dangerous dogs- what should be done?

Question

Another child, this time a 1 year old baby, has been killed by a rottweiler. What a sad and pointless loss of life.

this was supposed to be 'a much loved family pet'. According to the families, they all are, and they can't explain why the dog 'turned'.

So if these animals are so unpredictable and dangerous, why is nothing being done?

so why is another child dead due to a dog 'turning on them'?

Would this country not be a safer place if the government organised a mass cull of these vicious animals (rottweilers, pit bulls etc etc)? every one of them. no excuses.

any thoughts?

Answer 1

It is not as simple as "vicious breeds". Labs, Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, Poodles have all attacked people and children and the list goes on.

The so-called dangerous breeds are more powerful dogs and really need an owner with experience. Maybe if people want to own a "fighting" breed there should be some sort of test or evaluation to pass before ownership.

It's been said terriers bite humans the most but everyone overlooks this because they're too small to kill anyone. A biting dog is a biting dog... more often than not, it bites because of owner irresponsibility. Just like there are murderous people we can assume there's animals that are just as dangerous but it's not about breed.

Answer 2

I agree its awful this poor little one has lost his life, but banning all dogs would not work. Something along the lines of bringing back the need for a animal licence so it is easy to keep tabs on what animals are kept by who may work. This way it can be made sure that the owners are responsible and are even made to take classes to ensure that the dogs are trained and they know what they are doing. At the end of the day there are many things in a house that can hurt a child but we are educated to keep these out of reach or locked away, why not the same for dogs. You have to remember not all dogs are bad, the media is revolting when it gets hold of a story like this, they themselves start baying for blood and titles such as devil dog and killer are banded about. Common sense should not give way to hysteria, people need to be educated and those found wanting should be banned from keeping any animal not just dogs.

Answer 3

The answer to this problem is not as simple as some of our posters suggest.

True, some breeds have more potential for aggressive behavior than others, but any dog, no matter how well trained it is, could suddenly change its attitude under certain circumstances

No matter what a good record a dog may have, it should never be left in the company of a young child unless an adult is present who is capable of controlling the dog if something goes wrong. To a dog, a child's behavior can be frightening, and a frightened dog can react in unexpected ways.

The recent tragic incident should be a warning to all dog owners to avoid a similar situation. It could be that you don't know your dog as well as you think you do.

Answer 4

My boyfriends cousin has got a Rottweiler, we went to see her today and i had to ask her to keep the dog in the garden as it scared the living shite out of me, it went crazy because my b/f was wearing a baseball cap and kept barking and snarling and i swear to god it had it's big beady eye on me, kept licking it's lips and thinking "um dinner"
And the whole time we were there all i kept hearing was "oh don't worry, she's a big softy, she wont hurt you, she loves the kids", and all i kept thinking to myself was this is a huge 7 stone lump of pure muscle and menace, that is more than capable of ripping the old man to bits because he's wearing a baseball cap and their telling me it's harmless and loves the kids!
Dont get me wrong they are a very loving family who do look after their animals very well, but as far as im concerned despite coming from a loving family, all dog's regardless of their breed have that killer instinct and can and will turn!
For example When i was a teenager we had a jack russell, we'd had him since he was a pup and he was well loved and looked after, one day out of the blue he went on the turn and bit my niece who was about 3 at the time on the hand, it wasn't a really savage bite, but enough to draw blood and enough for my mum to have him put down, when my mum contacted the rspca and asked for him to be put down they said they would try and re-house him, mum explained that he'd bitten my niece and if he'd bitten once he'd do it again and very reluctlantley they put him to sleep.
I do agree that something need's to be done about dangerous dogs, but as somebody above me pointed out if a mass cull came into force all the animal right's would get on their soap boxes, maybe the goverment should introduce dog handling classes, simular to the theory test's when your learning to drive, you cant get your licence to own a dog until you can prove you know how to look after it and handle it, or have a van like the tv licence van that can detect anybody who owns a dog without a licence.
Sadly that will never happen and neither will some peoples need to own a dog that can rip you to shreds within seconds!

Answer 5

It's always the same kind of dogs that kill kids; if it isn't a pit bull it's a rottweiler. All these dogs should be banned or at least muzzled in public.

I am no dog lover, I am even wary of poddles and having a small child it makes me even more wary. But I do know even if a poddle does attack it will do a lot less damage than a rottweiler or a pit bull.

And as anyone notice it is always the people that owe these kind of dangerous dogs that do not put a lead on them in public, making them extra dangerous?

Answer 6

You can't just condemn one breed. Every dog on this planet is capable of this if it feels so inclined, regardless of the breed. My friend has a pitbull, and it is so docile it is unbelievable; while I have a labrador/springer cross, and he can get nasty. Every dog on this earth has the natural 'attack' instinct, be it a Rottweiler, a Dachschund, whichever breed you care to mention.

That being said, if a dog is deemed 'dangerous' (by dangerous, I mean having bitten or turned threatening without provocation), then it should be put down, for everyone's safety. What happened in this little boy's case was tragic, and that dog was obviously one of the 'dangerous' ones. Unfortunately, the little boy paid with his life, but if you want all the Rottweilers, pitbulls, etc killed, then you must consider what to do with the other breeds, because as I have said, any dog in any breed can 'turn on' people in an instant.

Answer 7

I believe that there should be a licence in force for all dog owners and not just for a few pence either.
It should be enforceable by law with severe penalties for not having them.
People should be responsible for they're dogs i have two I love em to bits but they would be put away if they're was a 1 year old child around.
I don't for one minute think either of them would attack a child but if they are accidentally trod on pulled etc then who knows??

I personally am not stupid enough to want to find out.

Direct your wrath at the owners of these animals it is because of them the dog is in the room with a 1 year old child in the first place

EDIT Finch wtf has colour of skin got two do with the question?? idiot

Answer 8

The problem we face when we start talking about banning these dogs is where we draw the line to what we ban.

It's not all about the breed - to be fair, it's mostly down to the dog as an individual (and its owners), so I don't think banning a particular breed would really do anything.

Any kind of dog in a house with children should be treated as a potential threat. So if we ban one, ratio should say we ban them all - not a good thing since dogs are highly popular and loved animals.

Answer 9

Bring back the dog licence, people who are willing to pay for a licence will be more respnsible in their ownership and more than likley to train the dog properly. have a type of points system every 3 months get the dog assesed by experts gain the right amount of points over 2 yrs then they can qualify for a refund. happy owner, well behaved dog.

Answer 10

why does a family home have to have a dog like a rottweiler it must be like having a time bomb in your living room
these dogs are dangerous and not family pets
you make some good points but a mass cull is severe and would drive them underground
all dogs should be muzzled though not just these specific type as any dog is liable to attack and bite