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.

Actually no it's not . It's very relevant. There is something inherently wrong with parents who have no regard for children's welfare .
Let's be honest here it's the feral / criminal element who choose these dogs . These attacks do not happen in middle class homes. Denying that is making the problem worse .

It's wild to me that there is a law that states they have to be muzzled in public but there's nothing they can do to stop people bringing them into home with small children. They are acknowledging the danger of them but doing fuck all to protect innocent kids in their own homes.

I worked with aggressive dogs for almost 20 years. One thing I learned was that muzzling an animal actually ramps up their need to bite, and when the muzzle comes off they are much more aggressive. My first job was at a kennel where they actually used them as a training tool to make the more laidback protection dogs more aggressive. Put a muzzle on them and let them have a go at the sleeve. An uncontrollable need to release that bite instinct was denied them. The next time you'd work them without the muzzle, the aggression had ramped up tenfold. Muzzles will protect the public, but once home you're dealing with a time bomb.

Completely agree. It makes no sense. "This dog must be muzzled in public for the safety of others, but feel free to let your toddler play with it at home".

Let's be honest here it's the feral / criminal element who choose these dogs . These attacks do not happen in middle class homes. Denying that is making the problem worse .

The woman who I posted about above is neither feral nor criminal to the best of my knowledge @hattie43. She's a bloody idiot yes. But it is ridiculous to make sweeping statements like that. I don't know if I live in what you would call a middle class area because we're generally not obsessed with class in NI.

It's wild to me that there is a law that states they have to be muzzled in public but there's nothing they can do to stop people bringing them into home with small children.

It's only recently - 2014 - that dogs that injured someone on private property were subject to the law at all. And that change only happened because people were being killed by dogs in houses and the police could do nothing. That was 23 years after the 1991 Dangerous Dogs act.

Dogs v. people and the dogs are winning. Not bad with no vote.

I know of multiple XL bullies local to me. I have no idea who their owners are or where they live. Should I go up to the dangerous cretins (by this I mean the owners) and ask where they live? And these dogs are never muzzled. Why would they be? The whole point is to be intimidating. The problem is the mindset of the type of person who is attracted to these dogs.

That comment came after a post saying these parents have probably suffered enough, so very irrelevant unless that poster tars everyone from "these communities" with the same brush?

It was a completely unnecessary comment to make on this thread.

But I guess because it's an XL, and they are possibly one of "those families" from "those communities" (whatever that means) it's fine.

Have a look and see what the common denominators are with these attacks . Sink estates and feckless people .
There's no point denying it .

Are you me? I also grew up with working dogs, and I feel exactly the same as you!

I hope this tragedy leads to change and saves over children’s lives.

Sadly it's getting too common, and becomes background news. I want to see the laws changed too

I really hope the feckless parents that allowed this to happen are jailed for manslaughter for an extremely long time. It’s on them and no one else.

In this case I think the parents should be prosecuted. Taking in a rescue banned breed is beyond the pale.

The problem is that stupid people don't watch the news and live in their own thicky echo chamber of conspiracy theories and enablers.

@HagsRule

I'm terrified of those dogs. There's one near us, the owner walks it without a proper muzzle (just a bit of thin rope over it's mouth which would not prevent an attack whatsoever) and when I see her out walking it she really struggles to keep it under control.

Please, please, please report the owner. Please.

Surely at this point, with this many deaths from this one breed, they should be classed as a public health risk.

Not a million years ago we culled practically all the cows when they were found to be a risk to the public’s health - again through OUR OWN ACTIONS - and they weren’t even attacking people, just unfortunate enough to be sick due to being force-fed other animals!

I don’t understand the screamishness about culling a breed of dog that has proven (and continues to prove) itself to be life-threateningly dangerous to anyone that is unlucky enough to be in its way when the mood takes it - and that the public is completely defenceless against in the face of attack.

The parents who chose to acquire an XL bully (especially after the ban) while living in a caravan, with children should be charged with negligence manslaughter and face prison time.

The horrific way that little girl died is just unthinkable. And it was completely and utterly avoidable.

I bet there are loads of incidents with the dogs that go unreported as the owners won’t want anyone to know their big softie is dangerous. We only hear about the most serious and public ones.

I hope this tragedy leads to change and saves over children’s lives.

You may as well hope that America will restrict guns after a school shooting.

All dangerous dogs should be PTS, I feel sorry for the dogs as they should have not been breed in the first place but the potential suffering is in my view enough to warrant this. There have been too many injuries and deaths. This latest case in a very rural community shows that the issue is not just confined to large urban areas.

I see these dogs frequently. Never muzzled. Their owners are swaggering stupid-looking inadequate men, without exception.

The police are too cowardly to enforce the laws that there are, so why would an even more stringent breed ban work?

Apparently 6 people have died since the ban. Many more have been mauled.

They're not a breed though - not one that's recognised. Just a collection of features and measurements described in legislation. But the problem is not the breed/type, it's the demand for a type of dog with particular social status. With the restrictions on so-called XL Bullys it's only a matter of time before another breed/type becomes the fashion for the sort of people drawn to owning a status dog and becomes a new problem because of the way the breeders will cash-in and the owners will place them into an unsuitable family environment.

We've seen this all before with other non-bully breeds in the past.

The problem is the sort of person that's drawn to owning a status dog.

@Probsnot

No one would assume those are XL's because they are not??

@Alexandra2001

... vast majority were killed by known "family" breeds, not XLs.

XL bullies make up a tiny proportion of dogs nationally.

The fact they are disproportionately one of the most prolific breeds in the list of dogs who have killed people means they are far, far more dangerous than other breeds on the list.

It's a simple fact. Basic maths.

@SweetBobby

A static caravan is no smaller than a flat

Yes, and having an XL bully in a similarly sized flat (or small house with limited space) would be utterly irresponsible too.

Well, having one at all with children is utterly irresponsible but even more of an accident waiting to happen in a smaller space.