To think it’s cruel to bring police dogs into a a massive violent riot as was Southport last night? *edited by MNHQ

[Bullbreedbliss]

The tragedy at Southport has been horrific beyond description and touched us all. However I can’t help but think it was not only ineffective, but irresponsible and cruel to bring dogs into the scene that unfolded during last nights riots. The morning after and we are hearing that dogs have been injured from having bricks thrown in their direction, strangled, kicked and burnt. Bringing half a dozen dogs into a scene where hundreds of people are engaging in such extreme levels of violence and civil unrest was never going to achieve anything except traumatised and injured animals. A poor tactic employed by police at great cost to the animals that did not choose to be there.

The dogs are also victims in this but what is the solution to that? Don't have police dogs or horses? If that is the decision then more police are needed.
The police did sign up for the job but they didn't expect to have their bones broken.

Operation Harley (the riots in Bristol) left officers thinking they weren't going home from work that day and would never see their kids again. British police don't deal with riots every day and aren't equipped for it so I personally think they need the dogs and horses to help. Yes it is very sad but so is humans being assaulted. They don't expect to be part of riots like that where they are massively outnumbered and at risk.

Poor little girls and their families.

This is what these dogs are trained to do though op, have you ever seen a police dog in action? I have seen them on training sessions whilst working in prison and they are not scared trust me they are very keen to work

You've no idea how much this post had angered me? So an actual police officer (or several) has to risk injury and trauma because the poor pups (who are animals btw just the same as cows who provide the beef you eat and the milk you drink) looked scared???? WTAF????

Tbh they need to up their game with police dogs.

Police dogs in the UK have very poor training in human attack and it is visible. I have seen military and police dogs in action in several countries and most of them are shaking from adrenaline before they are allowed to act. If on lead it is hard to keep them in check.
It is all abot breeding and training dogs for this job.

If dog is not suitable for a police job it will not pass exams.
And from all fogs working in forces you need the most resiliant and agressive dogs to join human attack training.
So yeah, kinda dogs did not chose that job but also if they are not good at it they will not pass.
Problem is UK police does not do strict enough training.

Im sorry dogs got hurt but they are there to help and protect human police. Blame the rioters , not the police .

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Wow... chill. If it truly invoked this strong an anger response in you, maybe a little self reflection is in order. Can't speak for everyone of course but I certainly don't eat beef and I never have dairy either (lactose intolerant rather than staunch vegan) Sweeping generalisations are unnecessary, stepping away from the internet for a little bit might be good though.

Tbh I don’t get what them being good at it has to do with anything?

Many dog breeds enjoy work. They are bored to death as house pets.
So if they enjoy it and are good at it, let them work. Yes some jobs come with risks but without human interaction majority of animals do have quite short and violent lives.

Yes putting an animal in the way of a concrete slab is certainly "let them work"

Aside from the welfare issues, German Shepherds are useless against large numbers of people with petrol bombs, concrete projectiles, iron bars etc.

The UK needs well trained and equipped specialist riot units, not giving a shield to a community police officer.

Yeah the dogs get a choice in the matter when they sign up for police training ? And of course I care about the police officers injured and local people attacked.

Personally I thank yanbu op-when I see horses and dogs brought into situations where huge crowds of assholes are acting out of control I wonder how they can bring a dog or horse in

Yes, I was worried those dogs would bite one of those rioters! God knows what that dog could catch…

@systemicmotivations I will neither chill nor step away from the internet. Of course I acknowledge that some people don't consume meat or dairy but my point stands as to why police officers and their families have to be affected when there is a trained animal there to prevent against that.

Have you ever been around PDs? Those dogs were not scared or confused.

Also accusing people of 'othering' police dogs is peak MN

Someone asked about the purpose of using dogs in a riot. The purpose isn’t necessarily to attack individual people but to move the crowd back, giving the officers space to try to move forward and gain control of a situation. The dog handlers will move to the front of the line of officers and incrementally move the crowd back by allowing the dog to move on a lead in front of them. It’s extremely effective. No one wants to be in biting range so they get out of the way sharpish. Horses and vehicles can sometimes be used in a similar way in that they’re used to move the crowd back. That’s exactly why some scumbag will have targeted them. It saddens me that they were hurt but it also saddens me that the officers were. They were all bravely trying to protect the community who had just suffered immeasurable tragedy.

I appreciate the dogs don’t ‘apply’ for the role but on the basis of personality they are uniquely suited for it in a way that often (but not always) make them unsuitable to be pets. I think on experiences of fostering one through his training and seeing them at work they genuinely love the work. They like the stimulation and challenge and have an incredible bond with their handler. Someone compared them to military dogs. It’s similar but not quite the same as there needs to be very high levels of restraint and control from them for the way they work in UK policing which again not all dogs are suited for.

I really don't know why our police don't follow the french police and get the water cannons out. It's no less than those thugs deserve. Instead we take the soft approach and allow our officers and their dogs to get injured.

Thanks for that explanation, it makes more sense to me now. The fact that only three police dogs were hurt suggests the handlers did a good job of keeping them safe under a hail of bricks.

I agree with OP and I agree with you. What's so wrong with using water cannons on an unruly mob?

We’re not allowed to use water cannons! Previous Home Secretary’s have not allowed it (although it’s been used in Northern Ireland). I fully agree with you they looked in need of a good wash

Only on MN will posters come to the conclusion that you cannot possibly care about human victims if you have any kind of sympathy for dogs. Of course the greatest tragedy of this whole shitshow is the murder of children. Not a single person is disputing that. However, some folk have room in their hearts and brains to care about more than one thing at a time.

Violent criminals will always choose a victim smaller and weaker than themselves (which, after all, is why everyone was there in the first place…)

A police dog isn’t weak by any stretch of the imagination, but they are smaller than the average human and an easier target. Thugs like the ones in Southport have no respect for any life apart from their own. Even police dogs are innocent animals; my cousin is a police dog handler and has a retired police Malinois as his own pet. That dog has settled beautifully into pet life and snuggles up on my lap like a giant kitten when I visit, you would never guess that he was trained to subdue criminals and be utterly thrilled about doing it.

Police dogs are fantastic ‘tools’ and the breeds they use genuinely enjoy working, but they have no place at riots! Riot shields, rubber bullets and tear gas work far better in a coordinated approach to protect the police in a riot than dogs do, as the police officer handling the dog has to consider the safety of two officers rather than one, leaving a greater margin for at least one of the pair to be harmed.

Whether you meant to be condescending or not @Superfuryanimal, I mean I can’t think of a time when giving a dictionary definition of a word to someone who clearly knows what it means hasn’t been patronising but there you go.

And you didn’t say “everyone just be kind”. You said that dog lovers were being “othered” like some oppressed minority. Which is not only blatantly untrue, it’s also an insult to those that are.

Like I say, peak MN.

They can cause serious injury because of the high pressure can cause people to be knocked over. I could not care a fig about the mob but I care about the innocent people and emergency workers caught up in it.

Were the dogs kept on leashes? If so, I'm not sure why they were brought in.

If they were off leash and allowed to fetch the rioters down to the ground, then yes, a good idea to have them there.

If the police aren't allowed guns, tear gas, water cannon, then using police dogs to bring some of these low-life down might be a good idea.