Another fatal dog attack

[upat4am]

So saddened by the news a 10 year old girl has been killed by what sounds to be an XL Bully.

I'm shocked that any family would keep one after so many attacks. There are worse things than kindly being PTS.

It seems like the same line every time "loving family dog, never done anything like this".

How many do there have to be before people realise any XL Bully has it in them. It's not their fault, they're not bad dogs, it's just genetic the same way a dachshund barks or a spaniel's tail wags the dog.

Perhaps this death will be the tipping point for some other owners to consider humanely putting down their xls.

I don't see why it would be, unfortunately. If the mauling to death of other children (and adults) didn't make them think twice, why would this one.

Agree completely. Those dangerous animals should not be in public places. No more deaths of innocent children. Horrific.

This dog wasn't in a public place though. It was in the child's home which, seemingly, was a static caravan. It's clear that there was no way in which the child and dog were kept apart and these would surely have been cramped conditions for such a huge dog. There is only one solution here and that is for all XL dogs to be euthanised. People have to come before animals and if parents aren't sensible enough to make intelligent decisions, then the state needs to. I totally agree that these parents need to be prosecuted as an example to all. Yes, they have to suffer the death of their child but they were responsible for the decisions that led to that death and so are culpable.

The point is these parents and owners of that dangerous animal did not accept the fact that it was a potential killer. Otherwise it would not have been their family pet. They were in denial like the folk on this thread. These animals are potential killers. They should all be humanely put down. No ifs or buts.

IMO, there have been enough horrific incidents to justify treating children living with XLBs in the same manner as children living with violent offenders. If the parents refuse to safeguard the child(ren) by rehoming or euthanasing the dog, then the children should be removed. XLBs are dangerous, it's one thing being an adult & choosing to take that risk yourself, but no one has the right to expose children (or vulnerable adults) to the danger.

It could have got out and killed someone else’s child, especially on a static home site where everyone lives close together. An example has to be made with a prosecution.

100% agree

Absolutely this. I am so sick and tired of ‘oh our dog is such a loving family dog’. Until it isn’t.

its very simple. If you have a Jack Russell or cockerpoo or labroador if they bit it will hurt and could cause damage. If a XL bully bites it can kill you. Everything to do on jaw size and nothing to do on temperament. They are animals and all animals still have instincts.

I would never want to be bitten but if I ever was I’d take a dashund bite any day of the week over a bully. Let’s also point out the obvious that a lot of dogs would struggle to get to your throat due to their size but not an XL bully. When are people going to wake up?

Do they? "most dog owners...? 21000 people were hospitalised after dog attacks in 2023, approx 38 people killed, so not far short of one a week, vast majority were killed by known "family" breeds, not XLs.

We also "train" dogs differently too, we humanise them, they sleep with us, the idea they are pack animals is no longer accepted, its about positive enforcement & they are our equals.

Until recently I worked with a couple of women who both had really unpleasant sons (in and out of prison for assault etc) and they were organising the passing around of these dogs between various people that they knew. The poor dogs were never with the same person for more than a couple of weeks, I think they were just being swapped about to be used to intimidate people.

I see one of these dog breeds being walked most days I go out with ours, not the same dog either, they’re not at all uncommon around here. We have a large male Lab, typical friendly happy-go-lucky type. The other day we had to try and walk as far to the side as possible to avoid one of these XL Bullies whose owners had to use their bodies to physically crouch over the dog to make sure it stayed put while we passed. The owners were two small young women, they didn’t stand a hope in hell of keeping that massive muscular dog back if it decided to lunge at our dog. What kind of situation are you in that you have to use your body weight over a dog to try and keep it contained while someone passes with their dog?!

Another one was being walked in a popular off-lead open nature area. F’ing terrifying coming around a corner and seeing that massive dog coming towards us. They should be muzzled when in the public, at the least.

Yes, most dog owners. Over 13 million dogs in the UK, which pretty much dwarfs the 21k you quote. Should be nil, but like most things in life, perfection doesn’t exist.

@Alexandra2001 that wasn't my understanding. Wikipedia has a list of fatal dog attacks in the UK going back to the 80s and almost all in recent times are bull breeds. A couple of larger other breeds sprinkled in.

No labs or cockapoos in there. That's not to say they don't bite, I'm sure they do, but as people have said in this thread it's about the strength/size and chance of keep biting once started.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ListofffataldoggattacksinntheUniteddKingdom

simply not true. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

XL Bullys are VERY disproportionately represented in the attack/kill stats. If you were to do an analysis of how many XLs there are in the country compared with how many deaths they are responsible for then you would find the probability that they would kill is far higher than with other breeds.

EG
Between 21-23 they were responsible for half the deaths, they do not represent half of the dog population - which is what you would expect if they were just as likely as any other breed to kill.

They are bred to kill. Luckily some don't, but that is just luck. I agree that they should be culled.

There is a mother at my little girl’s school that brings her XL bully on the school run. It wears this flimsy leather muzzle and she loosely ties it to the front gate where hundreds of children walk in and out of the school. So many children are visibly scared of it. Including my own daughter. It looks absolutely terrifying, never seen such a large head! I swear it’s powerful enough to snap the skinny material lead used to tie it. And the muzzle looks so unsafe, half arsed. Every time I look at it I imagine all the people who have been killed by them. I don’t know the ins and outs of the laws but it doesn’t feel right that it’s just sitting there every morning and every afternoon with hundreds of children around it. I can’t believe another life has been lost 💔

You should speak to the school about it - at least then if it does end in tears, you can know you did everything you can.

Muzzles can be broken through or torn off if they are not properly secured - I’ve seen it happen numerous times. And given the average intelligence of a XL Bully owner I wouldn’t place to much stock in the muzzle being properly secured. Either way, muzzling an XL bully is not enough. They all need to be PTS.

This needs to be reported to the police. Before a child is seriously injured or worse.

I witnessed an xl bully dog attack a dog and it's owner last week. Thankfully no serious injuries, the dog was off lead and had no muzzle. The attack happened next to a small children's park where a mum and her little girl were. They were terrified. When it was reported to the police their response was that 'because there is no cctv covering that area, there is nothing they can do.' This is despite there being 2 separate witnesses and the owner being well known to the police.

A quick google tells me 16 people were killed by dogs in the UK in 2023.

Where are you getting your information from?

There's two where I live ,and it's exactly the same ,I see them in the town centre,kids wandering past ,and everyone carries on like it's normal .
I suppose probably because the owner looks the type to beat the crap out of you ,if you say anything negative.
Bizarrely this is a very expensive area as well .

Just echoing that I can't think of a much dumber decision than getting a massive dangerous dog to live with a child in a static caravan.

@Killingoffmyflowersonebyone you are right. I should say something. You can see it makes a lot of people extremely uneasy. I’ll do it today. I agree with you, as horrible as it is. I’m sure they’re very loving pets..until they aren’t.

It needs to be reported. Please report them, or endanger someone's - maybe your - life

Actually there's 3
I was visiting a flat complex ,to view to buy for my daughter
with the only way in and out via a lift,and the flats are tiny
A pregnant woman gets in the lift with us ,the dog is not on a lead or a collar.and it's going out in the lift for a wee .
Obviously we didn't put an offer in .

@Viviennemary do you think so? Honestly just asking. I’ll need to get a picture of it as proof. Will try get one this morning.

I would do absolutely everything within my power to stop this. I can't even tell you the lengths I would go to in order to protect a school full of children.