Thread: Children mauled by dogs.

I dont think that blame should be laid on a particular breed or mixed breed dog's and I dont think that children should be left alone with any dog. I have 3 and 5 year old sons and we own a king charles cav, the dog is still only a pup and great with the kids however we still dont allow the boys to go out the back with the dog alone (more for the dogs protection than the boy's, just kidding). Kids dont now the signs of when a dog is getting upset and sometimes dogs can lash out on instinct, neither the child or the dog are should be blamed if a situation like a dog attack occurs (particularly in somebody's back yard). Adults either parents or babysitters ect should be taking responsibility for the care of both the kids and the animals in their care. If this occured I think we would see far less attacks on young kids.

A bull mastiff savaged my dog in front of me a few months ago. We were walking on the main road on a leash and this dog jumped the fence of its property to come after my Jack Russell. He went for a kill and I got bitten separating them. My dog ended up having emergency surgery with its guts ripped apart and has since made a complete recovery. The owners of the mastiff voluntarily euthanased their dog and got fined $500. Some breeds have an innate predisposition and have a very poor socialization history , left in a backyard all day without much to do but hunt.
There are some genes hidden in mastiff/pit bull crosses, they are over-represented in cases of savaging attacks on dogs and people. Just like JRT have a hidden gene for hunting birds, some large breeds have evolved to savage small prey.
A well socialized dog, from a very early age, can completely prevent this problems, but leaving dogs in a back yard is no way of socializing, boredom is a very powerful trigger for a bit of hunting diversion.
Gene selection for good temperament is carried out by responsible breeders, but backyard breeding is the scourge.
Incidentally I am now tempted to carry pepper spray when walking in public with my dog.

It completely hacks me off this media hysteria 'demon dogs' etc dogs are a pack animal sure enough but if you are not top dog and or have fear of that dog (making it uncontrollable ) then you should not have the animal.
My brother has two english staffies great dogs, real members of the family the most offensive things they do is fart alot and bite your shoe laces in order that you don't leave them.
Previously my brother had a rescue staffy that had been fought beautiful dog one day he took exception to my nieces friend getting in the back of the van with him and my niece, snapped an inch from her face, so being a responsible owner(my brother) he went for a short drive to the vet and didn't come home with the dog, behavour out of character can't be chanced you are doing the dog a dis-service and the greater community if you think with your heart not your head, dont get me wrong my brother and his wife were gutted about it.
I have an American staffy that is two she is a sook but is controlled by voice commands does what she is supossed to do.
she will watch the house for us when out and loves cuddles when we are in.
I recently went to the shops with her and was told she was a pit bull by some **** of a pommy chick who knows nothing about dogs i was impressed heaps ...not!
The thing is if we are blessed with kids (traumatised more like) there is no way you would leave a dog loaded at the front end, with a kid made of soft stuff you would have to be f...ed !!
This chick with the mastiff things she spossed to be a real animal lover so her dogs may have well had there nose put out of joint because everytime the kids come over they were no longer getting attention, recent reports show dogs suffer from jealousy (like anyone who has ever owned one would know)remember it was a pack of 5, 4 dogs and the owner.
the other angle is the kids harrassed the dogs like kids do she had no kids of her own what is the dogs experience of kids ?
And to close it's beautiful the way the press can always manage to get the word 'pitbull' in there somewhere even if the dogs are of undefined breeding ...great work

Good on the owner for at least trying to do something during the attack, but as harsh as it sounds, too little too late.

4 big dogs in one small backyard with two tasty little kids?

Disaster waiting to happen, and no doubt a long time in the making - likely the result of a lifestyle cultivated long before the children were even born.

Incidentally I am now tempted to carry pepper spray when walking in public with my dog.[/QUOTE]

get a 12 bore might as well cut out the middle man and save the other owner the vet bill .....don't matter the breed without input the dog is a blank canvas and resorts to primary instincts doesn't have to be about the breed i have met some viscous greasy little ****s of yorkshire terriers so should they be out bred ......you just cant tell is the point, you just gotta be a good responsable owner at the end of the day if you see any sign nip it in the bud.

As for jackies my dad had two first one was an excellent dog great mouser, the other one must have been dropped on his head he used to nip your heels and one day had a go at my dad ran past him and never came back lol

I was always taught by dog trainers that some breeds are more agressive then others and more dangerous to humans no matter how well they are trained and who owns them as it can come down to instinct.

I think it is interesting to see that people who own these breeds don't agree.

It always amuses me when I see people getting terriers which have been bred for decades due to their hunting capabilities yet when they nip a family member people are suprised... I mean wth is with that? Sometimes I wonder if the human ego makes people think that because they take great care and give lots of love to their animals they will not have any instinctual ability left.

[QUOTE= The pic in the paper is all you need to see, a high mesh fence like woomera detention center is a white trash siren in my book.
The children were at a friends
...surely the fence shows the owner is being responsible to keep the dogs on her property ?
though i must admit the mesh looked a bit bite size to me ?

Originally Posted by lardy

...dogs are a pack animal sure enough but if you are not top dog and or have fear of that dog (making it uncontrollable ) then you should not have the animal.

Absolutely! There is no way a kid (certainly not a toddler) can take on the "pack leader" role unless they were personally involved in the dogs' training and discipline. Ergo, no kid is safe with any pack of dogs as they will invariably be tested by the dogs to see where they fit into the pecking order.

One of the first things we teach kids (and adults) unfamiliar with dogs who come to our house is to demonstrate dominance over our dog so he never, not for an instant, contemplates taking them down to assert his position. He is our only dog, so I just imagine what a pack might do (regardless of breed) if they get the idea that the newcomer should be bottom of the pecking order.