Another Rottweiler attack on a little boy , 14 months !!?

Question

Do you think the government will be forced into doing something now re: owning a rottie , licence or ban ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/5383928.stm

I have to say we owned a rottweiler for 13 yrs from puppyhood til the day she was put too sleep due to illness . We had her before our kids came along and i swear you could never get a more placid creatures , nevertheless , my kids were never left unattended with her , nor any dog for that matter . There are 3 rottweilers in my street and 2 of them are never on the lead and thats so wrong .

I agree , probably most owners are too blame for the way their dog reacts to different situations and i know its not fair to ban just rottweilers but they are very dominant dogs and probably ideal as guard dogs but not in domestic homes and public inns , that is asking for trouble

I agree , probably most owners are too blame for the way their dog reacts to different situations and i know its not fair to ban just rottweilers but they are very dominant dogs and probably ideal as guard dogs but not in domestic homes and public inns , that is asking for trouble

Too B.Demus , i think you should report that family to the rspca or nearest animal welfare establishment before someone else gets hurt , you would feel bad if you done nothing and that dog hurt someone . You owe it to your kids if anything .

Answer 1

I doubt rottweilers or other dangerous dogs will ever be banned. It's up to owner responsibility to protect the public from them. Some owners think that because those types of dogs have "never bitten" them they are harmless. True they may be harmless to them, but dangerous to everyone else. If owners know that those types have dogs have a tendency to be dangerous then they must do everything within their power to control it. It's like owning a gun. If the owner of a gun does not have that gun locked up properly and a child gets a hold of it and pulls the trigger, the owner of the gun becomes responsible for not securing a dangerous weapon. The same should be done with dangerous dogs. If the dog bites, maims, or kills anyone, the owner should be held to the same laws that gun owners have to live with for having a dangerous weapon. Most times all they do is destroy the dog and nothing happens to the owner.

Answer 2

There have probably been a lot more rottweiler attacks lately but they haven't been reported. The reason this one has come to light is because of the tragedy of the little girl that was recently killed by them.

I remember there being a spate of reports some years ago and nothing was ever done then, so I would imagine that something will have to be done now.

I wouldn't say that they were particularly violent dogs if they are raised correctly but there are too many irresponsible owners out there who don't train them properly or who don't keep them locked up properly. They are big dogs and can do a lot of damage so I do think that something needs to be done to control them before something else awful happens.

I'm not sure how you ban a breed of dog, though I'm pretty sure that has happened before. Personally I think that the owners should be held responsible. So, that animals are put to sleep, but really the owners should be punished for not raising the animal correctly. Perhaps this would stop people buying them.

I guess a licence might be a good idea and you have to prove that you're capable of owning such a dog. Unfortunately this sudden focus on them means that a lot of the dogs may be abandoned or dumped or worse.

Answer 3

I love dogs and I love kids, so this question had me really thinking. I think if the government are going to have a licence for a dog it would have to be across the board, for all dogs because I've even heard of a Jack Russell that killed a baby. Also I would assume that the licence along with everything else in Britain would cost a lot of money and just because someone can afford this amount of money does not make them a responsible pet owner.

I don't think that a ban is the answer, simply because in some states in America when they find Pit Bull strays they are automatically euthenised, regardless of temprement because these dogs are illegal. In short they are killed without good reason. Also I think it is our job to try as hard as possible not to keep killing every species of animal we come accross and I fear banning certain breeds will eventually lead to them dying out.

Everyone worldwide needs to accept that no matter how much you personally trust your dog never ever leave them alone with children. I trust my own dogs with my life, but I would never trust them with a childs life, I would never forgive myself if a child was hurt or killed in my care because I did not take responsibility for my pets. It could be something as simple as them not understanding why a baby is crying that sets the dog off, they may not even mean any harm to the baby, but that won't undo any harm the dog may cause.

Answer 4

It's terrible, 2 in nearly as many days.....but
No they probably won't, pets/guard dogs will always be animals, I have a large dog, whom I love to bits and to date has been totally wonderful to everyone and everything he meets but he is still an animal and as much as I love him I could never predict 100% what he would be capable off, also I can never change his basic genetic animal instincts so I am vigilant at all times especially when he is around old people/children/ strangers.
They just don't think like we do............you gotta keep a third eye on them at all times, they don't understand everything and may misunderstand an action/sound/movement.
But I DO NOT condone animals that are bred as guard dogs and then are not controlled properly by their owners - sometimes these people train the dog themselves without professional help and then don't understand the repercussions of what they've done until something like this happens - you only need to speak to a professional dog handler or a police dog handler to get an idea of whats involved and its not just teaching them to be viscous, they must respond to your every command without hesitation or question.

Answer 5

Some dogs are just born bad from the pack, no matter the training given they can’t help but follow their natural instinct. Not all dogs should be home pets. Some are guard breeds others are just lovable pets.

But for folks with kids, I would say keep your dogs away from your children. A human life is of infinite value than that of a dog. Put bad dogs out of the house and in the doghouse.

My thoughts and prayer to the family of the kid.

Answer 6

In Switzerland they are about to enforce a law that ALL dog owners obtain an obedience certificate, which means they will be rigorously tested with regards to the amount of control the owner has, if failed the dog has to be muzzled and on the lead in public. As a dog owner this is great, I have a big soft dog, it's gonna be great once the test is enforced, people will instantly know my dog is well trained because it has no muzzle, and stop glaring at me as if I'm irresponsible when i let her run free.

Answer 7

we dont know about this dog & owner yet,we know the pub dogs were guard dogs & by all accounts not to nice.I have a rottie next door to me,cant even go in the garden with my kids coz the dog attacks the fence n barks like mad,the fence is falling apart since they moved in,have told the owners & they have done nothing.they only have the dog to make them look hard but I doubt they care about it much coz they send their little boy out to feed the dog & when he's finished he just throws the tins in the garden so the dog is in a garden full of rubbish & old tins,also they leave the dog in the front garden & he goes for everyone who walks past,many a time I have seen people run out into the road without looking coz they see this massive rottie coming for them..its not good,makes the dogs look bad but I think little yappy dog are just as bad except when they bite its rarely that bad.

Answer 8

It's quite ironic that after hearing a couple of stories, everyone seems to be coming out of the woodwork. It is awful to hear these stories, especially on babies who can't defend themselves.

I dont agree that family's who want dogs with children should choose to have these fighting breeds. They should not be allowed to have them around children.

When these parents go to buy dogs I think they need to think more carefully which breed of dog they go for. Personally I have two children and I wouldn't have a dog because whatever their temperament, they can turn at any time.

Answer 9

It's going to get to the stage that if you want to keep a dog then you'll have to keep it muzzled ALL the time except when it's eating or drinking or grooming itself under human observation, and the only time it can be un-muzzled is when it's on a lead under the control of a responsible person, and by that I don't mean out with a kid on a bit of string or tied up in the back yard on its own!

Oh, and nearly everyone has heard about this/read about it/seen it on the TV and in newspapers, so do you REALLY think we need to be shown these annoying 'links'?

Answer 10

I watched a report on this story this morning on TV. Not once did the news reader say anything about the owner! Surely the owner has to be held responsible?