GO! Smell The Fear
February 20th, 2008 by angesbiz
This morning, I witnessed something I never thought I would. We were heading out the door to take Miss 6 to school and Miss 4 to day care. There was a slight drizzle and I wanted to take the car but Miss 6 insisted on riding her scooter, so I put Miss 4 in the stroller (because she walks slowly) and off we went.
As we were approaching the school I got talking with one of the other mums, Mrs S, and this dog weighing around 45kgs walked past us. I noticed because of his size and he didn’t have a collar on. By law, all dogs must wear a collar. There are quite a few dogs that are walked to school and tied to the fence as parents see their children in. One in particular is a little Terrier, you know, one of those white “fluff” balls. Mrs B had just tied him up when this bigger dog approached him and started sniffing with a wagging tail. It looked like a Staffy from behind and I never saw it’s face because next thing you know, he locked his jaw onto this little Terriers neck!!
OMG!! I just froze as I had Miss 4 in the stroller and had no idea what to do. Mrs S who I was talking with, child on hip mind you, started kicking the Staffy and then there were 3 dads who ran over trying to get him off the little one. He wouldn’t budge. A guy came running out of his house, still in his robe and said he was watching the dog for a friend and someone had left the gate open. This guy was trying to prize open the Staffy’s jaw open and couldn’t, and it took 4 men to carry the dogs off into the yard and hose them down.
All the kids in the school yard and outside were screaming and crying thinking this little Terrier was dead as he just went limp. Mrs B was crying, her daughter was crying and all Mrs B could say was “That could have been a child!”
Has anyone here ever witnessed or been involved in something like this? How did you react and what did you do? Should these dogs be put down after an incident like this and what if it had have been a child? I am just grateful that he didn’t latch onto a child… especially mine.
Hey, great to see you posting again Angie, welcome back! :))
Sorry girl, Bridget is at her ETC just now, but she’ll be back to comment on this one soon!
Thanks Bridget… I was MIA for a while and my laptop issues held me back even longer… I’m happy to be back
By the time I come back to this post, everyone has expressed a little of my views already ha!
Catch up on the next one Angie :))
Should have made a film of it, could have sold it to Gary and some Afghans.
lol
hahaha
Or Gary could have directed it ha!
Gary would have owned and trained the dog!
haha indeed! I didn’t have anything on me to film it with… although it would have been evidence of the dog as now the guy who came out in the robe has said that he has never seen the dog before… very fishy me thinks!
I am really glad you and the kids are ok….
And nice to see you back..
Those dam Staffies and Rotties.. no place for them really….
I havent had anything like this thankfully .. my girlfriends dog was attacked at the beach and the attacking dogs owners recieved a lovely vet bill and a huge fine….
but that was it… nasty thing….
these breeds of dogs should be banned there has been so many incidents of these dogs attacking dogs, adults, and children and babies they have no place in cities and town where there is a large population..
Ban then and I am dog lover… but these things arent dogs they are just savage beasts ….. give themto Gary and the Afghans yep no worries Gareth…..
Thanks AC… we are all good although I can still see the image of the dogs clearly in my head… there is no place for them in populated areas and especially next door to a school full of little children who would have no chance. Apparently, once the dogs jaws lock, that’s it! They can’t let go… unless as someone told me yesterday that if you put something up their a^s, they will surely let go… not sure if I could do that though…
I am sure glad you are ok Ange.
I agree - all such dogs should be banned.
I was once at a rave party and in the early hours a dog attacked someone who tried to stroke him. The dog shouldn’t have been there in the first place (and me neither but that is another story) and I saw the results of his attack - the guy literally had four 2 inch long gashes around his lips where the dogs teeth had connected.
I was the only sober one at the party and iI quickly rushed this guy to hospital where the night casulaty staff put him at the front of the queue to be seen by the doctors. The next day, he ended up having cosmetic surgery and also ended up with a speech impediment.
Since then, I refuse to stroke any dogs, no matter how cute or docile….
LOL Arvind… tell us why you were at this rave!! That dogs can do such terrible damage is scary enough and having to take this guy to the hospital must have bee an experience in itself. I bet this guy had no idea what was happening to him if he was out of it already and to come out with a speed impedement is even worse!
Dogs like Staffies, Rottweillers, Pit Bulls and alike were breed as fighting and huntings dogs… not rabbit hunting but wild pigs etc….
It sounds funny to say but the mix of breeding various savage and bad tempered breeds together gave us them… It doent matter really how well they are treated they can and do just snap…. i am all for the movement against cruelty and such and no one gets more angry than me when I see something along these lines.. however these breeds are geneticly breed to fight and kill…. and do…
A family recently lost a 9 week baby to their family pet, the animal was never miss treated, taken for regular vet checks, well feed, walk etc… the dog was jeolous of baby so went in to nursery while she was sleeping and killed her…
Another attacked a young boy while walking past the house with his parents… the kids lost half is face he is 2
If they are mistreated then they are far more dangerous but it really makes little difference….
To remove locked jaws from one of these dogs you need to knock it out, get a crowbar and then lever their jaws open, once they lock they are almost impossible to undo… even the dog can struggle for a time….
For the record my girlfriend also has a Rotty and I have minded it from time to time… it is as dumb as stump but bailed my 17 year old son out of the house for 9 hours… then had a go at him… when he finally got in the house and showed his dominance she backed down, however she had gone into attack mode and if he hadnt got out the glass door she would have him.. and this nimal is treated like royalty…
Hi Ange
I was at this rave as it was a friend’s 40th birthday party. She organises outdoor concerts and other parties all over the UK - and had invited 100s of her performing friends. Over the course of 24 hours that hte party lasted, she reckoned around 400 people attended.
It was only a small terraced house in Ealing but she did have a marquee in the back garden.
And we never did find out whose dog it was. Well, no one owned up to the dog being theirs.
It was a terrible sight though - a guy with slit lips. Reminded me of some dracula scences but this time for real.
haha
thats hilarious arvind seriously
what is his speech impediment?
Before I cry unnecessarily, did the little dog live?
Thats what I was thinking. Did the little terrier live?
No, the little dog laughed to see such fun and the dish ran away with the spoon, allegedly.
Yes Lib, little Scottie lived although he is terribly traumatized as are his owners. I stopped in at the vet’s place after dropping off Miss 4 and Scottie had been and gone home to recover. His injuries are horrendous so only time will tell hos he heals from this incident.
How do you know he’s traumatized?
Scottie got his arse kicked. Thats life
the vet told me so!
I’ve seen something like this happen before. It was at my grandparents’ house and their neighbor’s big, old dog came over and grabbed right on to my grandparents’ dog’s neck. We were all about 100 feet away and my dad picked up a rock and knocked the big dog right in the head! From 100 feet away! One shot! BAM! Both the dogs were fine, but my grandparents’ dog needed some stitches, poor guy.
True story.
Your dad has a good arm and aim! Good for him and the dogs.
when are these dogs gonna be shot? I’m not a ‘dog person’, i’ll pat them to be sociable etc but time and time again we see these stories of children and adults maimed or even killed by large vicious dog breeds.
Thankfully it was only another dog this time.
Deeply traumatic for the children watching and owners alike.
Jonathan
I’m not a dog person either and after seeing this, I don’t think I will ever own one. I have a girlfriend with two rotties and I must say, they are the only dogs I have felt comfortable with and given attention too. Must be a reflection of their owner as they are very well behaved around me… and thankfully, it was a dog and not a child.
its not the dogs fault- dogs will always have a pecking order
if dogs are fighting you should leave them be and once a natural order is sorted they will stop. simple.
they are animals after all.
do you have the number of the person with the winning dog- is she breeding it?
The “winning” dog as you put it is no-where to be seen now. The guy in the robe must have taken it away quick smart after it happened as he is not admitting to any knowledge of the dog. Awful thing to happen and he obviously feels very bad about it but not prepared to face up to the responsibility.
Dogs like that do not “stop” as you put it. They have a natural instinct and will continue until the other dog is dead. This was not a dogfight per say but an attack by a larger dog. Unfortunately the dog would have shook the little one like a rag doll. Everyone says these dogs are gentle if you raise them right. Bull oney! They have been bred for one thing and NO ONE knows what will set these animals off.
Agreed Ettarose, once a wild dog, always a wild dog.
I can’t understand why anyone would want to keep such dogs as pets.
dogs like what exactly?
are you saying it was a trained fighting dog?
or a larger dog showing dominance over a smaller dog
turst me if it was a fighting dog little scottie would be brown bread
as a side question.
how old are your kids?
Is this a trick question? errrrmm… 6 and 4!!
why did you give them numbers for names
lol… it’s just quicker to type with numbers… their names are Isabella = Miss 6 and Nelly = Miss 4
Hi All,
Hey Ange, welcome back and Urban Pagan has a point, looking at the raw facts in a, dare we say, dog eat dog world & alpha dogs.
We love dogs and Dubai is far from dog friendly (Em lost her old dog as its succumbed to meat laced with rat poison in the desert - a sad practice that dates way back in these parts - that really hurt - man kill dog) so its off the agenda for the time being while we’re in the UAE.
I guess what made it worse was the setting, the kids and the imminent threat to those around.
Sorry to hear you lost your dog and in such circumstances Em :(( Was the poisoning deliberate? How sick!
It makes you wonder why people would poison dogs… sorry for your loss Em under those circumstances… a sad practice indeed.
The setting and potential danger to the children is quite serious. As I said before, thank God that it wasn’t a child, not taking anything away from little Scottie of course.
erm there were kids present and the dog went for a dog
so your theory is wrong as if it was a killer that would attack kids why didn’t it?
I have no idea but I am ever so grateful that it wasn’t a child. I am not going to speculate UP, it was a thought… that’s all.
Hi All,
That is indeed a frightening story. Those children will be terrified for a long time. A neighbor of mine has two big dogs which are always fenced in. They had a tenant who refused to pay her rent and they were in the process of having her evicted. After she was tossed from the apartment, the former tenant returned to the home to retrieve some belongings she left there. She had to enter the backyard where the dogs were kept. The landlords changed the locks on the door and she became angry when she could not enter the house. She decided to take her hostility out on the dogs. The larger of the two pit bulls only recently had surgery and was stitched up, and the other was protective of it’s partner. She kicked the one dog in the stitches, several times (as witnessed by a neighbor) and proceeded to attack the other dog with stones from the garden. The dogs attacked her, and bit her many times, knocking her to the ground. The savaged her until the neighbor came running and chased the dogs off. The woman needed surgery to repair her wounds. It was scary, but these dogs never hurt anyone before or since. -Mike.
What a ridiculous thing to do to attack two pit bulls!!! Silly woman brought it on herself. How awful for the neighbour to witness such a thing.
Hi Ange,
Em here.
Glad that you and the kids are OK.
In the UK all dangerous dog breeds have to be muzzled if out in public, but not sure how this would stand if he simply ‘got out’. Ultimately, your dog is only as good as the owner.
I feel the dog is the owners responsibility at all times, and unfortunately there are some very irresponsible owners out there.
Hi Em,
I like the “muzzle” law. Maybe we should have them here. -Mike
Hi Em, thanks, yes we are OK and that sounds good to me. The greyhounds are muzzled when walked, not sure why, but as far as dangerous dog breeds, we don’t see it here. It sounds like a good idea, although, this dog escaped from it’s yard and unfortunately, in those circumstances, no muzzle would be applied. This dogs owner had a very irresponsible attitude and I guess it’s going to happen from time to time… just not around me and my kids please!
Yikes, that is scary. I used to walk dogs as a job..fun job but it had it’s scary moment…like the time I got bitten!
I’ve seen similar incidents … the problem is irresponsible dog owners. Jerks who want to own 200 lbs dogs and can’t handle them. If you’re going to own a large, strong dog like that you have to be in control of them…and if you’re going to babysit one…you darn well better make sure they’re in a safe, locked area, or on a leash. And if they’re on a leash you better be able to handle them…I’ve seen people practically being pulled by their dog while on a walk. Idiots.
As for putting dogs down…well it depends on how many times they’ve done this…it is in many dogs nature to be ‘top dog’ , but if they’re repeating aggresive behaviour, then yes…they should be destroyed. Pitt Bulls are banned in Ontario - which I don’t think addresses the real problem, but that’s what the government decided here.
Exactly my sentiments also DM. The owner of such a dog has to be responsible also, just as every other dog owner. I was bitten to by an Alsatian when I was a small child and perhaps that’s why I don’t have such an affinity for dogs in general. Not much fun being bitten… is it?
nope it’s not! lol but I still love dogs…would love to have one again but living in an apartment it’s difficult.
We used to have an irish setter when we were children,i remember the dog in question gnawing on a bone and we had some kittens at the same time.Anyway,the playful little kitten got too close to the dog and the dog bit into the kitten puncturing it’s lung…blood everywhere.I was probably only 6 and Lib would of been 2.The dog had tasted warm fresh blood,so my parents had to make the decision on getting the dog put down or risk the dog turning nasty on us playful kids,we never saw Rusty again.The kitten had to be put down as well.
And Bo and Lib thankfully around today to smell the flowers with us
RIP Rusty.
RIP Kitten too
That’s a shame it happened like that BO… did you ever get another dog? And as Arvind says, thankfully you and Lib are around to smell the flowers with us today
Bo is in Greece for a couple of days (and its snowing hahahahahaha) so I will reply on his behalf. No we didn’t get another dog, it was cats all the way from then on in.
I don’t remember a thing but I’m sure it must have been a really hard thing for mum and dad to do.
Personally I reckon that Bo actually fed the kitten to the dog and has never owned up to it. He was like that as a child. Evil.
He also tried to flush a kitten down the toilet but luckily my mum caught him red handed.
There was also a spate of badger baiting in the area at the time, I reckon he was involved in that as well. Evil I tell you.
Lib
My eldest drown a kitten once…
it was an accient but he was giving it a bath in the baby bath I had for the dogs drink from… he cried for a week after he realised … we could revive the kitten…
but he did enjoy the magnifying glass and ants…
He doesnt sound evil though, he cried, my brother never cried.
Notice I’m slating him on a relatively old post and when he’s away in Greece.
I’m well ard me.
So here’s an update… I have given a statement to the local council Animal Control Unit and they haven’t been able to get in touch with the guy in the robe who was “supposedly” taking care of the dog for a friend. I’m sure he feels bad enough but stand up and admit it and show the dog… take responsibility you coward.
I have no idea if this dog has been involved in any incidents before this one and I would be grateful if I never saw him again.
Is this story in the local media then Ange or has it been kept under wraps?
Our local community paper comes out on a Tuesday here so it could very well be in there… as far as the telly goes, I don’t think so. Because of the vicinity of the school and that the owner of the dog which was attacked is quite vocal, who knows what will come of it.
If they find the dog he will be put on the dangerous dogs register and if it continues again the dog will put down….
Ange greyhounds are muzzled when they have been blooded… or these days trained to chase the rabbit… they are no longer allowed to use kittens and rabbits to blood the dogs for racing they use to in years gone bye very nasty…. but a muzzled greyhound has been trained to chase the rabbit or lure and catch it…. it is unsafe for critters and small children if they are not muzzled because the dog will instinctively chase anything which small which runs or jumps ….
little scottie was the coward here- sounds like he couldn’t fight sleep
get scottie put down
Little Scottie would weigh in around 8kg’s … he didn’t have a chance once the Staffy took hold of him.
Great timing on this post.
Only last week I bought a really nice dog. I spent about half an hour picking it out from the 10 or so on offer. it wasn’t easy as there is a lot to take into