dangerous dogs?

Question

five year old ,ellie lawrenson was killed by adog described as a pitbull like and her gran was seriously injured.
it makes you wonder how long its going to be before another child gets killed and the government clamps down on bad owners. dogs are not born evvil or dangerous its how they are raised and taught to behave, that determins their actions isnt it?

Answer 1

I asked about this on Yahoo Questions last night. I got a lot of answers, but very few ideas that might improve the situation. I do think that we need to establish wether or not certain breeds pose a higher than average risk of attack or establish if it is purely down to bad ownership.
I find it hard to believe that the baby that was killed a few months back was simply left to be savaged by its parents. Babys (and little girls) do not present ANY threat to a 13 stone, solid- muscle, razor-toothed rotweiler and badly treated dogs tend to be agressive towards every stranger (If they become agressive, rather than depressive). The argument that bad owners often produce bad dogs is obviously valid, but it doesn't explain why some breeds seem to target the most vulnerable humans.

Answer 2

I completely agree. It is up to the owner if the dog is out of control. As they say a bad workman always blames his tools. So in this type of a case, an owner is blaming the dog on how the rest of the pups were(the dog's brother's and sister's were!) was vicious. But it's the owner's fault for not training it properly. People shouldn't be allowed let dog's go for a run around the park unless the dog is on a lead. Ellie Lawrenson did nothing to that dog, and she got killed for no reason. Until this issue is dealt with more children could be left with severe injuries!

Answer 3

Unfortunately dogs just like people (and any other animal) come with good and bad personalities. There will be the odd "bad egg" in even the best behaved breeds but when any animal is selectively bred for aggression you will consistently get that coming through and the only thing that prevents it manifesting is sensible owners and proper training. Having said that, the bad eggs in such a breed are going to be downright dangerous. Ultimately public safety depends entirely on the ability of the owners to train and control their dangerous animals but what do you think happens when any one of these animals ends up in the hands of a not so responsible owner? Even worse is the thought of one of the "bad eggs" of the breed being owned by some irresponsible person with ego problems that likes to hide behind savage dogs!
I see no need for the population at large to be put at risk; and indeed the risk of attack from breeds like pit bulls is very real, just look at the stats, consequently I believe that these animals should should be restricted. I do not think the whole breed should be exterminated but I do think that the threat is such that there should be a very restrictive regime of animal registration/licensing of owners/safety measures perhaps similar to the firearms regulations- after all these creatures have the potential to be just as dangerous.

Answer 4

Absolutely. To be honest, it probably wasn't a dog which had been raised to be a nutcase.

A lot of people think you can have a dog and treat it like a child. Soon the dog starts to assert itself and gets snappy and snarls at them every time it wants it's own way and it's behaviour is allowed. It does it because it's not being properly disciplined and it's trying to assert itself as top dog. It wouldn't surprise me if that's what happened here. The dog was probably a much loved family pet that had been allowed to rule the roost. So when a 5 year old child gets in the way, or innocently does something to provoke a reaction, they wonder why the dog turns on her. People's stupidity never fails to amaze me where animals are concerned. Tragic story but yes, the owners are completely at fault although sadly, they'll have to live with that thought for every day of the rest of their lives.

Answer 5

The problem is more with the bad owners than bad dogs. It is true that certain types of dogs do have bad reputations and longstanding records for attacks on humans (and other animals too). I believe that this is largely due to the sad fact that some dog breeds attract the WRONG OWNERS. Irresponsible sadistic idiots who want to have mean tough dogs and who breed and train them for fighting. It really is not the dogs fault. The owner who teaches and encourages the animal to be aggressive is to blame. I have seen pitbulls that were wonderful animals, and I have seen ones that should be euthanized for the public's safety. Owning a dog, especially a big dog, is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Sad to say, but some people are just not up to the task (usually the very people who end up with the mean dogs). Breeders should be regulated more closely and should be careful who they sell to. Dogs should be properly trained and socialized from an early age. No Bad Dogs, just Bad Owners.

Answer 6

Yes. It is actually quite rare to see a dog that was born "aggressive". And if that is the case then it's usually a neurological problem. However, like I said, it's rare.

So, the main issue is poor dog raising, training and poor dog breeding. Genetics can play a huge role in behavior. Many people don't realize that if you have an aggressive dog you should never, ever breed that dog.

And people can make their dogs aggressive. I've seen it happen way too many times. Way too many times. Just like people that are murderers you dig deep enough you discover they had some messed up parent or parents or some childhood trauma. You don't usually find a person that is a murderer that had a perfect family or family-life growing up. Same with dogs.

It is the owner not the dog, just about 99% of the time. I don't care what breed it is, this applies.

Answer 7

I truly hope the dog owner goes to prison for this. What a complete moron. How do you think the family of that poor child are right now! I think any dog that is still being bred for pit fighting should not be allowed to be a domestic dog. It takes a long time to breed a dog out of it's aggression but it can be done, look at the doberman and look at the Akita. Pit Bulls are the number one dog to attack in America and England. People still try to tell you they are friendly dogs but facts are facts. YES THE OWNERS ARE TO BLAME but we also have to accept these dogs are bred to fight. The smallest thing can trigger these dogs. THEY SHOULD BE BANNED until a calmer, less aggressive pit bull is bred. Most pit bull owners will disagree but THEY cannot disagree that the PitBull dog is number one killer of humans in America and England. It's simply a FACT!

Answer 8

You know, I have said this a million times before, but it didn't get anywhere, so I will say it again. There are dogs bred, raised and trained, specifically for their aggression. There is nothing wrong with that, we need to have dogs in our society that can have this trait, and be able to produce it. Otherwise there would be no police dogs, no military dogs, no guard dogs and no sport dogs. That is not the problem. I have 3 dogs and they are all trained to engage a human, when told to or when I am assaulted. At no other time are they allowed to show any aggresion towards anyone. I raise and train my dogs to be examples of what a top dog can do, if properly raised and trained. And that is the key. PROPERLY RAISED AND TRAINED. Has anyone here ever heard of pack drive and how to properly install it in a dog? When you raise a dog like it was a child and allow the same things that a human is allowed to a dog, YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS, and I do not cre what kind of dog breed it is. My breed of choice the Belgian Malinois, is a working dog, first and foremost. My particular bloodlines of interest are the ones that produce very high social aggression with extreme dominance. These dogs need a VERY firm hand and a responsible owner who understands what he is dealing with and accepts that responsibility. Since 1980, I have never had a single incident in which my dogs have bitten or threatened anyone that was not meant to be in that position. But, if I forget for one day that these are dogs and what kind of dogs they are, there will be an issue. I do not forget. That brings us back to the BS "KILLER BREEDS" and their owners.Every one here has said that it is not the dog, it is the owner, I AGREE, to an extent. But, it is the owner who insists that all these dogs just need more love and hugs and all that crap so they do not become "killers". More crap. Dogs need to understand their place in their pack, their world in black and white, with no shades of grey like ours. They want to have a leader that they can understand CLEARLY, and that they can depend on. What is that leader interested in? RESPECT, not "love", RESPECT. Your dog can love you to death, but not respect you. That is the difference between and effective leader and a "pet owner". In the wild, leaders are not really interested if they are loved,, but they will deal with disrespect immediately and violently. Dogs understand that, humans do not. And that is where our problems start. We give so much free love that we turn any breed into a problem dog, just by OUR behavior alone. And then the dog pays for it. A dog wants an EFFECTIVE leader, someone who is fair and will lead the pack wisely. They are not interested in a loving leader and will not follow one. More problems. When my dog disrespects me, I crank up the pressure on him, I demand more and control his free time even more. He gets it, because to him and his black and white world, I am doing what any good leader would. And I get the respect of that animal. I can go on and on about the problems that WE humans cause to our dogs, but, most people here will not agree. Remember, it is ineffective leadership and misdirected pack drives that cause problems on ALL BREEDS. It is not lack of love that is doing it, it is lack of respect for the alpha leader that is.

Answer 9

Why should the gov. have any say of what breeds are dangerous??? First of all one of te answers here consists of comparing a poodle mauling anyone, the only reason pits are so known to be evil and viscious is because of our dumb media, they hear of a dog bite and before confirming what breed they say is a pit. I have had many dogs in my life and I do have to say I love pits they are a very smart dog and loving to their owners. I can get a poodle or a lab and make it Viscious please understand is NOT THE BREED IS THE OWNER. Instead of the government trying to tell us what we can own and what we can't we should study the breed before purchasing a dog. I am so tired of hearing another pit bit someone. Many cases the media says it was a pit and when the truth comes out guess what it wasnt, but does the media correct their mistake NO. So again I dont believe the government should tell me what I can own or what I can't in my own property that I pay for not them....

Answer 10

I believe it is all in the way you raise the animal. I have owned several pitt bulls and they have been the most gentle and loving companions. I currently own a 3 year old pit bull now. All of my family and friends adore him. I honestly am sick and tired of how people stereotype animals as bad based on how a few behave. If people were to actually read accurate breed descriptions of pits they would realize they are not as bas as people make them out to be. I think instead of banning pit bulls and other so called vicious breeds maybe people should start cracking down on the abuse and fight training that is making these precious animals into vicious creatures. It is human error that is mainly to blame for the rap that these gentle creatures have on them. Anyone who is sick enough to subject an animal to abuse and neglect belongs in jail with the rest of the criminals.