Does something need to be done about dogs?
- Thread starter Dis86
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Soldato
I'd much rather we did something about stupid, ignorant people, should probably bring in licensing to own dogs.
That's really the crux of the problem. A dangerous dog is only dangerous if it's allowed to be in a situation where it can cause danger. I've owned dangerous animals large and small, it's all about the precautions you take around that fact and some people take none
But just based on simple proxies to understand human nature - litter, vandalism, wreckless driving, fights on nights out - humans are thick. The only thing we can do is take away their fun.
So many ***** with dangerous breads/think they're security guards.
This could be a factor and something we discussed as dog owners as a future issue of everyone getting puppies in lockdown and not able to socialise properly.
Only ever seeing their 'pack' and then going out into the big wide world can be scary and result in fear aggression.
Dogs near young children is a disaster waiting to happen, no matter how rare. Ban children.
Soldato
So you think there is no logic that a dog with traits that make them efficient killers might not require a bit more thought regarding ownership?
If we just treat all dogs as having an equal chance of going rogue and we have plenty of data to suggest this is so, hence looking at the physical traits of certain breeds seems rather logical..
The dog that attacked the Mrs had a responsible owner according to the Police and no doubt would have qualified for any form of licence. The fallacy occurred because the dog was the most loving dog around it's family but very protective against strangers, and when they accidentally left it's cage open and the rear gate open.. bingo.. A dog hasn't the intelligence to realise that outside the front of it's house was public..
On this we can agree! When owning a dog or driving a car having a child dramatically increases there being a child related incident
Quite a few links from the wiki article on it as a starter for 10. There's also ONS data, NHS data and a couple of freedom of info requests.
Why should they need to educated about YOUR dog?
Commissario
This is just common sense, surely.
In the case of the baby killed by a dog that had only been in the household for a couple of weeks, I read comments about a neighbour trying to pull the dog off but there was no mention about the parents being anywhere near. Terrible situation but surely if that's true, the parents should be held culpable.
Stop being dogphobic. Do better.
Man of Honour
I think the problem is mainly towards the owners and lack of training of their dogs. As with all things there will be the minority of dogs that have a problem/issue. And as usual that's where you get the reactionary behaviours from about dogs being dangerous etc...
I guess a dog owning certificate/licence could help. That said people with driving licences flaunt the rules regularly too and sometimes cause accidents as well. However it provides less wiggle room for prosecution generally.
Owning a dog is a significant responsibility no matter the size... I'm not sure how I feel about banning certain breeds, however, some breeds do have more of a blood lust or have been bred to be particularly aggressive - that's on us (i.e. humans) so we only have ourselves to blame for that sort of thing.
I guess a dog owning certificate/licence could help. That said people with driving licences flaunt the rules regularly too and sometimes cause accidents as well. However it provides less wiggle room for prosecution generally.
Owning a dog is a significant responsibility no matter the size... I'm not sure how I feel about banning certain breeds, however, some breeds do have more of a blood lust or have been bred to be particularly aggressive - that's on us (i.e. humans) so we only have ourselves to blame for that sort of thing.
Caporegime
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They need some common sense or education.
I'm sure they wouldn't drive fast near a horse and rider, which can easily bolt and injure people, we don't ban them. So why is it ok to come up behind a dog at speed with no warning?
Soldato
You only have to watch Dogs Behaving Very Badly to realise that a lot of owners are completely clueless. 
Soldato
I'm pretty sure the "pack leader" theory has long been debunked, but that's not to say people shouldn't demonstrate to their dogs that they are in charge in the right way.
I think in general, a lot of people are pretty clueless about dogs and dog ownership. I include dog owners and non-dog owners in that. Foremost, people have to remember that any animal can act unpredictably, regardless of how domesticated they are, and treat them with due respect. There are also a number of irresponsible dog owners who do not work with their dogs to improve their behavioural issues, and also don't mitigate the risk they face to the public/other animals. Worse still, there are owners who knowingly breed and nurture dangerous, highly reactive dogs. I assume it is a status thing for some people.
In our case, we have a nervous rescue greyhound called Barley. He came to us after being beaten and starved because he wouldn't race. He's the gentlest, sweetest dog 99% of the time but the fear that has been ingrained in him by his previous mistreatment will never go away and we have to work with him on that. His behaviour is actually remarkably predictable. He has very specific triggers (people looming over him when he's lying down, and people bothering him in his bed) and he will sometimes react by biting or snapping. I've been caught out by this a few times but in every situation it's been my fault for overstepping boundaries and being complacent.
For our and other's safety, we muzzle him in public and keep him on a lead around other dogs (even though he's not dog/animal reactive). We get funny looks for muzzling him, and the overriding presumption is a muzzle means the dog is dangerous. However low the risks are, we do it for the safety of the idiots who think they can just waltz up uninvited and crowd him, or worse let their kids do the same even when we tell them not to. There seems to be a presumption that "awwwww the cute doggy" even when the person that knows the dog best is telling you what to do.
I know there will be people in this thread that are of the opinion that any dog that shows signs of aggression is not safe, but Barley was born into a life he clearly wasn't cut out for and was treated horrendously by the people who were supposed to care for him. He deserves the chance of a happy, fulfilling life. Unfortunately, some dogs are let down by their owners, deliberately or otherwise. It's so difficult to work out how you legislate for this without impacting the majority of responsible owners, particularly given the sorts of people who will breed/own dangerous dogs are unlikely to be put off by licensing or other requirements.
Soldato
Do you step out in traffic or do you take sensible precautions knowing there are potential risks? We all modify our behaviour in response to danger, people just need to be less stupid around animals.
Soldato
every dog is dangerous and can bite. A cat can do a lot of damage if it gets in the mood. The fact is that it is the owners underestimating the work required to properly train the dog. You can have bullies that are softer than the small chihuahua trained by some old dorris who lets the dog have everything. If the dog is the "alpha" in the house, it'll behave like one. The problem is the owners ALWAYS.
not the breed, not the dog.
for e.g. me and my other half love dogs but we both can't be arsed dealing with them so we're happy to simply not own one. Two well trained cats are our preference.
not the breed, not the dog.
for e.g. me and my other half love dogs but we both can't be arsed dealing with them so we're happy to simply not own one. Two well trained cats are our preference.
Would be next to impossible to police.
I think dog fouling has become more and more of a problem over the last decade as well. I know people will say we hear about it more due to people complaining on social media, but I truly believe it is more of a problem and experienced more. People's standards and care levels have just reached an all time low. More and more people are selfish and don't really think about how their actions affect others, or just plainly do not care at all.
With regard to the actual dangers of dogs. It's very real but tackling the problem is going to be a problem because even if you had to possess a dog licence...so what? How will that be policed? Every dog is 100% fine as well until the day that they turn and are not.
With regard to the actual dangers of dogs. It's very real but tackling the problem is going to be a problem because even if you had to possess a dog licence...so what? How will that be policed? Every dog is 100% fine as well until the day that they turn and are not.