Dangerous dogs

[chimneys]

How many more times are we going to have to hear that a child has been mauled to death through the fault of their guardian failing to keep control of their potentially dangerous dogs.

Unless there are some amazingly extenuating circumstances we dont yet know about, I'm afraid this grandmother must go to prison as an example. I appreciate she must be beside herself, but something must be done to deter other idiots from allowing their children to be put in such life threatening situations.

Many times I've heard "He loves children" or "He wont hurt them". Down the park with the kids more than once a Staff has come bounding over to our toddler with some youngster apparently with the dog, but miles away. And if they are close, and the dog decided to attack, the youth would be powerless to act.

Staffs often seem to be some kind of warped status symbol for the underclasses these days, or worse a legal offensive weapon (read in the Argus last week that a BR guard was attacked on a London-Littlehampton train by a Staff after its chav owner didnt want to pay for a ticket).

Surely all such potentially dangerous dogs should be muzzled in public at all times and at home it should be a clear rule of no potentially dangerous breeds in the house if there are children say under 10.

I appreciate that Britain is turning into a nanny state, but this is one area where clearly intervention to prevent further tragedies is required.

RIP little one.

 

[bhaexpress]

One was a Staff and the other was a Jack Russell. Staffs are normally very good natured and although Jack Russells can be nasty little snappy yappy bastards they're really not big enough to do any real damage even to a baby. All the neighbours said that both dogs were good natured.

At the end of the day though, no child under ten should be left alone with any dog as no matter how good you may think your pet is as has sadly just been proved ANY dog can turn.

 

[clippedgull]

Tragedies like this will always happen. There is no way that 100% of the population will be sensible for 100% of the time. You can have safeguards, but accidents will happen.

 

[wehatepalace]

A Jack Russell has the 2nd strongest jaw grip of all dogs.

 

[bhaexpress]

A Jack Russell has the 2nd strongest jaw grip of all dogs.

Really ? So it can bite harder than an Alsation or a Mastiff or a Rottweiler or Staff ? I doubt it, it's a tiny dog that usually kills bigger dogs by choking them, it gets stuck in their throats.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

The most common dog bite from dogs in Australia is the Staffordshire terrier.

So i'm thinking no matter which nation they are in the chances are they are more likely to bite than most other breeds.

The whole myth that they are nice little family dogs is a farce.

Kids are safer with an Irish Wolfhound than they are a Staffy.

 

[gullshark]

Staffies are sweet dogs but they're just muscle, they were bred as fighting dogs in the past.

 

[bhaexpress]

The most common dog bite from dogs in Australia is the Staffordshire terrier.

So i'm thinking no matter which nation they are in the chances are they are more likely to bite than most other breeds.

The whole myth that they are nice little family dogs is a farce.

Kids are safer with an Irish Wolfhound than they are a Staffy.

Disagree, I know far too many people with Staffs who will tell you that they are very easy going. The plain fact is that ANY dog can turn nasty. People treat them like humans and forget (that's if they ever knew in the first place) that a dog is a domesticated wolf. I do know that Irish Wolfhounds can be very temperamental especially if they are in any way stressed. I saw one that had got a bit too warm lose it in a very bad way a few years ago.

I'm a dog lover personally but wouldn't trust mine with a youngster even though neither have ever bitten anybody.

 

[chimneys]

From Kennel Club website on Staffs:

"Characteristics
Traditionally of indomitable courage and tenacity. Highly intelligent and affectionate especially with children.

Temperament
Bold, fearless and totally reliable"

Well done the Kennel Club. Encourage more parents to buy a loaded gun why dont you.

Dont tell me its because they are affectionate towards children that so many young wannabe gangsters have them as their weapon of choice!

 

[chimneys]

Tragedies like this will always happen. There is no way that 100% of the population will be sensible for 100% of the time. You can have safeguards, but accidents will happen.

I agree accidents will happen, and those that are unforseen are completely excusable (there but for the grace of...). But a bit like death by drunk driving, having potentially dangerous dogs in the same house as a 3 month old baby is a very forseeable accident, and one for which there is no excuse!

 

[bhaexpress]

Dont tell me its because they are affectionate towards children that so many young wannabe gangsters have them as their weapon of choice!

Any dog can be trained to be aggressive, that's down to the owner and not the dog. Sadly I have seen the sort of training that fighting Pit Bulls get when I lived in the US, it's very brutal and the dogs learn to hate anything that moves.

The Rottweiler used to be the Chav dog of choice but the Staff has lower running costs. It also has a jaw which is hinged in such a way that once it grips something it is near impossible to prise it's jaws open.

After all, they were orginally bred for Bull Baiting. However, I would not want one near kids.

 

[bhaexpress]

I agree accidents will happen, and those that are unforseen are completely excusable (there but for the grace of...). But a bit like death by drunk driving, having potentially dangerous dogs in the same house as a 3 month old baby is a very forseeable accident, and one for which there is no excuse!

Actually it isn't. If it was there would be a lot more attacks. However, the fact that any risk exists puts the onus on the 'responsible adult' to make sure that they keep a close eye on what is going on.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Disagree, I know far too many people with Staffs who will tell you that they are very easy going. The plain fact is that ANY dog can turn nasty. People treat them like humans and forget (that's if they ever knew in the first place) that a dog is a domesticated wolf. I do know that Irish Wolfhounds can be very temperamental especially if they are in any way stressed. I saw one that had got a bit too warm lose it in a very bad way a few years ago.

I'm a dog lover personally but wouldn't trust mine with a youngster even though neither have ever bitten anybody.

I'm just going by the statistics, and unlike owners, they aren't biased or lie.

Off the top of my head the stats I saw had Staffy bites at around 230+

The next closest breeds were a few of the usual suspects in German Shepherds, Blue Heelers, Rottweilers and even the Border Collie.

But the next breed behind the Staffy was on around 50-60 bites.

So that's a huge gap in the total people bitten by specified breeds.

And it's a pretty damning statistic towards the breed.

 

[wehatepalace]

Really ? So it can bite harder than an Alsation or a Mastiff or a Rottweiler or Staff ? I doubt it, it's a tiny dog that usually kills bigger dogs by choking them, it gets stuck in their throats.

Sorry I meant Terriers, 2nd only to a Pitbull

 

[nutter4149]

I have a shar pei that was origanlly breed for fighting & even though he is soppey as anything when he is out he is always on his lead just incase

 

[bhaexpress]

Sorry I meant Terriers, 2nd only to a Pitbull

Yes, correct !

 

[bhaexpress]

I'm just going by the statistics, and unlike owners, they aren't biased or lie.

Off the top of my head the stats I saw had Staffy bites at around 230+

The next closest breeds were a few of the usual suspects in German Shepherds, Blue Heelers, Rottweilers and even the Border Collie.

But the next breed behind the Staffy was on around 50-60 bites.

So that's a huge gap in the total people bitten by specified breeds.

And it's a pretty damning statistic towards the breed.

Well as Mark Twain did say, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Staffs are amongst the most harmless dogs you can find however the Pit Bull is very closely related. There's a very high percentage of Staffs in the UK for the very reason that whilst being they are a strong dog they are in fact, as a rule very friendly. I would hazard a guess that right now they are probably the most popular pedigree breed. I personally knew a very big staff that all the neighbourhood kids would play with. Kids being kids they would pull his ears and his tail amongst other things but he never got upset. I have met plenty of staff owners who would agree.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I had rather an eye-opening experience recently with a chocolate labrador of all things - the local SPCA had taken one in as the owner had emmigrated and it was said to be a "loving, family dog". Went to see it and whilst it was obviously not happy being couped up, it seemed OK. Next we heard it had been put down because it had gone for one of the workers there. Lucky escape, me thinks!!

So it goes to show that any dog can be aggressive. Im sure staffs can be very loveable, family dogs to their immediate family, but they will be very terrotorial and protective towards that family. So introduce an outsider (like the baby in this case), and they may turn nasty. Our German Shepherd/Timberwolf cross is the same - she is great with us and the kids, but to outsiders she can be very aggressive and we have to be very careful with her.

 

[bhaexpress]

When I was little more than a toddler my parents got a rescued Black Lab. Even by their standards he was big. He was great with people but (as I found out years later) he was a killer with other dogs, his tally was six with several near misses. Whilst people buy a pedigree because they have a reasonable expectation of the breed's characteristics that's no sure fire guarantee. It just takes one unscrupulous breeder (and there's no shortage of them) inbreeding can throw all expectations away.

 

[wehatepalace]

Yes, correct !