I'm sick of dogs being blamed for attacks.

[Black_Apalachi]

This isn't a reaction to that other thread, I intended to make this when I heard about that baby on the news the other day.

Right. ANY animal (without being pedantic) can become dangerous in the wrong hands. It's nothing to do with what breed of dog it is, it's to do with the ****** who is supposed to be looking after it. It just so happens that certain breeds are favoured by that type of people which is why the majority of attacks involve said types of dogs. I can understand that at this stage, there may be no choice but to ban some breeds because it has been bred into them through organised fights etc. But in general, if you treat a dog or any animal with respect, it will do the same for you. These people don't know the first thing about dogs, what your body language means to them, how to communicate with them, how to recognise their needs, etc etc.

The government needs to somehow crack down on this sort of thing so that it doesn't punish the innocent majority. Why do you need to take a test to drive a car? Because it is a potentially fatal weapon. So is a dog. I say something like that needs to be done to monitor who is keeping what animals because there's far too much animal cruelty in this country.

As for attacks on babies, anyone who leaves a young child alone with anything that has the physical capability to harm or kill it, doesn't deserve the right to have children. End of story.

/rant.

[Tintinnabulate]

There needs to be a ban on dogs being allowed on roads without a lead.

[Jorc]

Very well said props to you.

[Tash.]

Very well said, it always angers me when things like this happen because the dog is always destroyed and really there's no saying if it had been taunted, I mean a one year old won't know any different will it..

Not to mention that all dogs get looked down on around children, and the majority are absolutely fine, but of course must be watched. It's common sense to me, so why any parent would do it is puzzling.

[danzooo]

This subject is a bit of a gray area because the same can be said for humans - if you raise a child to be a wee bugger, chances are he's gonna be an idiot when he's older, and dogs are no different.

[Misawa]

Indeed. The owners have full responsibility, not the animals

[Richie]

You really won't understand that dogs can become vicious even if they are trained properly until you experience it, its very unfair to say "That dogs vicious, that guy shouldn't be aloud a dog". Yes there is dogs that are treated badly and I understand how people can just point the finger. As I said you won't understand were I'm coming from until you've experience what I'm talking about.

[bo$$]

i was thinking about this the other day because a dog had to be put down because it mauled some boy or something and although i'm sure the dog must've been dangerous, the kids parents shouldnt've let him anywhere near a dog.. lol. not to say the child deserved it or anything, but as a parent it's your responsibility to ensure the safety of your kids. it's just like kids who get kidnapped at the mall or somewhere public, the parents say "i just left them for a second" but when it comes down to it, you shouldnt've left your kid alone at all.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Very well said, it always angers me when things like this happen because the dog is always destroyed and really there's no saying if it had been taunted, I mean a one year old won't know any different will it..

Not to mention that all dogs get looked down on around children, and the majority are absolutely fine, but of course must be watched. It's common sense to me, so why any parent would do it is puzzling.

It is quite remarkable that you are so concerned about the dog when a child has been mauled by it, remarkable indeed. On the topic itself in more detail, the dog is put down afterwards because that attack sets it into their mind that they can attack humans and in short, its a taste of blood/violence which means you cannot rely on it not to do it again.

[Blinger$]

its how they are brought up too, if they are brought up around violence surely they will be violent

[AgnesIO]

It is quite remarkable that you are so concerned about the dog when a child has been mauled by it, remarkable indeed. On the topic itself in more detail, the dog is put down afterwards because that attack sets it into their mind that they can attack humans and in short, its a taste of blood/violence which means you cannot rely on it not to do it again.

So you agree that anyone who murders someone should be put to death?

[Black_Apalachi]

It is quite remarkable that you are so concerned about the dog when a child has been mauled by it, remarkable indeed. On the topic itself in more detail, the dog is put down afterwards because that attack sets it into their mind that they can attack humans and in short, its a taste of blood/violence which means you cannot rely on it not to do it again.

I know but the owners should also receive severe punishment. Someone mentioned people allowing their children to grow up as yobs, those parents should also receive punishment when their child offends.

My friend's dog has been attacked several times while out walking and she tells me that the owners of whatever dog is attacking it never seem to do anything so her dad has to like kick it off of his own dog. If owners are not going to (or don't know how to) discipline their animals, then they shouldn't be keeping them and it's no wonder people die.

[jrh2002]

There needs to be a ban on dogs being allowed on roads without a lead.

Very good idea :) maybe dogs must be kept on leads in ALL public areas? especially parks etc where kids are usually playing.

Any dog that attacks should be put down and the owner should get taken to court and sentenced to whatever punishment they should get if they carried out the attack themselves.

The majority of dog attacks are from neglected or badly treated animals but on the rare occasion the most loved animal has been known to attack :o The dog could be to hot, have something wrong with it, a bee or wasp sting etc. Dog owners/person in charge of a dog need to be 100% responsible for the dogs actions.

[AgnesIO]

Very good idea :) maybe dogs must be kept on leads in ALL public areas? especially parks etc where kids are usually playing.

Any dog that attacks should be put down and the owner should get taken to court and sentenced to whatever punishment they should get if they carried out the attack themselves.

The majority of dog attacks are from neglected or badly treated animals but on the rare occasion the most loved animal has been known to attack :o The dog could be to hot, have something wrong with it, a bee or wasp sting etc. Dog owners/person in charge of a dog need to be 100% responsible for the dogs actions.


That's mad..

Are you saying if a human assaults another human or a animal they should be killed?

[Gibs960]

But say a pit bull attacking you, that beast is pure muscle, where as a westie, you'd be able to kick it off, that's why they're banned I think.

[-:Undertaker:-]

So you agree that anyone who murders someone should be put to death?

Yes I do, i'd also like to turn that around and ask do you think the British people should have a referendum on whether or not we have the death penalty? - because the fact is, most people are in favour of the death penalty and we are supposed to live in a democracy. If you murder somebody, you sacrifice your freedom and your life. If you wish to keep your life and your freedom then dont kill somebody.

The issue over the dogs though (if it wasnt put down as you suggest);

- Where does the dog who attacked the person/s live?
- How is the dog cared for when it now has that taste for violence and blood?
- How can you take responsibility for a dog which could endanger other humans?


I know but the owners should also receive severe punishment. Someone mentioned people allowing their children to grow up as yobs, those parents should also receive punishment when their child offends.

My friend's dog has been attacked several times while out walking and she tells me that the owners of whatever dog is attacking it never seem to do anything so her dad has to like kick it off of his own dog. If owners are not going to (or don't know how to) discipline their animals, then they shouldn't be keeping them and it's no wonder people die.

If the dog of an old lady attacks someone, you would like to see her locked up? - it makes no sense, its like saying 'blame the parents' well i'm sorry but people need to start taking responsibility for themselves and the same goes for animals, if an animal attacks somebody out of the blue then it is rightly put down because it is a danger. Often animals can just snap through no fault of the owner.

[Oleh]

just to input, If the owner is known to be violent then they should take full responsibility of the dogs actions but if proven that the owner has various footage of themself being loving and non-violent then they should be cautioned or some smaller punishment.

[Tash.]

It is quite remarkable that you are so concerned about the dog when a child has been mauled by it, remarkable indeed. On the topic itself in more detail, the dog is put down afterwards because that attack sets it into their mind that they can attack humans and in short, its a taste of blood/violence which means you cannot rely on it not to do it again.

I aren't trying to excuse what the dog did, I am saying that you don't have children alone around a dog.. if you choose to do that then that is your fault. My dog loves children, i'd still not leave her around children alone.

And what you said about the dog thinking it's ok to attack anyone after it's done it once, not true at all. That's like saying if a dog bites someone, it thinks that is ok and will never stop doing it, also false. There is so much we don't know about what happened in that particular incident with the one year old so we can't really make any judgements.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I aren't trying to excuse what the dog did, I am saying that you don't have children alone around a dog.. if you choose to do that then that is your fault. My dog loves children, i'd still not leave her around children alone.

And what you said about the dog thinking it's ok to attack anyone after it's done it once, not true at all. That's like saying if a dog bites someone, it thinks that is ok and will never stop doing it, also false. There is so much we don't know about what happened in that particular incident with the one year old so we can't really make any judgements.

Animals have it programmed into them, for example my guniea pig is very scared and timid because when he was younger the old owners had a dog which would constantly bark at him. An animal uses animal instinct, it has no concept of right or wrong and its the same with dogs. Once a dog or an animal in general has attacked, it will be more likely to do so again because it is programmed into them. That is why dogs who do these attacks are put down and rightly so, because they are a danger and will always be a danger until they are dead.

[Tash.]

Animals have it programmed into them, for example my guniea pig is very scared and timid because when he was younger the old owners had a dog which would constantly bark at him. An animal uses animal instinct, it has no concept of right or wrong and its the same with dogs. Once a dog or an animal in general has attacked, it will be more likely to do so again because it is programmed into them. That is why dogs who do these attacks are put down and rightly so, because they are a danger and will always be a danger until they are dead.

Our opinion once again differs. A dog can be conditioned into being a certain way. No dog is purposely vicious, it is conditioned or forced to be that way. For example, and i'm not saying this is what happened, but if a dog was poked or had it's hair pulled over and over, by something that didn't know it was doing anything wrong, a lot will snap. The same can be said about a human, if someone pulled my hair over and over i'd not be too pleased either. This is what I mean by we don't know enough. In fact I read in one report about it that local builders distracted the dog and it left the child. If the dog was entirely vicious it would not have been distracted by anything, especially if it meant to kill.

[ifuseekamy]

They used to, it was called the dog licence. While not completely efficient it made it harder for chavs and druggies to have weapon dogs like pitbull terriers.

[Tintinnabulate]

Animals have it programmed into them, for example my guniea pig is very scared and timid because when he was younger the old owners had a dog which would constantly bark at him. An animal uses animal instinct, it has no concept of right or wrong and its the same with dogs. Once a dog or an animal in general has attacked, it will be more likely to do so again because it is programmed into them. That is why dogs who do these attacks are put down and rightly so, because they are a danger and will always be a danger until they are dead.

Someone stole something once. Kill them "because it is programmed into them".

[MissAlice]

This is a very sad story, from what I've heard and read. The owner of the dog who is a breeder was not at home at the time, and the dog was not allowed in the house and was kept secure in the garden in presumably some kind of shed/kennel.

The dog somehow was released and went straight to the kitchen where the 18 month old was playing along with her sister in the presence of her mother and grandmother. The dog sank it's teeth into the toddlers head, and totally destroyed her head, and shook her like a rag doll :(

I don't see how anyone can prove without a shadow of a doubt, that this particular dog won't do it again.

Maybe the owner is to blame, we won't know until the full facts are established.

[Allyy-Lovee]

It's Completely Stupid. It's nit the animal's fault. It's the ownerss!!

[alexxxxx]

it's the owner's fault, the parent's of the baby's fault and the dog's fault. Of course the dog has no concept of right and wrong and if it does have this sort of violent mentality, it has to be put down. There are dogs which are generally more aggressive than others and do pose a risk, they shouldn't be allowed. Sad as it is, but it's true.

[Richie]

It's Completely Stupid. It's nit the animal's fault. It's the ownerss!!

This makes allot of sense, that's like saying if a boy goes out and stabs someone to death its the parents fault, they should go to jail and take all of the blame.

[Narnat,]

I agree there absolutley !

[herrfishhead]

Just a thought, people are the most violent animals.

[Hitman]

There needs to be a ban on dogs being allowed on roads without a lead.
I agree. I always see dogs walking without leads and on one occasion my dog was attacked. It made me so mad. :@

[-:Undertaker:-]

Someone stole something once. Kill them "because it is programmed into them".

Yes and humans stealing is comparable to animals attacking people.

Although I suppose you have a point, and thats why we invented prisons.

[Jordan:A]

This isn't a reaction to that other thread, I intended to make this when I heard about that baby on the news the other day.

Right. ANY animal (without being pedantic) can become dangerous in the wrong hands. It's nothing to do with what breed of dog it is, it's to do with the ****** who is supposed to be looking after it. It just so happens that certain breeds are favoured by that type of people which is why the majority of attacks involve said types of dogs. I can understand that at this stage, there may be no choice but to ban some breeds because it has been bred into them through organised fights etc. But in general, if you treat a dog or any animal with respect, it will do the same for you. These people don't know the first thing about dogs, what your body language means to them, how to communicate with them, how to recognise their needs, etc etc.

The government needs to somehow crack down on this sort of thing so that it doesn't punish the innocent majority. Why do you need to take a test to drive a car? Because it is a potentially fatal weapon. So is a dog. I say something like that needs to be done to monitor who is keeping what animals because there's far too much animal cruelty in this country.

As for attacks on babies, anyone who leaves a young child alone with anything that has the physical capability to harm or kill it, doesn't deserve the right to have children. End of story.

/rant.
Totally agree with you, people are like "Staffies are dangerous dogs" I was walking home yesterday and two staffies came up and they were so lovely, so really, its not the dog its the way its brought up, enviroment its brought up and the way its treated!

[AgnesIO]

Yes and humans stealing is comparable to animals attacking people.

Although I suppose you have a point, and thats why we invented prisons.

Prisons fail,

[-:Undertaker:-]

Prisons fail,

A prison isn't supposed to 'succeed' whatever you class that as, a prison is to protect people from the dangerous in the same way that we put dogs down who have attacked people because they pose a threat. Therefore they do a pretty sound job in protecting us from the dangerous.

[Wig44.]

I don't get why people are saying 'well if you think the owners should get punished, should parents get punished for what their children do?!!' as if the two situations compare. For a start, humans can think for themselves far far better than dogs can, of course th human mind at a young age is very malleable but then it is the child/teens fault anyway in my opinion. I've known dogs that are raised in a caring environment to have bitten maybe once or twice - my cousins dog for instance - but that dog had never done anything like that before and hasn't yet done that again and I know that in all of the cases the human involved was absolutely terrified of the dogs.

If a dog kills, I agree that it should be put down. I also think the owner should be punished, because 99% of the time the owner is to blame. A dogs killer instinct can never be removed but can be suppressed. It can be conditioned to expect food at a certain time, to not defecate/urinate inside of the house, to wait by the front door at the time they are usually taken for a walk, to guide blind or partially blind people, to sniff out drugs and inversely to take down fleeing criminals - however they don't attack the police officers 'wielding' them, only the suspect fleeing. I don't think, beyond a bite which could even be seen as playful banter by the dog, that a dog could seriously harm a human being without provocation or a neglecting environment.

[StripedTiger]

I think they should bring back dog licenses to be very honest. But I do agree, all animals will genuinely hurt you if you don't treat them properly. I have some guinea pigs and one of them will quite happily lie on her back whilst I cut her claws and check her teeth and give her a health check, because I'm gentle and leave her alone when she gets sick but a few months ago my sister decided to lie her on her back thinking it was "cute" and before anyway could see what was going on my sister had blood gushing out of her finger ;) and guinea pigs are not known for biting. So just shows that even the softest animals will actually retaliate when not dealt with properly. Not as though guinea pigs will do anywhere near as much damage as dogs, but you understand where I'm coming from.

[Swastika]

^^ Guinea pigs aren't known for biting, true, but when they do, its meant to be a very bad bite? Just wondering :)

Anyway, i think people need to realise that dogs like pitbulls ARE dangerous dogs, hence the fact that you can't own one in the UK. Dogs such as pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brasileiros are banned in the UK because of idiots making them fight and giving these breeds of dog a bad reputation. I don't feel sorry for anybody who owns a pitbull and the pitbull turns on them, and for the record the dog should be put down when they have attacked humans.

[StripedTiger]

^^ Guinea pigs aren't known for biting, true, but when they do, its meant to be a very bad bite? Just wondering :)

The one my sister ended up with was nothing more than you'd expect from a hamster or something, it was tiny, just deep so there was a lot more blood but it was fine once it dried up :)

[Swastika]

The one my sister ended up with was nothing more than you'd expect from a hamster or something, it was tiny, just deep so there was a lot more blood but it was fine once it dried up :)
Oh, good :D
I heard they lock on and stuff and are vicious so i've never bothered getting one, ive always got hamsters instead. :P

[-:Undertaker:-]

Guniea Pigs only bite when they mistake something for food, they'll never attack something with intent - if in danger, they will run though. :)

[Black_Apalachi]

I don't get why people are saying 'well if you think the owners should get punished, should parents get punished for what their children do?!!' as if the two situations compare. For a start, humans can think for themselves far far better than dogs can, of course th human mind at a young age is very malleable but then it is the child/teens fault anyway in my opinion. I've known dogs that are raised in a caring environment to have bitten maybe once or twice - my cousins dog for instance - but that dog had never done anything like that before and hasn't yet done that again and I know that in all of the cases the human involved was absolutely terrified of the dogs. ...
Therefore humans were once again to blame. Fear is the best way to get attacked by anything.


... If a dog kills, I agree that it should be put down. I also think the owner should be punished, because 99% of the time the owner is to blame. A dogs killer instinct can never be removed but can be suppressed. It can be conditioned to expect food at a certain time, to not defecate/urinate inside of the house, to wait by the front door at the time they are usually taken for a walk, to guide blind or partially blind people, to sniff out drugs and inversely to take down fleeing criminals - however they don't attack the police officers 'wielding' them, only the suspect fleeing. I don't think, beyond a bite which could even be seen as playful banter by the dog, that a dog could seriously harm a human being without provocation or a neglecting environment.

I think they should bring back dog licenses to be very honest. But I do agree, all animals will genuinely hurt you if you don't treat them properly. I have some guinea pigs and one of them will quite happily lie on her back whilst I cut her claws and check her teeth and give her a health check, because I'm gentle and leave her alone when she gets sick but a few months ago my sister decided to lie her on her back thinking it was "cute" and before anyway could see what was going on my sister had blood gushing out of her finger ;) and guinea pigs are not known for biting. So just shows that even the softest animals will actually retaliate when not dealt with properly. Not as though guinea pigs will do anywhere near as much damage as dogs, but you understand where I'm coming from.
Exactly :)

[JackHb]

Very good idea :) maybe dogs must be kept on leads in ALL public areas? especially parks etc where kids are usually playing.

Any dog that attacks should be put down and the owner should get taken to court and sentenced to whatever punishment they should get if they carried out the attack themselves.

The majority of dog attacks are from neglected or badly treated animals but on the rare occasion the most loved animal has been known to attack :o The dog could be to hot, have something wrong with it, a bee or wasp sting etc. Dog owners/person in charge of a dog need to be 100% responsible for the dogs actions.

I think they should put you on a lead :P

If you bring your dog up right then the dog wont attack anyone - I have two dog's and both wouldnt hurt anyone. My cats would but the dogs wont.

[W00TZEH]

sorry to go off topic but OMG HI JACK

and dogs are cool if brought up properly

[Black_Apalachi]

I just saw a perfect example on the TV before which criticises the argument about certain breeds being dangerous no matter what. It was a programme like Pet Rescue but it was on BBC1 or 2 and this RSPCA officer was called to a house which was just empty and abandoned but there was a pitbull living in there with a litter of puppies which were a couple of weeks old. There was no food or water and the police were called to smash the door in so the dog would have been scared as hell, was starving and would be nervous of these people coming towards her puppies - yet still, this ferocious and dangerous monster was happy to come up to the RSPCA officer and was being as friendly as ever with no signs of aggression or even being protective of its pups. Now, I wouldn't be surprised of ANY kind of dog (or most other animals) acting aggressively in a situation like this so how is it that one on the banned breeds list showed such friendliness?

Humans suck.

[Muct]

Yeh, my Dog got put down the other month when it was snowing like mad in the UK...
And it wasn't his fault :l It was a properly trained Dog, and I always took care of it, so it wasn't my fault, it was the child and his Dad!

So, story here anyway...
I was walking the Dog on the field, and on the side of the field is a massive hill, a child and his Dad were sledging down it, my Dog was on the lead because I don't like it running around in the field in the freezing cold, so anyway, the child picks up a massive piece of snow, throws it at my dog, I look at it and realize it had one massive block of ice in the middle of it, I keep my calm but my Dog doesn't, it runs so hard I have to let go off the lead, and it doesn't even harm the child, it just simply pushes the back of it, and then it tries running back to me. But, the Dad takes it upon himself to grab the lead and literally WHACK it! When it did absolutely nothing wrong!
Sure, it pushed his back, but no harm was done, and the child was laughing, not to mention how he threw a block of ice on it before, and the Dad had no right whatsoever to hit my Dog, I took him to court and got him some Community Service and a Fine, but my Dog got took down... :l

That's harsh yo. I wouldn't mind, well, I would, but the Dog was fully trained and didn't even harm the child!

[Becca]

Your dog shouldn't be put down for that. I think that's ridiculous. The dad should be able to care for his kid and make sure that it doesn't throw snow at dogs, whether it's friendly or not.

[Black_Apalachi]

I don't get how you managed to win the case but lost at the same time

[Moh]

I agree that it's not always the dogs fault, but some breeds are different.

It actually doesn't depends on the breed either. We had a blue roan and tan cocker spaniel (mixed colour) and she had no temperament problems. However, there has been a lot of research gone into cocker spaniels and a solid colour cocker spaniel have more temperament problems than a mixed colour. No matter how much time you spend training the dog, they can sometimes just snap for no reason at all.

I don't think they should be put down though, surely they would make good guard dogs? :)