AIBU to think some dangerous dogs should be put to sleep?

[Amlmeanorfair]

Ok, this might be unpopular….

So follow a certain dog breed group on FB. It’s not a stereotypical “dangerous breed” but a typical uk breed. You get people on there saying about their dogs biting and asking for advice, it isn’t always a major issue.

However what irks/worries me is when you get ones where the dog is clearly absolutely unsafe but they make out like they’re a saint and because of that they’d never put a dog down. Like this week, someone who’s dog has bit before and attacked her when she was trying to go into her bedroom and wouldn’t let go of her arm and “was ragging it” asking what would help with “resource guarding” before they have children??? And any response saying vet check and consider PTS is replied to like you’re the devil and hate all animals. Like if the dog did that to a child it would kill it!!! And yet we see more and more incidences of fatal bites in the paper. Why has it become utterly unacceptable to PTS a dangerous dog before these things happen? I say this as a dog owner that I feel this “I’d never put my dangerous dog down group” is bad for dog owners as a whole. Surely part of the responsibility of dog ownership is to be responsible to the rest of society?

Yup. These people either ought to put their dog down or have children removed from them

I agree. I grew up with dogs, and my friends would tell you that I'm a ridiculous lover of dogs. However, I also know that you can never know a dog and so unfortunately it is sometimes necessary to euthanise a dog.

I will caveat this by saying the following: there are many, many people today who are unfit to own dogs, or who treat their dogs like children - hence the misapplication of human psychology onto dogs.

If I was a politician, this would be my policy:

The bar to dog ownership ought to be a lot higher
A license collected by the council (say, £500 one-off, then £100/year)
Local dog wardens funded directly from the licenses
High fines for people who choose not to buy a license
Removal of unlicensed dog/dogs with owners paying the RSPCA
A statutory duty to inform the warden if there's children in the household

As I said, I love dogs, love spending time with them, but things must change.

I had an aggressive dog pts a few years ago I didn't have young children but the dogs behaviour got so bad that he was unpredictable and would lunge and bitr My dog was just an "ordinary " crossbreed but the behaviour just escalated despite seeking professional help. If people are getting their advice from Facebook and not seeing a vet then they are irresponsible at best.

I voted yabu - I think it's still v acceptable to call for a dangerous dog to be put to sleep.

That’s a wee bit confusing then 🤣🤣

Having been present when we put our dog to sleep (due to illness not aggression). His death was very peaceful and calm, particularly after the suffering he'd gone through in the few days before. They don't know they're being put to sleep, so its cruelty could be debated.

I get it, they're our dog and they rely on us for everything (we have 2 dogs) but some people would be homeless before rehoming their dog - what about their children?

Even worse when a dog is dangerous or unpredictable. How are you going to sit across from your child in 20 years time when they bear the scars from the dog that attacked them that you KNEW had a bite history?

Yes, I'm pro less children and more dog. 100%.

I adore animals. I don’t really believe in “bad dogs” but I do think unpredictable ones are potentially very dangerous.

And while I wouldn’t rush to PTS I do think it has to be an option. It usually isn’t the dogs “fault” but there is a point of no return where they aren’t safe as pets and unfortunately that means making a hard choice. Yanbu

I am a dog lover, and dog owner, so I don't say this lightly, but the amount of dangerous dogs is completely out of hand. It's so unsafe. Some dogs just can't be rehabilitated and should be PTS if they pose a risk to others. Biting dogs just shouldn't be allowed, especially those breeds/crosses capable of doing serious harm.

I don't know why people want XL/bully type breeds at all, let alone around children. I will be glad when there are none left.

Any dog owner who claims to be an animal lover but is not vegan (and does not feed their dog vegan) is not an animal lover.

I’d have any dangerous dog pts no question. There’s enough dogs needing homes without wasting resources on the dangerous ones.