Dog attack

Gilly

Gilly

Gilly

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This evening my mum was walking my dog, he's been here today while I've been working and playing football.

The park was empty and the night was drawing in, though it wasn't quite dusk, and there was no-one about. So my mum let him off the lead. After a few seconds he pricks his ears up and sniffs the air, and starts ambling towards the gate, so my mum went after him, calling him. Unfortunately he's still a young dog and when he gets a scent or sees another dog he just doesn't listen.

A pitbull (unconfirmed) came into the park on a very long lead (the sort you have for a smaller dog, with a click button that allows them a bit of room to roam without letting them off the lead) and Rocky goes to sniff and to say hello. He's a playful dog and sometimes annoys older dogs when he won't leave them alone.

The other dog snapped at him, grabbed him by the throat and started thrashing him around, all the while the guy with the lead is shouting at my mum to get her dog off his :confused:

Rocky has been to the vets and has been given a course of antibiotics and we've had to saltwater bathe the wounds.

I'm glad in a way that I wasn't there, because I'd have killed the other dog and quite possibly the owner. All he did was stand there shouting at my mum. Didn't shorten his dog's leash, didn't attempt to get it off my dog's throat... My mum believes we should go to the police, but I'm not sure there's anything they can do.

That's a dangerous dog though that doesn't have the correct precautions. It had a harness on and a clicker lead. Dumbfounding.
 
The way I saw it is, that might not have been a dog it might've been a young un. The owner was obviously not paying enough attention.

I'll do all I can to stop Rocky getting to other dogs. Sometimes it can't be helped, but the equipment this other guy was using isn't up to the task of walking a powerful dog.
 
DRZ said:
Did your Mum get ANY details about the other dog or its owner at all? Even the name the owner was shouting at his/her own dog?
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She was too upset to talk about details because she wholly blames herself.

I doubt she remembers any details but we'll talk about it at some point tomorrow.
 
Cos I said he was only sniffing. He didn't even get in close, but because the other dog was on such a long lead it could get to him.

Of course, you're right when you say the situation wouldn't have happened had both dogs been on their leads. It wouldn't have happened if one of the dogs had been at home either, so I don't see the relevance. You can't keep dogs on leads at all times. It was in a large park that had been completely empty seconds earlier.

There's many a time someone has said to me that X dog (breed, particular dog, whatever) is absolutely fine around humans. Wouldn't hurt one in the slightest. Just hates other dogs and snaps at them whenever they come close.

It shouldn't be like that. Whether it is humans or other dogs they're a danger to they should be muzzled.

Dogs should be trained to behave acceptably around other dogs. That is why Rocky goes to training, to get him used to following commands and get him used to being around other dogs. He's a very friendly dog but he does get bouncy and playful around others. It is a trait that is being sorted but it takes time. Do you expect me to keep a large, energetic and youthful dog on a short lead at all times just in case an aggressor showed up like last night?

My dog wouldn't hurt another dog (unless he just bowled into him when playing or something, certainly not on purpose like has happened to him) and that is down to me to make sure is the case. Just like it is for every other dog owner.
 
wordy said:
If your dog wasn't answering the recall then it was out of control and the law states that dogs should be under control in a public place at all times. It could have done anything it wanted and your mum wouldn't have been able to do antything about it, so it really should've been on a lead. As you know we also have a young dog that loves to run around and is full of energy, and like yours his recall skill ins't his strongest suit. So we don't let him off lead anywhere in public, but an enclosed fenced area.

Are there any parks near you thart have tennis courts or other fenced areas that you can let Rocky haver a run around and burn some energy off?
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Yeah I often take him to the basketball area in the park. Got metal fences and stuff, its a great weight off my mind when I can just play with him and not have to be aware of everything 250 yards away in every single direction :D
doofer said:
It's about being IN CONTROL of your dog either by leash or command.

It's your dog. You are responsible for it. You let it out with someone who had no control over it.

Stop blaming the other dog/owner and face up to the fact that you are ultimately responsible.

'My dog wouldn't hurt another dog '- Of course it would. It's a male dog. If you honestly believe this you are a fool.
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Let me ask you a question. How do you get a dog to be OK off the lead without letting him off the lead? His recall is fine when there are no distractions. Without distractions and working on the recall at that point there is no way to get him to get it right.

I'm not blaming anyone for anything, except that a dangerous dog should be muzzled. I didn't think that was a difficult concept to grasp.

Don't ever call me a fool again.
 
JackCarver said:
Why cant some peolpe see its not a breed specific issue its irresponsible owners!
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You can't completely disregard the breed. There are breeds with a propensity to attack, there are breeds without. Regardless of how the dogs are trained there's always more risk of the former attacking than the latter. Be that a human, another dog, whatever.

Good training can minimise that risk, along with responsible ownership. It is only minimising it though, not cutting it out entirely.
 
He's finishing his puppy class next week and starting Bronze Good Citizen the week after.

To be honest I'm going to look for additional classes because I'm not entirely convinced that the training he is getting from the place we're going to now is good enough.
 
I must admit I don't like the idea of a powerful dog on an extender lead. We had one for Rocky but it confused him as to what his boundaries were and made him worse on walks so we ditched it. I'm pretty sure he'd snap it now, he's too strong for it (though this doesn't mean all extender leads would snap).
 
Rocky is a bit under the weather and mum is still shaken, but both are improving.

Rocky was at the vets today and they've said he's going to be fine, and that it might not even scar. The folds of skin on a Boxer are for this exact reason.

Still bathing him with salt water 4 times daily and he's on antibiotics.

I saw the guy and the dog today. It was very difficult to refrain from retribution.
 
It looks like a big Staffy. I think it's a cross with something else. It's too wide and too tall to be pure Staffy.
 
Sorry, I didn't have time for a proper response earlier.

We've taken him off his antibiotics and he already seems much happier. The vet didn't seem troubled by it, and we're just monitoring him now.

FishFluff said:
Just shows that the sooner people stop letting their dogs off leads when there are other dogs about the better.
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That didn't happen in this situation.
 
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