Another Fatal Dog Attack

[tiggerblue10]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-56624119

This time it was two large dogs. Poor woman! Her family must be devastated and angry. Owner has been bailed.

Do dogs just turn or is it the the way they're trained from puppies? This is why I have a slight fear of big dogs. I walk slowly and calmly past them so as not to trigger them.

[woofgang]

tiggerblue10 "They don't sound suitable for any environment, Woof."

They are suitable for what they were bred for.

[ladybirder]

I'm afraid they will smell your fear Sharon. Don't look them in the eye, look away. If a person's dog is running up to people snapping then it should be on a lead or have a muzzle on. Owners like that don't, get us all a bad name.

[Paigntonian]

I fear this problem will never go away but harsh prison sentences can only help.

[Ellipsis]

> The simple fact is, any dog of any size can turn for no apparent reason.

Which is why the owner is responsible for what these dogs did to the next door neighbour.

Against one vicious dog, you have a chance. Against two? Hardly. Not an 85-year-old woman.

[grumpy01]

I see in the report these dogs were tranquilised so they could be tested.Surely they should have been shot because now they have the taste of blood they will attack again.

[woofgang]

grumpy its essential to know if they were rabid, point one. Point two is that its safer to use tranquilisers in public places than guns. Point three is that nasty people give dogs drugs so the dogs mat be evidence. Point 4 is that your now they have tasted blood is nonsense. read my post, its not tasting blood that is the issue, its the fact that the dogs were not bred for domestic English life.

[Ellipsis]

To destroy a dog, they need to be sure that

a) it was involved in the attack, or
b) that it is covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act

[LadyCG]

Poor woman :-(

[pastafreak]

I read about this earlier, and felt so much horror. What a horrible, horrible way to die. And I still feel sorry for the dogs, as how they are bred plus being in the wrong environment contributed to this.
I've come to the conclusion that my short, fateful experience with Sammi means I'll probably not have another dog because of never-ending "what-ifs" running through my head.

[barry1010]

This wasn't all that far from me and I read in the local press that the dogs were kept 24/7 in a garden shed and escaped. I don't know if it's true but if it is then the dogs had not been socialised in any way, had been mistreated and the owner is fully responsible for this awful attack.

[ladybirder]

Absolutely Barry that's disgusting if true. Poor lady and poor dogs.

[emmie]

i read this and was horrified. Its just another in a long line of dog attacks, this one fatal.

[lankeela]

Dreadful as this is, I must correct some assumptions here. Firstly Anatolian Shepherd Dogs originate from the Turkish region, and are a pure bred breed which are recognised over here. They are bred and shown by enthusiasts, and if owned for the right reasons and by the right people are no more a risk than any other breed. Most 'Rommie' dogs as you call them are not dangerous, most are more petrified and will run if they get a chance. A 'Rommie' dog can be anything from a tiny Chihuahua type to a large guarding breed and many are rehomed over here to save their lives from dreadful conditions in kill shelters. The problem lies when people take them on thinking they are doing them a favour when they have no idea how to keep them secure because if they escape it is very hard to catch them being mostly street dogs who are used to keeping away from humans who are in their experience only out to harm them. I haven 't seen evidence of what type of dog these actually were, but I suspect they were a bull breed cross of some type such as a pit bull or mastiff type probably crossed with an unsuitable breed. If they were confined to a shed then they would most likely not have been socialised and the owner should be prosecuted for allowing this to happen. If they are 'of type' which is how the authorities describe a pit bull type cross then they will be destroyed anyway, but if they were my dogs I would have them destroyed without further ado. Sadly this event will once again bring calls for all dogs to be muzzled, kept on leads or confined but this could well be the reason for their attack. Carefully bred and socialised dogs should never cause any harm to other animals or humans. You need to look not only at who owned them but who bred them.

[woofgang]

Lankeela, Anatolians are a flock guarding breed and I did mention that those bred for showing have been bred to moderate their original natures. I stand by everything else I said about flock guardian breeds and crossbreeds being imported in the guise of being rescued and "sold" to unsuspecting people. there are also real shark "rescues" who will take back dogs when the rescue fails, not return the rescue "donation" and immediately rehome the poor dog somewhere else for another fee, once again lying about the dog's background needs and temperament. I am by no means saying that all out of Uk rescues behave in this way. I know some good ones. A friend of mine has just adopted a little sweetie of a dog from europe. She arrived very scared and looking very second hand but is settling nicely and already looking healthier.
I am not saying that it WAS the case in this awful killing but I have my strong suspicions.

[pixie374]

Breeding is a large part of temperament. Dogs have been domesticated so long now (Google gives different answers, does anyone know?). But over thousands of years, we have bred in and out different qualities for different breeds, depending on what "job" they have.
So guarding, herding, ratting, racing, hunting... all of them, to companion dogs, deliberately have different qualities (our responsibility). But they are also all individuals and learn, feel fear etc.
If you put the wrong type of dog in an environment it can't cope with, without the right care, you are asking for trouble. And that's even without taking into account deliberate abuse.

[pixie374]

Sorry, it was so obvious, I didn't say- but clearly a horrific way to die. I hate to picture that. Poor lady.

[barry1010]

The UK has 'kill shelters' too. I cannot understand why we are importing stray dogs when there are plenty in dogs homes throughout the UK. Battersea Dogs Home destroys nearly 24% of its dogs every year - in one year 1200 were put to sleep and only 105 were classed as dangerous breeds that can't be rehomed.
Some dogs wait in Battersea for more than 2 years before being rehomed.
Battersea is not alone in putting rescued dogs to sleep. Many stray dogs can never be rehomed due to their temperament but that still leaves many, many dogs needing a good home. Every imported stray means another dog in a UK home has missed out on a new home.

[tiggerblue10]

Do they do the same with cats in Battersea?

[barry1010]

I don't know, tigger.

[woofgang]

barry I am not a supporter of "no kill" rescues. The issue is not just dogs who are unrehomeable because they are dangerous but for many other reason. Dogs are often surrendered because they have become old or ill and the owner feels better surrendering them than having them PTS which is what is best for the dog. Some dogs really can't cope with the change of circumstances, again often the old ones. Again i am not saying that every old dog is better offf dead.
About the long waits that some dogs have, I can say nothing except that its terribly sad but a long stay, for some dogs, is miles better than a home that is not suitable. I am not saying "perfect in every respect" but one where the dog can be much happier than in kennels. I am on the fence about adopting foreign dogs. There are good rescues who do an excellent job BUT there are also people who see it as an industry or the way that dogs are treated is terrible but its embedded in the culture....google spanish hunting dog cruelty but not if you are of a sensitive disposition. There are also the issues of importing disease eg leish. I wouldn't stop it but I would regulate it heavily. I would also regulate rescue in the Uk.