Thetownend.com

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/04/toddler-mauled-dog-attack?newsfeed=true

When the hell is this going to stop happening.

Of course it is not the animals fault but it really needs sorting and the law made so unless you have the right facilities to keep these horrible so called pets then you cannot keep them.

These morons who keep these dogs need to be made aware that it isn't fucking big or hard mauling little kids faces. >:(

Just heard that on the radio. Terrible

There's a bloke around where I live who goes for walks with his dog, not on a lead. The other week my mrs was coming back home, with our 16 month old, only to see this bloke actively encouraging his dog to go for one of our cats. Not sure what kind of dog it is, but obviously this has worried me a bit, as if that dog went for our little one, well it doesn't bear thinking about.

As I'm one of these "morons" as indeed every owner of "these so called pets" must surely be. I don't know the circumstances of the attack and won't speculate,any dog could have done this though.

Bit i was concerned about is why a child so young was playing in a alleyway.Hope the lad is ok.

No one is speculating....its fact a dog has mauled a young child...high chance it was a staffy or such like.
As you say all dogs can flip..most dog owners are carefull...fact is the nasty breeds should only be allowed to be kept by responsible people who have the nouse to be able to handle them

Cannot remember the last time i heard reports of a poodle or labrador causing such injuries to be honest.

No such thing as a nasty breed, just nasty owners.

it was a pitbull i think, the kids fine now though, the dog on the other hand was put down.

any dogs can do this to a kid. when i was young i saw a jack russell bite the end of a kiddies nose off. ive seen labs, german shepards even cocker spanials bite people before.

end of the day dogs bite, some do it because thats how there brought up and some do it because there bloody animals

*they're

(sorry)

Every time there is an 'attack' and the dog involved is a bull terrier my heart sinks. It means more of these fine animals will be abandoned and looked apon as devil-dangerous dogs by some people. A dog is a dog is a dog and will behave how it is treated. Staffies are lovely dogs and great with kids but it doesn't surprise me when they attack as they are often owned by utter cretins who mistreat them or encourage them to be aggressive.

The breed is well known for its devotion to its owner and often the aggression is in an attempt to please its master who may have encouraged it to go for things. Other occasions can be due to its mistreatment. For instance when a dog is hit by its owner it could then see a child put its hand out towards it and think it will hit it.  As the child is smaller than the owner the dog then goes for the attack in what it thinks is in its defence.

Staffies are seen as status symbols for chavs who shouldn't own any dog regardless of its breed and are to blame for why they are seen in a negative way. If the chavs choice of dog was another breed then that would be the one in the news.

Agreed, I think they should re-introduce the dog license and get the dogs microchipped. Possibly even make potential owners do a test before owning a dog.

Before I got my last dog I did some research into which dogs would be best in families with young kids about.

Was surprised to see staffies high up on the list.

Agree with arriba.I don't see how the having a license will make a difference though.

This.

I'd welcome licencing,i'd also make it compulsary to have the owners details on the animals collar.

@Flasheart. Known as the nannie dog due to its devotion to kids.
All the reputable dog charites-kennel club etc recognise what a great breed of dog they are.

My family have kept Staffies for three generations. Yes, they are boisterous, but as arriba has already said (much better than I could) a bad tempered dog is more a reflection on the owner.

They are great family pets, but even still I wouldn't leave my two year old alone with the dog even though I know how well mannered it is.

You obviously know a lot more about dogs than I do, and I have no reason to doubt anything that you say here.  One point though.  There are always going to be cretins owning these dogs.  So unless you want to accept that a small number of these attacks every year is acceptable in the grand scheme of things - which is a difficult argument to make - you either have to ban the dogs or ban cretins from owning the dogs.

I accept that the first of these options may seem like using the proverbial sledge hammer to crack a nut but the other option, banning cretins from owning the dogs, is one hell of a lot harder to enforce - because you have to define and then identify cretins which is never going to work in practice.  Of course 99% of Bull Terrier owners are responsible...no quibble there from me.  But it's the 1% that causes a problem that, to my mind, needs to be dealt with somehow.  Give a Jack Russell or a Labrador to a cretin, and no one gets hurt.  I suppose it's all about acceptable risk and where we, as a society, draw the line.

How can they be a great family pet if you cannot trust them with your family?

Are you saying you would trust it when your daughter is alone with it aged ten or even 14?

Sorry nothing will ever convince me that having Staffies or dogs of that kind is having a good family dog.

A bad tempered dog is NOT a reflection of its owner....most dog attacks are carried out by dogs whos owners are shocked and saddened when events like this occur.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/9024452/Dog-attack-hospital-admissions-rise-for-fifth-consecutive-year.html#

I was attacked in a park by a dog as a lad,minding my own biz playing when the thing bounded on me and bit me twice....i have been shit scared of dogs ever since...all dogs...hence my over the top reaction i expect :)

I understand your point but all dogs can be dangerous around unsupervised around children

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003849/Boy-3-left-horrific-facial-injuries-Labrador-savages-Poole-Harbour.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2127720/Dog-scars-year-old-s-face-savage-attack-Yorkshire.html

Jack Russell's and Labs bite too,just less cretins have them.
If Staffies were banned another breed will replace it as the dog of chav choice so the problem will not go away.
The breed of dog should not suffer for poor owners actions.

You could make such an argument for anything though Ardiles. Ban knives to stop stabbings or camera equipment to eradicate child pornography.

Does anyone with concerns ever report the owner?

But then the chavs would just adopt another dog as a status symbol.

Alsatian, rotties, doberman, Shar Pei.............

It's not really any different to having dangerous things around the home (ovens, kettles, irons, plug sockets etc.) that you wouldn't leave a kid unattended with.

I'm not worried that the dog would do something unprovoked, it's more what the kid would do to the dog which would then provoke it to attack.

My daughter had 2 dogs jump up at her when she was small and developed a fear of dogs. Got a rescue staffie and she now has no fear.
My brother was bitten on the back by a Labrador as a kid and is still terrified of dogs to this day.
If you don't believe from us that they are great dogs then look for evidence online that point how great they are rather than the negative stuff.

Playing devil's advocate here...but there is a difference.  Ovens, kettles, irons etc are all things that we need to live in 2012.  When you buy them or have them fitted, there is a trade off between how much you need them vs the risk that something bad could happen to a child if not used safely.  In all these examples, the fact you need them so much means the risk is considered to be acceptable.

Conversely, no one needs a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the way that they need a plug socket.  The balance between needs vs danger is quite different when you're talking about the dog.  That's why I have difficulty with the acceptable risk argument there.

The sad thing is arriba most dog attacks are carried out by dogs with responsible owners....they honestly believe there dogs would never attack.....and usually let them off the lead to prove it with nasty results.

I would rather look at the evidence in my above link which shows a five yearly increase in dog attacks....bad dogs?...bad owners?....probably a bit of both i reckon.

I don't have the statistics to hand, but one could also argue that having a dog about the house could reduce the chances of something bad happening to the family.

Where does that link say anything about staffs?

Collies and any other nervous breed are more likely to snap at a child. although any dog can bite.
I had a staffy for years and he was the softest dog I've ever met, but then I didn't mistreat him, or train him to attack.
Don't blame the breed, blame the cunts who have taken rhat breed and turned it into a fashion accessory for fuckwits.

I had a Shar Pei, considered by some to be a dangerous breed. She was the most docile dog I've ever known.

If I had to make the choice between leaving a kid with her or my Nan's Westie, for example, I'd choose the Shar Pei any time.

I would still love to know what a child that age is doing playing in an alleyway.Don't just mean in this case but the dog and the owners get alot of stick when these things happen when infact bad parenting is just as much to blame.

I read that the kid was playing in the back garden DRS

How many of you lot had-have a staffie or family-friends that have them? I'd be interested to learn if you know of any aggression towards people from them. I have never seen any myself. Mine loves people and has never even growled at a person.
Never seen it from friends dogs over the years either

Didn't mention Staffs did i?

But now you have you wont convince me they are a suitable dog for a family.

DRS the kid walked into his next doors garden and was attacked i believe....at least the poor postie will feel a tad safer now.

Lee

The link you posted was in direct response to somebody saying that staffs are a great family pet.

Very harsh. Sometimes little ones can have a little wander and perhaps you lose eyesight contact with them for a short period, that's not bad parenting, it's life.  Not relating it to this story as I have no idea about the facts, but to label it bad parenting is tough I think.

That's fair enough Jan didn't mean it to be that way.In my opinion though alot of it is bad parenting at times,not all the time though i agree.If a toddler can go wondering off like that surely questions should be asked,

DRS:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/04/toddler-mauled-dog-attack?newsfeed=true

Sure on adver site it says otherwise.With quotes from family,i am extremely hungover though so may be wrong

If you're right I'd be inclined to be agreeing with you

This happened a few streets over from me. Terrible incident, dont know the dog owners so couldnt comment on if they are irresponsible or not. Although there does always seem to be aggresive dogs running wild without an owner in sight at pembroke...
Hopefully the kid is ok.

Nobody needs kids!

Yes you do. If you don't have kids your life has been pointless, you've not accomplished what you were born to do.

Interesting...

Fuck that. I have a hard enough time looking after myself, let alone a kid or a dog.

Not with a fucking muzzle on and held on a leash it won't.

Wasn't this attack in a garden? Most dog attacks on children are in the home/garden, not really the place that people muzzle and leash their dogs.
I'm not condemning anyone, as I don't know the full facts, but no dog, whatever the breed, should be left unsupervised when young children are about.

There are some breeds of dog that just aren't suitable family pets, however if they are trained controlled properly they should not be a danger to anyone.

It really all comes down to the owners, and they should be held accountable if their dog attacks anyone.

However, this is a difficult case, because it happened in someones back garden.
If it was the garden where the dogs lived and the child wandered into it, it is quite different than the dogs going next door and attacking the child.

Surely the only sensible option is to remove all dogs teeth, that's the only way we'll keep kids safe

Which dogs are not suitable family pets?

i have a few friends or "cretins" as some of you say that own staffies. all of em are family pets and also have children around then, not once have i seen these dogs go out of control or snap at someone.

i own 2 jack russells 1 is fine the other is perfect with children and its a lovely dog but for some reason isnt too keen on other men so i have to muzzle her if shes out for a walk. last thing i would want is my dog attacking someone just based on instinct which basically is what dogs do.

i thought this dog attack in swindon involved a pitbull not a staffie so im not sure why were only talking about staffies.

i still think its more the owners fault than the dog but thats just me.

I don't think anyone was saying all Bull Terrier owners were cretins.  But sadly, some are.

I would suggest that breeds like American Pitbulls & Rottweilers are not. In fact any of those that have a particularly aggressive nature.

My brother has an American Bulldog and 4 kids under 11,she is the most tolerant and docile dog I've ever met.

Worse dog attack I've seen is from a Chinese Sharpei. Ripped a work colleague's hand to shreads.

Staffie's always seem fat and lazy to me, never had a problem with ones that are treated right by their owners.

I regularly encounter a Rottweiler who is very docile. Never barked once at me.

Only dog that's ever bit me was a Collie. Crafty fuckers they are.

Someone once called pitbulls "guide dogs for the thick" - made me laugh.

So it appears the  poor lad did wander into the garden.

Says that a police officer was bitten at the same house last year and after inspecting the dog was found not to be a dangerous dog breed.

Havent read back yet.

I have a battersea staffy (I wasn't keen at the time).

She Is wonderful but useless guard dog......only heard her bark nine times or so.

Perhaps that's why she was handed in?

This incident was on points west tonight when they called them dangerous dogs and they wheeled out tory twat Buckland. They avoided the key isues though as to why this happend.

The kid was in the dogs garden. Now i feel sorry for the child and appreciate he has dreadful injuries but what the hell was he doing there? He is 2 years old for fucks sake.
He could have pulled the dogs tail or hit it? Even if he did nothing he still entered the dogs territory and the dog attacking is understandable. The dog is dead but I think whoever was meant to be looking after that poor toddler needs to take a look at themself imo.

The kid was in the dog's garden?

The guardian seemed a little conservative with the truth there. I was under the impression the dog got into somebody elses garden.

I'm sure they will, every time they look at the poor kids face.

Tragic accident. But once a dog has attacked like this he has to go to the glue factory.

So you've got 2 dogs, one of which attacked a policeman a year ago kept in a garden where a 2 year old can break in..............

Thought it was the same dog?
If your point is that the gate should be secure then i agree,but maybe an another kid opened it?
Whatever happend the injured toddler was not attended to until his screams were heard. I'm sorry but a 2 year old child should never be left without an adult keeping an eye on it.

I agree but I've got 3 kids and I can recall a couple of occasions where I lost them for a minute or 2 before I found them. I'm sure most parents would say the same. We got lucky, the parents of this lad didn't. And yes the point was that the garden should have been secured.

The parents gate should of also been secure.The dog bit police last year after officers broke the door down.If i had a dog i would like to think if a group of men ran at me in my house it would do the same.A tragic accident yes but more than 1 party to blame imo

Would/do the police/law discourage somebody from having a dog to protect the home?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115256/Postmen-bite-dog-attacks-Royal-Mail-launch-probe-staff-mauled-4-000-times-year.html

If not the poor toddler then the postie...or the milkman.

This report out today.

Toddlers grab the headlines.....and remember the above link is only the reported attacks.

I'm not going to even bother opening a Daily Mail link

How did this kid get into the garden.

Do we know?

Walked through the back gate.

i'm sure i read somewhere that someone vaguely linked to this nastiness, and in no way trying to justify the dogs actions said "a 2 year old walked into this garden, this time it was a dog with horrible consequences, next time it could be a pedophile"

or i might have been watching brass eye

That'd be through the back doors

Its easy to mock but you have to be careful with these peaodos.  Thats just nonce - sense.  Phil collins said that you know.

.

I've not read the thread cos I stopped here. Total, total, total horseshit. Are you honestly saying the breed has nothing to do with aggression? Really? Jesus

That isn't what i said,but many dog breeds were bred for aggression historically.  Maybe you should read more than one post and misquote it in future before casting judgement?

I can't say to much as this is now subject to a formal police investigation.

My son got bitten in an unprovoked attack in the small cul de sac where we live last night by a neighbours dog. Drew blood and we had to take him to A&E.

I'll update when I have anything useful to add.

Hope your son is OK, well he isn't but you know what I mean.

Just had a call from plod. They'll be around on Thursday to update us.

Hope your lad is feeling better after his ordeal.

Thanks chaps. The wound will heal. The mental scar will take considerably longer no doubt. I've just spoke my wife as I'm on the IOW tonight and she has told me the boy is pissing himself about going out near their house which is only about 30 yards away.

We'll see on Thursday what will happen.

Something similar happened to me when I was 9 or 10 (a while ago now...early 1980s).  I was playing with friends near our house in West Swindon and a dog from a few doors down jumped over a gate, bounded over and sank its teeth in to my arse.  Still have a small scar to prove it.  After I got back from the PMH, the Police took me over to the dog owner's house with my Dad so that I could identify the dog.  A few hours later, they had put it down.

I still remember how terrified I was.  Best wishes to your boy.  Not pleasant.  But he'll be OK in time.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/9840648.Call_to_find_poodles_who_mauled_puppy/?ref=mr

Killer poodles? Fuck me, i've heard it all now.

That's no ordinary rabbit poodle

[url width=206 height=154]http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm5/iluvpatd18/GIFs/holy-grail_rabbit.gif[/url]