Dogs are animals. I would never trust a dog with babies/young children. My lovely rescued dog, was good with children and me, but when he got ill and had bad problems with his legs, I had to pick him up to take him upstairs to our flat, after a walk to the park, and was very, very shocked when he attacked me and bite me badly but as he was in pain I didn't blame him. We did have to have him put down soon after that as he couldn't control his urine and was wetting everywhere on the carpet, and spent all day drinking out of the drain. I know I shouldn't have had a dog in a flat but he was found frozen under our van, and was never reclaimed, and the other option at that time was Battersea Dogs Home and being put down if not claimed, so we had him for 14 years, and twice a day walks in the park. I was also bitten when pregnant with second child, when another dog attacked him and I intervened, went home bleeding, the park keeper pushed the pram (with first child in) and had to call the doctor out to have my hand stitched. I still bear the scars on my finger today, and that was over 40 years ago. People are so stupid, my dog would never hurt a child, but when cornered, ill or frightened even a lovely, well behaved dog may bite, and I don't blame them, I blame the owners. Even tell my grandchildren not to get too near to Charlie, as he is an old, bad tempered cat, but he can't see and he will even growl at me if I frighten him. And as my old Dad used to say be careful with children, cats and eyes and they can scratch.
Totally agree Borlotti. Any dog can lose control of the conditions are right.
I agree too.
I am constantly surprised at the number of people who do not keep their dogs under control in the park. I know that one of my dogs (Border Terriers) would love to chase joggers and bark at them so when I see one approaching I get Graham to sit and wait till they have passed.
The other day I had just got the dogs out of the car when a Dogue de Bordeaux like the one in the photo came strolling up to us.
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I hadn't seen it before and as it was obviously an entire male I didn't want to risk confrontation between it and Graham so I put my dogs back into the car.
When the owner eventually caught up with it, he said he had been standing behind a tree to see if the dog missed him. ??? The dog turned out to be fine, but if it hadn't been there was nothing the owner (or me) could have done about it.
My nephew had one of them. A beautiful, gentle beast with people but full of entire male aggression with other canines. Sadly he had to be put to sleep as he developed cancer that could not be treated.
Dulwich park is constantly full of well meaning people taking the dogs out for a walk. Despite dozens of "Keep your dog on a short leash" notices virtually no-one actually does and a lot of them seem to have little control over their animals. I love dogs and cats - not always so keen on the owners!!
I think that owners do not always understand they cannot predict how their dog will react with other people. There is someone with a huge dog who I see near my lottie. The owner says it is fine and would not hurt a fly. But when it sees me it tenses up and growls at me. The more it growls the more terrified I am, and the more terrified I am the more it upsets the dog and the more it growls. I tend to have a bucket of veg I think dog has taken great exception to my bucket.
Last year o h got bitten by dog as he was walking to the car to go to work. The police where called and as there was no witness they said they could do nothing. Owners of dog 2 doors away from us. Then I pointed out that the incident was now logged. There is an infant and Junior school at the end of our road so I asked them what where they going to say to a parent if a child was to be attacked by said dog. They went back to the owner of the dog and it is now kept muzzled when out. I think people should go on a course and have it driven home just how much harm an uncontrolled dog can do. Although with the amount that's been on the news over the last few years you would think people would act more responsible. ( well I can live in hope ;D)
Its a shame that there are so many dog owners that cannot do the rudamentary training and control required.
Once its done its so easy and your dog is a delight so i find it so frustrating to be in the park and have dogs with no collars on jumping/ball stealing and generally failing to come back to owner who then shugs shoulders and says something nasty about the dog- its a devil/definiant etc when its the feeble minded owner who cant exert the basic training and control nor take responsibility and put the dog on a lead until such time as they can be brought under control.
I ve got a very well trained collie who is adoreable. But jsut like poster i wouldnt leave him with small children and if he was in pain i would be more careful and looking out for him snapping. He is only off the lead in places where that isnt a nuicance and if he misbehaves he goes back on it. If we approach other dogs on leads he goes back on the lead and i guide him away from doddery toddlers and older people.
But since moving to a council estate he has been bitten twice; draged out of our car by an akita and had many balls stolen by other dogs/ our chickens have been regularly scared onto the rooftops by staffies breaking in the garden and its hard to belive that the owners of these dogs are anything but ignorant and feeble minded.
Its gives us all a bad name. But the warden and the law only works when humans are bitten and even then you have to keep hold of the dog until warden/police arrive and who can do that?
Its not the dogs that are dangerous its the owners.
x Sunloving
I think this is another if those tricky issues where you wonder whether a bit of state intervention might help. I'm not thinking of a dog/ pet licence. The one we had before was a derisory 17/6 or something like that and it would have cost more to prosecute people without them than it was worth. In any case a realistic licence fee would just take pet ownership beyond the means of many loving owners. It is all about tax revenue which doesn't seem appropriate unless it were used to provide wardens "with teeth" to tackle roaming dogs and dog poo issues.
I sometimes think that there should be a compulsory training period for people with pets on all aspects of pet care to ensure that they have the rudimentary knowledge required for taking on a pet. Once you have passed the various tests e.g. nutrition, exercise, socialisation you cowld think about getting an animal. Does this also discriminate against the less well off? There would certainly be a cost attached, but, if well implemented, it should mean fewer abandoned animals.
Pets are expensive - food, vets, insurance etc. It all adds up. But surely we owe it to them to ensure they have informed and caring owners? Or is it yet another instance where the nanny state would intrude into our enjoyment of our pets. Another case where the responsible folk bear the costs of the irresponsible ones?
I am always amazed to see people in parks with dogs that have a muzzle - around the neck! But not actually closed around the dog's face!!! What is the point? Obviously they have a certain breed that requires muzzling (that is law here in France) but the muzzle needs to be on, you dorks! so what, if the dog attacks a child, or another dog, they wioll slip the muzzle on will they? ridiculous.
I am in now way afraid of dogs, as we had 4 when I was a kid, but my husband is, and it distresses him to be confronted with dogs running free in parks. It's very discourteous, in the very least. Not everyone is a dog fan/.
And yes they can be unpredictable - we had spaniels and they were soppy as anything but one day the grocery man delivered to our house and spotting my mum in the garden, went up to her, while she had her back turned. the oldest cocker spaniel ran up to the guy, growling and snapping at him, until mum realised there was a man in the garden and grabbed the dog. They have a strong protection instinct and that will always overwhelm their sweet personalities.
I am very worried that I will be bitten, there is no way I could hang onto the dog until the police arrived, on the contrary I want it as far away as possible. When I said huge I think it has been crossed with a bear. It has given me a good idea, I think I might carry a can of sheep marking spray. Then the police can look for a dog with a large orange blob on it.
My aunt had a spaniel which took against the dustbin men. The rest of the time it was really soppy. We thought this was its guarding instincts not allowing property to be removed.
Does lavender work on dogs, if you waft some around do they calm down?
I and my three very small children used regularly to be imprisoned in our house because of a large alsation allowed to roam free. I did not dare go outside with them when it was around, just in case. Once, its owner, trying to be friendly, invited us into his house, and even then, as my husband stepped in ahead of the rest of us (thank goodness), the dog leapt at his throat, knocking him over. I constantly begged this man to keep his alsation within his grounds, and over time, he did.
As a vet, my then husband lost count of the times owners would swear their dog would not hurt a fly, and was regularly attacked, as dogs hate vets.
I did look carefully at dogs last Sunday in local Greenwich park, out with my grandchildren (6, 5 and 18 months) - the dogs all race round freely, getting excited, and anything could happen.
I have owned dogs, and noticed how very differently they behave with different visitors to the house. A very sweet dog used to growl fiercely at just one man, the very quiet and gentle father of my children's friends, whenever he came in. They are completely unpredictable.
Before my allotment site was fenced, it was impossible to stop dog owners exercising their dogs around us. I was bent over some weeding when a pair of dogs jumped on me - it was friendly in its way, but I staggered and fell. It's so relaxing now the fences keep them out.
I once lived in a cottage sharing a wire fence with a neighbouring garden whose large dog was very intimidating. It would rush silently up while I was concentrating on something, and suddenly bark extremely loudly a few inches from my head. It was impossibly to persuade my neighbour to keep it tied up.
I club I was a member of shared a field with a dog agility club.
The dogs were never a problem as they were well trained and all the owner were responsible owners, as you would expect in such a club.
But even here, on a very hot day, one of the dogs was clearly too hot, as when the owner tried to retrieve it from it's shaded spot it turned and bit the owner bad enough for her arm still be banaged up the next time I saw them a fortnight later.
Exactly
I was knocked to the ground by a huge rottweiler when I was a little girl, about 3 or 4. I can still remember it now, it was friendly and didn't hurt me but I was still terrified and am nervous of dogs even now. I hate having to walk my children past dogs as I don't want them to pick up my fear. I don't see the harm in having dogs on leads at all times or maybe say dogs must be on leads in the park between 3pm and 5pm when children are most likely to be playing after school.
digeroo, I have heard it said many times that you should not look too closely at a dog as it will feel intimidated. Paradoxically, when we are nervous of a dog we don't stop looking at it. Maybe you need to "ignore" the dog more, and it will not feel so threatened, which may be making it feel agressive towards you. Once on holidays in Portugal, I was walking with my husband and small daughter when we were attacked by a dog, that was obviously guarding its property. The thing was, it really pursued us. I told my husband (afraid of dogs) to take our daughter and move off swiftly down the road. I blocked the dog's progression by looking slightly to the side of it, in a submissive type of posture, walking swiftly away, sideways but shouting loudly. It was obviously very angry but found that behaviour confusing. It walked after me, snarling and barking very viciously for many metres, till finally a neighbour heard the ruckus, came out and threw a rock at the dog and insulted it loudly in Portuguese until it went home. I thanked him and hot footed it out of there, the dog was still barking at the top of the road. It was the only time I have ever treally been afraid in the presence of a dog, but i felt that turning and running was not the best solution as it would almost certainly have attacked me. If a child had been alone there on that road, I think it may have ended badly.
I've got two Rottweiler's they are gentle and calm, well trained, i think most big dogs have a bad name which is a real shame. Ive a friend who has Jack Russell's and they are more vicious then my two put together but because they are J.R's they don't get classed as dangerous dogs. It's not always the dogs its the owners maybe if dog license's where to be introduced again it may stop some of the sad behavior that goes on... Please don't judge a dog my it's breed not all are bad................
I do not know why some dogs growl at me contra to normal predictions. I was once attacked by a sheep dog when I was a teenager. Though at this time I also had a wonderful relationship with my Aunt's crazy spanial, so I am not anti dog. Though I am anti dog poo, especially plastered all over the wheels/brakes of my daughters wheelchair.
But about 1 in 20 dogs growl very threatenly at me mostly to the total surprise of their owners. All sizes. All breeds. I make quite an effort to make friends with new dogs I meet to prevent problems but it does not always work. Once a dog takes against me it rarely changes its mind. Recently I had to exit from a footpath over a bared wired fence due to a very angry dog, the owner was totally gobsmacked.
It is a total vicious circle because the more it happens the more nervous I am and the more nervous I am the more the dog feels threatened.
I will try the suggestion of not staring at the dog, but certainly cannot take my eye of them. I do find keeping still helps hopefully the owners will then see what is happening, but some are very slow to react. Some are a considerable distance from their dogs.
We took in a rescued Jack Russell who was absolutely marvellous with humans but thinking that he himself was a pit bull terrier he would constantly be wanting to fight with big dogs. Thankfully I have house rabbits now and they are less of a problem. Saying that Bert rabbit (deceased) would chase me around the house.
Its not always the big dogs that are vicious
That made me smile....................the thought of you being chased by a rabbit. ;D
Jacks sre hardwired that way, my grandad had one that would fight anything big Alsations rotties mastiffs even a great dane if he could borrow a ladder, Chihuahuas poodles & suchlike he would just stare at with contempt.
Quote from: betula on January 28, 2012, 10:52:27
That made me smile....................the thought of you being chased by a rabbit. ;D
Here he is. Bert is the brown one
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s121/shirlton/bertandalex008.jpg)
Awwww! Triple awwww! They're just adorable.
Rabbits with floppy ears look so cute!
My friends stupid lurcher ( it looks like a cross between a camel & a giraffe!) was bitten on the nose by her rabbit & had to go to the vet for treatment
;D ;D ;D @ PM
He was a character. I was only able to get close to him when he got really old. With rescues you never know what has gone on before. Its the same with rescue dogs