AIBU to think dogs should be muzzled in public now?

[TraitorsSandwich]

I’ve just seen the awful news that a man has been killed by a German Shepherd - I can’t even imagine how awful and scary his final moments must have been.

Dog attacks seem to be happening all too often - AIBU to think dogs need to be muzzled outside the home now ?

For too long dogs have been humanised but the bottom line is they are animals.. who are ‘friendly’ until they are not and attack someone.

Dog owners seem to be getting more and more selfish & irresponsible- our local recreation ground has signs up everywhere stating dogs must be on leads but it’s completely ignored despite their being a free and secure dog field 10 minutes walk away. Therefore meaning that no one else is able to enjoy the rec ground.

I see so many adults being dragged around by their dogs and it’s so obvious that they would not have the strength to intervene if their dog did attack.

So surely it’s safer for everyone to muzzle dogs ?

I love dogs but even i’m starting to get annoyed at how many shit dog owners there are & how dogs are everywhere now.

Plus everyone thinks their dog is great & they are a responsible owner, blah blah blah.

The only people that would follow this rule are the responsible dog owners. The irresponsible ones would ignore the law/rule, just like they ignore that sign in your park.

All this legislation wouuld do is punish well behaved dogs.

The malice and callousness with which some people on here talk about dogs actually make me feel a bit sick. Hiding this thread.

There may be a reason why he did that. The man who died may have been up to no good /self defence. Time will tell.

I love dogs and have three. I adore them but we won’t ever have three again. We live fairly rurally and I hate walking them due to other owners who have zero control over their dogs. We went to Cornwall a few years ago and I hated it due to the sheer number of dogs there. I think there needs to be licensing and more controls, yes. Muzzles maybe

Dogs need to be on leads unless in contained off lead areas. Allowing your dog off lead should be something you can be stopped and ticketed for. Multiple offenses should have escalating punishments.

Muzzles are unreasonable.

Possibly. Dogs can be a risk to other dogs too. Know one family who’s timid small dog was set upon and ran away. Through sheer perseverance and constant searching they got him back. Plenty of children and some adults are also terrified or allergic yet more venues than ever advertise dog friendly. I love dogs but need a balance.

My dog doesn’t even have teeth. What would be the point of distressing many dogs just because some have terrible owners?

Maybe we should ban cars because they kill so many people

And yet still more people are killed by guns than by dogs

A lot of them will be those lockdown puppies that people got on a whim

Cows are very easily avoided, you just don't visit farms or go into fields which have cows in. Dogs, on the other hand, are everyfuckingwhere.

I have compassion for the man who has been attacked / killed but suggesting all dogs should be muzzled is absurb. You may as well suggest alcohol is banned as this can make certain people unpredictable and violent.

I'm a dog owner (dachshund) whos dog has been attacked by a large dog (with the owner declaring it was friendly, it actively ran at mine which was on a short lead). I agree there are far too many irresponsible dog owners, I am fed up seeing dog attacks, having other owners tell me their dogs are friendly when I ask them to keep them away from mine, lack of recall with dogs off the lead and dog poop bags all over the countryside, or in our village due to lazy dog owners. You cannot tar all dog owners the same

Absolutely not. What a ridiculous question.

I live in Ireland. My German Shepherd is a restricted breed along with

American Pit Bull Terrier
English Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
BullMastiff
Dobermann
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rottweiler
Japanese Akita
Japanese Tosa
Bandog

And the XL Bully is the only banned breed

This means he must wear a muzzle in public, be on lead and under control of an adult. Holiday let's, groomers, camp sites, dog parks - it's really hard to find one that will accept a restricted breed

My dogs got a steady temperament. He is a big boy, aloof but neutral. We stick to the rules. He often gets attacked by non restricted small breeds on walks and shrugs them off like it's no big deal, but I do wish those labradors, spaniels and yorkshire terriers had to follow the same rules.

One rule for all or none at all in my mind.

A muzzle isn't a punishment - it doesn't stop a dog from eating, drinking, barking, socialising or even playing with toys when properly fitted.

But am unmuzzled dog attacking a muzzled one is plain cruel.

The dogs on holiday snapping at/attacking other animals were all smaller, fluffy, doodle type ‘cute’ breeds. I’ve only ever been bitten by small, yappy dogs too. The three German shepherds we’ve had within our family have been the most intelligent, loving and loyal dogs I’ve known. But we train them adequately and raise them well and appreciate that, at the end of the day, they are a dog, an animal. And just to add, I love dogs, I would get another German shepherd tomorrow if my circumstances allowed.

I agree all with this.

XL bully dogs that take their owners for a walk.

The owner has been arrested for murder. This doesn’t sound like a random dog attack, it’s a dog that has been deliberately trained to kill.

Making normal dog owners use muzzles would have made no difference.

Can we please deal with the duff owners instead of demonising the dogs!

I'd be happy to see them muzzled as well, but it's the dogs that are doing the actual biting. This is about prevention rather than allocating blame after the bite has happened.

Personally we muzzle our cows when we take them for walks and always keep them on leash in public

Muzzles aren’t what we think of- their mouths being kept shut, I’ve seen them on where dogs can still easily sniff around happily. I’d have no problem with my dog wearing one

I don't think it is fair to make make dogs have to wear muzzles. I do think it is fair that dog owners should be criminally responsible for the actions of their animal. If your dog attacks someone you get the asset charge, if your dog kills someone you get the murder charge. I think that would make people start to take impact of dog ownership seriously.

^ This, really. Before making muzzles compulsory, we need to enforce the existing law. Employing a couple of visible, community-based dog wardens with the power to enforce the law and remove dogs from unsuitable owners - with no questions - would cost my council very little compared to their overall budget.