the dog as a penis extention to intimidate people and train the dogs to latch onto things at the park.

DP got chatting to a man at the shop and apparently they belong to drug dealers from the other block down the road. Lovely.

I'm scared of those dogs and won't pretend I'm not. I know what they can, and do, do to people / kids. My DD is equally as scared of them after having one growl and bark at her at the park.

Surely something should be done about people like this, fines for having them off lead on public streets? I don't know. All I know is they're frightening and shit to live amongst 😔

AIB unreasonable?

Is it? As opposed to said dog mauling a child to death? It's cruel yes but the lesser of two evils.

Nobody is advocating going around poisoning random animals. That dog poses a serious threat to life and lim. To a child.

@TheyareEverywhere the absolute agony that would put a dog through and you think it's ok. Shows you up for what you are. Maybe get some help .

Gorgeous boy! 😍

Where's your energy for the 3yo child narrowly escaping a mauling?

“Nobody is advocating going around poisoning random animals. That dog poses a serious threat to life and lim. To a child.”
Good luck poisoning the local druggies dog OP. Do you have proof this dog has killed /mauled a a 3 year old?

🙄 Drugs kill too and would quite frankly be a bigger concern to me than any dog.

Shocked that mumsnet have left that post up. But seem perfectly at peace with showing paedos “love and understanding” wasn’t it? - as one of the mn mods posted a few weeks back.

@ElmTree22 @Laughloveloneliness @AlwaysGinPlease thank you 😊

@TheyareEverywhere thank you. I love his ears, I personally don't like the clipped look and don't agree with it.

Couldn't agree more. It's always the middle class mumsnetters that are berating working class people for wanting their working class children to be able to play outside without being fearful of dangerous dogs.

I am a professional who is qualified and works with dogs. For the past 10 years have worked alongside the police in dealing with dangerous and out of control ones.

Sadly, the vast majority of seriously dangerous dogs I’ve seen are bull breeds. Usually some type of overgrown staffy type. More recently I have seen a few imported (not bull type) dogs that have also been seriously dangerous- how they got into the country is beyond me but that’s another thread.

Yes, any dog can bite but having seen a ‘pitbull’ type in full on attack mode I can safely say it is a)terrifying and b)almost impossible to stop. If one attacks then it won’t be stopped nor will it stop of its own accord. I’ve seen the damage done by a bullies jaws in real life and it’s horrendous, too awful to type here. Some of them have enough sedatives to knock out a fully grown man and are still lethal. I’m sure there are lovely ones, but I wouldn’t want to take the chance with my own family.

They are bred to be relentless and to ignore any usual signs of appeasement or distress from whatever it is mauling- think about it, a fighting dog who stops when it’s opponent cries would not be a very good fighting dog at all. Generally most breeds don’t want conflict (or are fear driven which is a different problem to deal with)

All dogs follow traits genetically, collies herd, retrievers retrieve and sadly dogs bred to fight or attack are predisposed to this behaviour. Anyone who denies it has no clue about behaviour or science. I dread meeting one on a walk with my own dogs or my children as I know the damage that could be done if one did attack, even my giant breed wouldn’t stand a chance.

As for the comment that rescues wouldn't rehome dangerous dogs- they can and do. Lots of rescues don’t assess properly. Lots of them are ran by people who think they know dogs but don’t. Lots of dogs behave differently in a home than in kennels.

What the answer to the problem is I have no clue though. Perhaps the regulation of purchasing and breeding dogs is the best place to start, with legislation requiring temperament testing of dogs before breeding and crackdowns on anyone breeding without the appropriate health testing and licensing. If it were me, I would also ban the rehoming of all dogs unless assessed by a qualified professional (registered with a behavioural organisation) in order to limit dogs ending up in homes, bought on gumtree or whatever without proper history, that have no idea what they are dealing with.

What on earth are you talking about, poisoning the druggies dog?!

I was referring to PP's neighbours dog who has already viscously attacked multiple people, maimed a grown man to the point he can no longer work and then gone to attack her 3yo toddler.

Hell yes I would rather that dog be dead than allowed to continue wreaking havoc and mutilating innocent members of the public, children.

Maybe MN left it up as they're as sick as I am of people being complete snowflakes and running to tattle to them for every comment that goes against the status quo.

FWIW most people I know IRL would opt to destroy a dangerous dog that is a current and ongoing threat with a history of multiple attacks that have caused disfigurement.

Cop on.

As for the comment that rescues wouldn't rehome dangerous dogs- they can and do
.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11992905/Rescue-dog-owner-lost-arm-pet-bit-suing-RSPCA-200-000.html?ito=native_share_article-nativemenubutton

having seen a ‘pitbull’ type in full on attack mode I can safely say it is a)terrifying and b)almost impossible to stop. If one attacks then it won’t be stopped nor will it stop of its own accord
If one of these attacks you the only way you will stand a chance is if you can shoot it before it gets to you, no one will be able help you, they'll be too scared of the dog, you or your child will die in the street, ripped apart by someones pet dog.
I think we will see an increase in people carrying weapons as these xl bully type dogs become more popular.

Chilling isn't it?

I'm sure it was mumsnet where I read this, apparently the most effective (and probably only) way of stopping one of those attacks is for somebody to to loop a dog lead / rope around the dogs neck and lift it off the ground.

How feasible that would be in the moment I don't know, and the amount damage it would have done up until that point would likely be huge.

I've been watching videos about these dogs tonight and there are some on YouTube showing some really brave people intervening and seeing off the dog. I can't say I would have the balls personally, unless it was my child then instinct would kick in and I'd give it my all then we'd both be fucked.

@Thesharkradar Ive actually considered carrying a weapon while walking my dogs to protect myself, my dogs and children from an attacking dog. I haven’t done it because I’m a law abiding citizen but it’s crossed my mind more than once.

Maybe my perception is skewed because I’ve seen the aftermath of a dog attack though. Most people can’t imagine looking at another living thing that’s been torn apart, especially if they have only known lovely dogs and can’t imagine one could do that type of damage. I actually love all dogs and I’ve met so many sweet lovely staffies etc…but it’s irresponsible for anyone to deny genetics can play a huge part in the outcome of how a dog can turn out. Genetics combined with poor unregulated breeding and owners not meeting breed specific needs is a recipe for disaster as is evident in most of the cases I’ve seen reported recently.

I honestly can't believe that anyone with a smart phone can just find out where to buy one, then go and buy one. The woman above, who lost her arm, I hope she wins her case against the RSPCA, apparently the damage was similar to a chain saw attack.

We've had a family move on to our street about a year ago. They have four children between the ages of a few months and about 6. I don't really care about what anyone thinks about what I'm about to say but the fact is the couple are on a low income so struggling financially and are clearly struggling with having four children. They also appear to have some additional needs intellectually. They have recently acquired a huge dog which I think, but can't be sure, is a Cane Corso. The thing is a beast and the few times I've seen them with it they don't seem to have much control over it. I cannot understand why they would have it in their house with 4 small children. The house is a typical 2 bed terrace with a small garden so God knows where it is kept. I feel sick of the thought of the risks to those children and so bloody angry with them for having an animal like that around children. If there were a law against it I would report them but unfortunately there isn't. The authorities will only care when something unthinkable happens.

@TheyareEverywhere it was my post you were referring to and I have to admit that yes I have thought about it to be honest. I’m usually very soft and wouldn’t want anything to suffer but I fully agree with you, I am terrified day in day out leaving my own home or simply putting the washing out. My children are unable to play in our garden as much as they want and I carry a knife with me when they do.
We paid a fortune to move into this house so we could bring our dc up in a rural area with space and we now have to live in fear. The police described the dog as the same as having an unpredictable person in possession of a loaded weapon. The owner does not care. He just shrugs. I will be elated when the dog dies. Wish I had the balls tbh.
The posters who are reporting the comment and apologists of this breed, il give you my address if you want and you can bring your dc round for a play date in our garden? See how long you stay out there and see how you feel after?

op
They don’t get it because they don’t have to live with it, I’m sure if it was their toddler who was at real risk every day of being mauled to death in front of their eyes while they stood powerless they would change their tune.

Just today I was out with my eldest in our garden feeding the birds and making our veg patch ready when next door let that thing out and it launched itself at the fence, snarling and growling, it looked possessed. My lovely dog ran away to our door and me and dc ran inside. My poor dc wanted to continue with our garden but I said no. We have strengthened the fence but it has pushed it and launched into it so much it’s leaning over. It’s so strong. It’s a matter or time before it falls over and the dog is free. We can’t even fully replace the fence because we can’t risk having the current fence taken down because they will still let it out and it will attack whoever is working on the new fence. We don’t have space to just put another fence next to the existing one because we have already put extra panels and other bits to strengthen it and now have no room.

@GSD20 Ive actually considered carrying a weapon while walking my dogs to protect myself, my dogs and children from an attacking dog. I haven’t done it because I’m a law abiding citizen but it’s crossed my mind more than once.
I hear you, you wont be the only person having these thoughts, some of them will have lower thresholds for going against the law. Once it becomes a thing that you have to carry a weapon when you're out and about because of the dog problem, what then, we'll have weapons and dogs to worry about?

I also hope she wins her case because it might make animal charities take the problem seriously. However, whilst I feel desperately sorry for her after what happened, what was she thinking of?? How dumb is she to get one of those as a pet?
I think people become emotionally bonded to dogs, with these dogs the physical power of the animal makes the bond stronger, they love and admire it and cant see it as everyone else does. Something like that, or just plain old dumb as a rock?

@Nonamefor1
I am so very sorry for your situation.
I cant write any more, I'll just get banned, like these dogs should be.

I feel so sorry for you and your family, I know for a fact I would be a nervous wreck in your position. Hopefully something happens to the dog soon, or the idiot owner, or both.

Don't worry about the morons upthread who seem to care more about a dangerous dog than human beings, they are definitely a minority IRL.

It's unfortunate and totally unfair that decent people, normal families, end up lumbered with those waste of space incapable dog owners and have to live in fear because some twit wants a big scary dog to make himself look "well 'ard"

Keep reporting it every single time the dog lunges at the fence. Every time it barks at you. Every time you have to bring your children inside. Report report report. I know you must be feeling completely defeatist after seeing the owner get away with it for so long but something simply must be done about it. It's negligence that it hasn't. I know it's trotted out alot on MN but write to your MP and tell them what you've told us. Maybe even the local newspaper. As you can see on this thread there are loads of us who would get behind you. The vast, vast majority of the public would be furious on your behalf.

Just like to add that having had to stand on top of an SUV in a car park recently to avoid one that jumped from a parked up car with the window open...I've been reading on how to deal with it. If attacked there's little you can do accept try to choke it if it's wearing a collar. Give it your bag if you can and keep tugging it to distract then grab it's collar and pull up and twist. Hope to never be in this situation but little else will help...not kicking or even sticks...not even pepper spray it seems.

that sounds terrifying, I'm glad you're ok, I dont see how anyone stands a chance against these dogs, they are bred to kill things and be impervious to pain, at least one police force is now calling for action to be taken against them
https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2023-06-30/police-force-calls-for-ban-on-xl-bully-dogs-after-attacks-double

If I see any I give them a very wide berth, I dont see how it would be possible to choke one since they have thick muscular necks and as soon as they get hold of one of your limbs they'll start shaking/tearing and soon have you dismembered. The excitement of making a kill will fill them with adrenaline and they wont feel any pain.

Yes they are truly terrifying but apparently choking is the best bet as underside of neck you can choke. Also if you has a knife then the main artery is at the side of the neck below the ear. Honestly gruesome to say but as you have identified, it would be most likely a matter of survival

I have cone shaped metallic vape and when I am walking in dog areas I have had it my hand. If dog attacks I give my left arm and with right one I will push the vape in its eye.