A fourteen year old girl has been killed...

[JustGiveMeFiveMinutes]

...mauled to death by four dogs.

RIP

AThingInYourLife - My staffie is quite small. People often try to pass off dogs banned under the Dangerous Dog Act as staffies and, as such, people often get the breeds confused.

Like I said in my previous post, none of the dogs in the photos look like true staffies to me. Mine is small (much smaller than a labrodor) and has quite a narrow face - nothing like the big boxy jaws you see on a pit bull!

And yes, they are adorable, friendly things :)

my staffie is actually quite small, with a tiny pea head and brain

Staffies tend to waddle dont they and yes, they are quite small dogs.

I am also thinking - if you have a big breed then perhaps you need to attend a training course (at your cost!). If I was out walking our dog and I was stopped by police/dog wardens as I would probably be expected to I wouldnt have any issues at all proving my responsibilities and it wouldnt matter tbh how many times I was stopped.

I think it is down to personal responsibility and cost. If you have to pay and put some time aside to own a big dog then maybe you will think whether it is really something you want to do.

maisiejoe123 I thought it was just mine that had a funny waddle!

Ironically when the police came around recently due to suspicious activity in the area by some young people the constable told us to get a dog as they are great at detering unwanted visitors.

When I told them I had one already he asked to see it, the rottie ambled around the corner and his face! She doesnt bark much and maybe she recognised that it was the police so that was OK.

My DS has one.... It is quite big though.

I have taken our dog out and people who know dogs always ask whether she is OK with strangers before the pet her. Lots of dogs arent but look cute.

Ocassionally a few people would make a rude comment saying 'that isnt a rottweiler is it, am I safe'. I just comment no - Chinese Lab - new breed just come into the country. Most people fell for it. They do have a Chinese look about them methinks and they arent much bigger than a lab....

Mu Ds allows her staffie on the sofa's and to sleep on their bed. TBH - I wouldnt. Our dog isnt allowed upstairs. I think you need to be really firm and definitely in charge in your dogs eyes and allowing them to sit and sleep where you are is not necessarily a good idea.

TBH the reaction I get when I tell people I have a SBT sums it up for me:

"Gosh you dont look like a typical SBT owner"

Riiiiight.

Hear hear Maisie. Dogs should know their place. And their place, imo, is not in their owner's bed masquerading as a cuddly toy.

they do make good feet warmers though when they stay at the bottom of the bed

I heard about this in the park this morning when a fellow dog walker came up to commiserate with me for owning a staffy.

I agree with Dooin. It is not about banning a particular breed. It is about coming down HARD on the witless fuckwits who cannot look after dogs, who do not exercise them, train them or feed them properly. I hope the owner of those dogs is prosecuted, manslaughter at the very least. My bet is that they had been cooped up in the house for a long time and had not been fed.

I am so sad to hear how she died. It must have been terrifying.

But banning certain breeds will solve nothing - you would have to ban all dogs. The idiots will just move on from breed to breed. All dogs are capable of aggression if treated badly.

Fwiw my staffy sleeps in my bed. She still knows I am boss. It is about early training and socialising. And yes, she has been attacked by a lab - when a 16 month old puppy and on a lead at my feet.

16 week I mean.

Ive had "bet you're thinking about getting rid of yours after this incident" today from a colleague.

Erm....no actually. Just as I dont think about getting rid of DP when I hear about another crime committed against a female by her partner/husband

Spero are you me? My SBT was attacked by a lab when she was 15 months. On a lead. Sat next to me outside a shop.

Whether it is the owner's fault or not should have no bearing on whether or not the breed is banned.

There will always be feckless or malicious people- the law prevents them, and everybody else, from owning a gun; why can't certain breeds of dog be licensed in the same way?

Tether - I agree, fining them wont work. They will claim to have no money.

If they choose to have a big dog they will need to prove to society that they know what they are doing. Otherwise, YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE!

And if they are stopped lots of times to give their evidence well that's just tough. Maybe it will then deter them from having it in the first place. It will also allow people who are concerned about the dogs before any attack to report behaviour problems. I know, I know, not ideal but almost always after these sorts of incidents others come out saying the dogs were out of control etc etc but the police and authorities are almost powerless to do anything.

When I did some dog training at a very famous dog training centre known for their gentle ways they said it was actually the Golden Retrievers who were causing the most concern because they are big dogs and there was a strain of agression coming through that they were concerned about I love GR's (apart from the hair) .

Please I am not having a go at any owners/breeds at all. But I do think big dogs (and that is ALL of them) need to be looked at in a different way.

FWIW - I have been bitten by a cocker spaniel and a border collie when I was queuing for an ice cream in the cafe in the woods. Maybe it thought I was pushing in. I didnt report it tbh as the owner did seriously apologise.

Don't think that allowing the dog on the furniture or bed will mean their next move will be to plot world domination

Agree with Spero, early (and continued) training and tons of socialisation. Do you homework and choose a breeder very very carefully if you are not going for a rescue. Be prepared to be interviewed, visited and go on a waiting list. Our breeder is coming for a coffee next week to see how our puppy is getting on, he's nearly 6 months old!They bred to gain another dog and their bitch is already spayed, they are KC registered and all health checks are complete. Don't for gods sake buy from Facebook or Gumtree.

What you put into a dog is generally what you get out, bit like kids, although I do agree certain breeds have certain traits that others don't.

Our puppy has been a dream since we got him, we are first time owners. But, he is trained, loved, stimulated, exercised tons and has strict boundaries (not talking about the pack theory crap or dominance etc). I wouldn't contemplate owning a dog if we could give him that and it's a shame that people don't research and think very carefully before getting their bundle of fluff or whatever.

Perhaps SBT's will get a break soon, they seem to be moving onto Husky's round these parts [hmm). Another fantastic breed as a family pet

I am so sorry for jade and her family and the community in general and sorry if that comes over as 'holier than thou' but maybe stuff like this wouldn't happen if people thought carefully.

ps - ours isn't allowed on sofas or upstairs but that's nothing to do with not having clear rules, just our choice (and the fact I am a clean freak])

I'm intrigued as to how exactly people think that any kind of licencing/enforcement laws would be administered. Who is going to administer the whole idea of the compulsory training/micro chipping/licencing? How are people going to ensure that random dog owners don't breed their dogs and give away the resultant puppies to other random dog owners? Who is going to enforce the certain number of dogs per household law that people are proposing? The fact is that none of these laws are workable because they are simply not enforceable. And to be frank, the government has enough real financial issues to deal with to be able to invest millions into an unworkable scheme to ensure that John Smith doesn't let his toy poodle have puppies.

A child is dead and that is a tragedy. But the only thing that could have prevented that from happening is if the owners hadn't been so irresponsible. No legislation would have prevented that from happening. People who want to keep agressive dogs will keep them regardless of the law because they are generally oblivious to it.

And whoever made the point that the town in question is where the local guide dogs branch is located I don't see how that is relevant. Yes, staffies are notoriously dog agressive, and as a guide dog owner I unfortunately have first hand experience. But there is in fact no corallation between dog agression and agression towards humans. A dog can be agressive towards other dogs while at the same time being totally soft with humans...

we have a chocolate labrador who is as soft as butter and has never put a foot wrong. would I leave her alone with a any baby/ toddler or non-family older child? Never. Not fair on her if something unexpected happens.

We had a Westie when DS was born and gave her to MIL as she was a rescue dog, a bit snappy (only usual terrier behaviour) and I felt she was a risk around a baby/ small child - not out of malice but because she reacted to surprise by snapping. I would NEVER have been able to turn my back on her and DS for a second.

This is a dreadful story, the poor girl must have been utterly terrified. My thoughts are with her family

A young lad across the road from me sees fit to own a red-nose pitbull. To be fair to the lad, it is looked after properly, walked and never ever not under control, ie, running loose. However why in the Hell do people need/want these bloody dogs? He should not even legally own it. He tells people it is a ridgeback cross. Time after times people are bitten, mauled and now a young girl has lost her life.

It is the owners fault. Come on, we've all seen people strutting around town centres and estates (I live on one) with these staffie/pitbull types and you know they are to look hard.

A friend of mine, a perfectly normal, decent woman with a very good job decided to get two pitbulls. The pair of them flipped out after she slipped in kitchen and savaged her lower leg. The dogs were subsequently destroyed.

There needs to be a serious overhaul of the law surrounding these dogs/owners otherwise I fear this poor girl will not be the last person killed.

Perhaps a dog licence of some sort for some dog breeds. And I would be affected by this. I am not suggesting for others - I have a rottie myself!

Something, anything that stops the feckless and stupid from having these dogs. At present (someone correct me if I am wrong) as the attack was at the owners home they cannot be charged with anything very much.

I am sure that they are really sorry but it is clear they are too stupid to think that having 5 big dogs in a small house is a sensible way forward.....

I am personally completely fed up with stupid people who think they can do what they want resulting in the death of a child. They absolutely knew these dogs were dangerous. Why wouldnt they - this isnt mild mannered dog turns.

I agree with another poster, the dogs might have been starving. Stupid, feckless owner not feeding.

Sorry, I am really angry that people like this are allowed to behave like this seemingly get away with a slapped wrist. What stops them replacing these dogs with 5 the same!

Pitbulls are illegal in this country Maid. Is suspect you are out of the UK. At least I hope you are.