Being a responsible owner of two German Shepherds we had an incident sometime ago with another dog. The problem with some breeds their "instinct" comes out when they feel threatened that is something you cannot always breed/train out.
Now one of our Shepherds is very protective so we do the correct thing and always have her on a lead if we feel she may be a problem to others, we mainly walk her in a woods that is not well known or well used by others. There was an incident sometime ago where we had both dogs on a lead when another dog came running over to them from the other side of a field, our own dogs didn't take too kindly to its approach and bit the dog, only a warning shot! The owner of said dog was a little upset but I have to say I thought "tough s***!" our dogs were on a lead, they will "pack" when together especially when what they see as a threat. Now the other dog wasn't harmed and just ran bakc to its owner. We did appologise to her and pointed out the fact that perhaps she should have had her dog on a lead also if she cannot control it as it approaches two other dogs at speed!
My wife was worried about the incident for fear of reprocussion, but I thought about it at length and thought, no, we were not the ones in the wrong in that situation.
that is the usual im afraid,,they always blame us,,,,,legally u were in the right. u could have brought charges against them using the dogs act 1871,,,not alot of people know about it nor know how to use it..im lucky with my dogs.. they are there own pack and follow me and luckily listen,,when they were attacked i grabbed the other dog and marched it back to the owner,,i made my dogs sit and stay(which they did). the other dog owner was livid and asked why i grabbed his dog,,,i pointed out that i can control my dogs but not his,,i advised him to go to a training class and learn how to control his dog...im very lucky my dogs trust in me and i them, ,,however i wish my kids were the same,, gx
I don't suppose there is any quick fix answer to the dog problem, but I think for a start there are far too many dogs (and cats) in this country.
I see them every day. Some are locked in the house while the owners go out to work. They bark constantly, never get the correct execise nor a proper diet and don't get taken to the vet when required. Its very unusual to see a well trained dog in our area. I see their idiotic owners being dragged along the street by a great gasping beast. ie Those who do walk them.These poor animals have a terrible life often bought as a prestige symbol or just on a whim. Round our way its also the custom to have two dogs. "They keep each other company" one of my neighbours said. Don't they know the dog considers himself one of the pack.
At one time there used to be such a thing as a dog license but that's gone now.
Just a couple of points,
Bring back the dog license.Cost of license to cover administation.
All dogs and cats must be neutered unless used for breeding which can only be done by licensed breeders.
We went to a womans house the other day who had two dogs tied up outside and a rat type dog inside with three puppies. She told us one of her dogs died of a heart attack because she over fed it. That dog had got the other one up the duff. All the dogs eyes were caked over and they didn't look cared for. I left feeling so sad for these animals. I doubt any of them see a vet, what is the point?
I would have reported her to the sspca/rspca...it is cruel to have dogs tied up in their own gardens(how would we like it),,,responsible owners would make their gardens safe and secure for their dogs,,,,bloody eejits....Agree totally with u trumpet,,,gx
When are people going to understand that banning breeds/types and muzzling all dogs WILL NOT WORK?
Four breeds are already banned, and have been for 21 years; yet there are more pit bulls in the UK now than ever before. Banning anything bigger than a labrador equally will not work - the wrong people will still own them, and many more of such dogs will end up stuck indoors and frustrated, and much MORE likely to become dangerous because of that frustration, because people will still want to own them but won't want them destroyed.
And incidentally, pit bulls are not a large breed so I'm not entirely sure where your logic is coming from on that point.
The problem is PEOPLE. We need better restrictions on owners; certification and licensing, more controls on breeding and so on. Blanket neutering does not work - again the wrong people won't bother and after decades of neutering campaigns, the rescue and stray situation is worse than ever. Again, it's about responsibility - I have had entire bitches here go through many seasons and have never once had an accidental mating (or a deliberate one), no litters have been born because I have taken steps to keep them safe until they were mature enough to be spayed.
Muzzling all dogs will not work - a dog can still do significant damage with a muzzle on, if it is truly intent on an attack, and as pointed out already, the wrong types of people just won't bother anyway, same as with microchipping. We need to stop those types owning dogs in the first place.
Give owners no choice but to be responsible and the problems will reduce. I have 9 dogs - eight between 15kg and 34kg, and one 7kg - yet they are under my control at all times (and again with the size thing - the 7kg is the only one that will bite (mistreated and I've only had him 4 days, he'll stop soon enough), out of fear, size really doesn't make any difference if the dog has been mistreated/badly raised as he has). The small dog is walked early morning when minimal people are out, for his stress levels and other peoples' safety (and I am in the process of muzzle training him for additional safety); everyone else is walked at quieter times of the day but are all well trained and sociable, and I often get comments to that effect. We regularly walk in the local park where kids and dogs mix often, everyone is happy because everyone knows how to behave around everyone else.
In 5 years here I have seen ONE child behave in such a way that he was likely to get bitten (and it would have been HIS fault (well, his parents for not teaching him how to behave around dogs), as his behaviour was extremely threatening to dogs) - I called him on it and he stopped. My garden is secure so they can't get out, and they don't go in the garden unless I am here to supervise. All my dogs are insured also, most are tattooed as well and all are chipped, and I meet their exercise and mental stimulation needs as well as their medical needs. That's the thing - so many dogs are understimulated and I often see such dogs becoming aggressive in my line of work (canine behaviourist), simply because they do not have enough to do, or often also because people have bought a dog because it was pretty without bothering to find out about the breed traits. Several of my dogs are here (or were here, the two that have passed on were both cases of that) because of that; all of them are/were now friendly, affectionate, trustworthy dogs. It's all in how they're raised and handled.
As with all the cases in the papers over the last few years, the PEOPLE are at fault - dangerous dogs are not born that way, they are made (my little one is a biter because he has been battered, scruffed and kicked by his original owner), we need to be addressing the other end of the leash or the attacks that make the headlines will only increase.
Of course a child that young is not going to know how to behave properly, but I didn't mention a 3yr old. The child in my example was 8 or 9, at that age he was more than capable of being taught and knowing how to behave sensibly (and I did also say it would actually be the parents' fault for not teaching him).
Frankly from what I've seen, read and heard - people DO blame the dogs, almost constantly. People call for a ban on staffies because they are dangerous and lethal to children - they aren't. in the right hands, they are loving, friendly and excellent with children. But the media hypes them up as 'devil dogs' and people buy into it (ditto rotties at the moment).
I do agree that some people should not own dogs, I know a few like that round here.
,,however i wish my kids were the same,, 
gx
