Worried about a boy with dangerous dogs

[Whatcanidoaboutthis]

Name changed for this, due to contentious topic. I have a medium/large dog, DC and visiting DC (for full disclosure).

I'm worried about a boy at my DC's school and about any friends that may visit him. I overheard this boy (age 10 or 11) boasting to his friend that he is getting 4 new dogs, including an XL Bully and (in his words) an XXL Bully.

A year or so ago, this boy and his parents started bringing a Cane Corso with cropped ears to school. There was a fair bit of interest in the dog, it was enormous and I had never seen one before. It was only after Googling it that I realised the ears were cropped.

This made me concerned and I decided to bring it up with the school if the dog appeared again. However, I haven't seen the dog since and the mum seems to have been hiding away and waiting for her son in the car at the local shop. I assumed that something had blown up about the dog. I'm not sure if the family still have this dog.

Now they are apparently getting these other dogs. If they're hiding away, I fear the dog/s will not be exercised and it will be an even more dangerous environment for this boy and any DC visiting.

Is there anything I can do? I don't even know the name of the boy. I'm sure the school would probably know about the previous dog.

I don't blame you for your anxiety, OP. I am getting worried about these XL Bullies. It isn't a concern about 'dangerous breeds' so much as a concern about such extremely careless approaches to breeding and ownership, resulting in dogs large enough to cause death and serious injury proliferating to such an extent.
I do believe the law needs changing. Not a knee-jerk law like the Dangerous Dogs Act, that deomises certain dogs, but a carefully thought ot law closing loopholes in the regulations around breeding dogs for sale.
I was shocked to read yesterday about an adult man being killed by an XL bully in Manchester the other day. It is only going to get worse.

Good grief. He's a 10 year old, perhaps his parents have said yes, they'll get more dogs, but they might not have it might be saying it to stop his keep on asking.

parking near the local shop isn't 'hiding', it's avoiding the school gate gossipy judgey parents.

I judge anyone cropping dogs ears, I don't judge the people owning them though, you don't know if they recused them.

Wait & see what actually happens. You can't report someone for something a 10 year old said they might do🙄🙄

He's 10!

10 year old make up all kinds of stuff. Besides if it's that concerning to you, don't allow your child around theirs.

The end.

He is likely not making this up. I wouldn't have paid any attention if it wasn't the boy with the Cane Corso with cropped ears.

His parents have already shown themselves to be more than a bit dim. Yes, I'm pretty judgy about it.

You can't do anything.

Rightly or wrongly, it's currently perfectly legal to own an XL bully and to keep them as pets in homes with young DC.

The parents aren't (in a legal sense) doing anything wrong - it's not illegal to own dogs and have them in your home with children and their friends.

How do you not even know this kid's name but you've heard him 'boasting'?

Report to school if concerned. They can coordinate safeguarding.

its normal and healthy for children in year 5 and 6 to start on the road to independence. Walking home from school independently or walking from school to a car aged 10 is to be expected. Nobody is hiding.

I suppose my concerns would be the dogs being hidden away and not being socialised or exercised but unless your a neighbour you cannot tell

@Clymene because I was walking behind him and he didn't announce himself before speaking.

Oh lord. You've gotten yourself very worked up over eavesdropping on a conversation between some kids.

Good grief

I've fostered at various points and had dogs stream through my home on a temporary basis, cropped ears and all. Things maybe aren't as you think they are.

His mum not bringing the dog to school to pick him up doesn't mean that she isn't excercising him though? She might be taking him for walks somewhere further afield during the school day or in the evenings. She can't win, can she? People were worried about her bringing a large dog to the school gates so she stopped doing that. Now she is being accused of not exercising him properly and creating a dangerous environment.

The parents 'showing' themselves to be more than a bit dim in your opinion also isn't proof that he is telling the truth.

@Flufs Thanks for that 😅. I have successfully raised 2 DC past primary so far...

To answer a few things:

I'm as sure as can be that the Cane Corso was not a rescue. It was a young dog and there is no way a rescue centre would have homed it with children. It is very challenging to get get a rescue dog when you have DC. I have a largish ugly one myself.

I am not worked up by a 10 YO boasting. The reason I have thought back to it is the previous/current ownership of a potentially dangerous and abused 'status symbol' dog.

My feeling is that I probably can't do anything about it. That seems to be the consensus, of those that have answered (thank you).

I will probably email the school. There may be a chance that there are other concerns, or they know more. If the office think I'm gossipy and judgemental, I don't mind. I am pretty judgemental, so that's fair enough.

Some really obtuse replies on this thread 🙄. I would let the school know OP and make sure your DC are never at this kids house. I would be terrified (and I have a large dog myself).

Well it's not likely the OP's kids are going to go round to this boy's house when she doesn't even know his name so no worries on that score.

The school won't be able to do anything about someone owning a perfectly legal pet dog.

Whatever your views on XL bullies (they terrify me personally, and I work with dogs!) - they're not currently an illegal breed that can be reported.

@Clymene . You're right, it won't be my kids.

What are your objections to me asking this question? Is it being concerned about specific breeds? Being concerned about a child that is not my own? Overhearing someone else's conversation?

I don't know why you've had such an adverse reaction to this.

My objection is that you've decided children are at risk in a home because you've overheard a kid you don't know boasting to his mate.

And you have made up a whole back story about him and his family - the mum seems to have been hiding away and waiting for her son in the car at the local shop. I assumed that something had blown up about the dog. I'm not sure if the family still have this dog.
If they're hiding away, I fear the dog/s will not be exercised

What are you going to say to the school? "I was eavesdropping on the kid bragging to his mate and no I don't know if it's just made up and I don't know who he is either but his mum used to bring a cane corso to the school but she doesn't collect him anymore."

You just come across as a malicious gossip.

No rescue would allow a cane corso to go to a family with kids, it was made very clear to us that we couldn't even get a staffy (not that we actually wanted a staffy). They've also had it's ears cropped illegally or bought from a breeder who did it illegally (but I'd assume it would be at their request). There's not much you can do though OP, except obviously never let your kids go to their house. At least someone has complained and the dog isn't being brought to school anymore.

XL Bullies aren't a banned breed, but I wouldn't be letting my DC visit. It doesn't sound like that's on the cards anyway if you don't know his name.

Not much you can do I'm afraid; the law is more reactive than proactive here.

@Itcouldhappenabishop

Except the only thing OP is basing this on is the word of a small child and her opinion that his parents are thick.