"Dangerous" dogs - question

Having lost my dog in an attack by a neighbour’s dog in our own back garden I speak from experience. Some people just don’t care and shouldn’t be allowed to keep pets, our neighbour let her dog roam free and it turned out had regularly killed local cats and attacked dogs but she did nothing about it. It cleared our fence to get hold of our dog in an absolutely frenzy, our dog ended up with a severed lower jaw, all ribs broken, punctured stomach and two collapsed lungs, the attack lasted about five minutes and there was literally nothing I could do, I was kicking, stamping, gouging and tried to strangle it but it just carried on.
‘Luckily’ me and my wife got bitten so it became a criminal matter and went to court, she was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, owning a banned breed (turned out to be a pit bull) and a couple of other things, she claimed mental health problems and got the minimum fine (£250) and a couple of years to pay it off, the dog was destroyed as it was uncontrollable, they even had to cover its kennel at the holding place as it went mental every time a dog went past.
The police were excellent but I really wish someone else had reported it before our attack so we didn’t have to witness what we did. My advice is to call the police every time something happens so he is forced to at least keep it on a lead and muzzled, it might be a child next time or your own dog.
Here’s a photo of Charlie who was killed, he wasn’t even 4. I should also add that he took two days to die but after many operations he sadly had a heart attack. We ended up with a £5k+ vet bill as well but that was our fault for not getting round to sorting the insurance, an expensive lesson learnt.
2EBE3442-9F99-41D3-89AC-ADAB3F54D815.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Having lost my dog in an attack by a neighbour’s dog in our own back garden I speak from experience. Some people just don’t care and shouldn’t be allowed to keep pets, our neighbour let her dog roam free and it turned out had regularly killed local cats and attacked dogs but she did nothing about it. It cleared our fence to get hold of our dog in an absolutely frenzy, our dog ended up with a severed lower jaw, all ribs broken, punctured stomach and two collapsed lungs, the attack lasted about five minutes and there was literally nothing I could do, I was kicking, stamping, gouging and tried to strangle it but it just carried on.
‘Luckily’ me and my wife got bitten so it became a criminal matter and went to court, she was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, owning a banned breed (turned out to be a pit bull) and a couple of other things, she claimed mental health problems and got the minimum fine (£250) and a couple of years to pay it off, the dog was destroyed as it was uncontrollable, they even had to cover its kennel at the holding place as it went mental every time a dog went past.
The police were excellent but I really wish someone else had reported it before our attack so we didn’t have to witness what we did. My advice is to call the police every time something happens so he is forced to at least keep it on a lead and muzzled, it might be a child next time or your own dog.
Here’s a photo of Charlie who was killed, he wasn’t even 4. I should also add that he took two days to die but after many operations he sadly had a heart attack. We ended up with a £5k+ vet bill as well but that was our fault for not getting round to sorting the insurance, an expensive lesson learnt.
View attachment 1353893

What an awful thing to go through :(
 
Sue her for treatment costs?
 
Neighbours wouldn't get the chance to call the police. If someone's dog did that to mine I shoot the animal where it stood and hand the owner a shovel and say "dig away"

On the contrary; shoot the owner, spare the dog. Then assist the dog in digging a hole.

(Although where one might get the gun from to do this would be another matter for the police to deal with!)

I've seen many an unruly dog over the years, and it's never a coincidence that the owner always appears just as unruly as well. Some people simply don't have any idea how to treat or control an animal. That's not the animal's fault.

Another sad story above, and they aren't uncommon.
 
Last edited:
Having lost my dog in an attack by a neighbour’s dog in our own back garden I speak from experience. Some people just don’t care and shouldn’t be allowed to keep pets, our neighbour let her dog roam free and it turned out had regularly killed local cats and attacked dogs but she did nothing about it. It cleared our fence to get hold of our dog in an absolutely frenzy, our dog ended up with a severed lower jaw, all ribs broken, punctured stomach and two collapsed lungs, the attack lasted about five minutes and there was literally nothing I could do, I was kicking, stamping, gouging and tried to strangle it but it just carried on.
‘Luckily’ me and my wife got bitten so it became a criminal matter and went to court, she was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, owning a banned breed (turned out to be a pit bull) and a couple of other things, she claimed mental health problems and got the minimum fine (£250) and a couple of years to pay it off, the dog was destroyed as it was uncontrollable, they even had to cover its kennel at the holding place as it went mental every time a dog went past.
The police were excellent but I really wish someone else had reported it before our attack so we didn’t have to witness what we did. My advice is to call the police every time something happens so he is forced to at least keep it on a lead and muzzled, it might be a child next time or your own dog.
Here’s a photo of Charlie who was killed, he wasn’t even 4. I should also add that he took two days to die but after many operations he sadly had a heart attack. We ended up with a £5k+ vet bill as well but that was our fault for not getting round to sorting the insurance, an expensive lesson learnt.
View attachment 1353893
Truly a horrible. We can get so attached to these mutts. It’s like a member of the family being attacked. Very upsetting experience!
 
Having lost my dog in an attack by a neighbour’s dog in our own back garden I speak from experience. Some people just don’t care and shouldn’t be allowed to keep pets, our neighbour let her dog roam free and it turned out had regularly killed local cats and attacked dogs but she did nothing about it. It cleared our fence to get hold of our dog in an absolutely frenzy, our dog ended up with a severed lower jaw, all ribs broken, punctured stomach and two collapsed lungs, the attack lasted about five minutes and there was literally nothing I could do, I was kicking, stamping, gouging and tried to strangle it but it just carried on.
‘Luckily’ me and my wife got bitten so it became a criminal matter and went to court, she was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, owning a banned breed (turned out to be a pit bull) and a couple of other things, she claimed mental health problems and got the minimum fine (£250) and a couple of years to pay it off, the dog was destroyed as it was uncontrollable, they even had to cover its kennel at the holding place as it went mental every time a dog went past.
The police were excellent but I really wish someone else had reported it before our attack so we didn’t have to witness what we did. My advice is to call the police every time something happens so he is forced to at least keep it on a lead and muzzled, it might be a child next time or your own dog.
Here’s a photo of Charlie who was killed, he wasn’t even 4. I should also add that he took two days to die but after many operations he sadly had a heart attack. We ended up with a £5k+ vet bill as well but that was our fault for not getting round to sorting the insurance, an expensive lesson learnt.
View attachment 1353893

How utterly tragic. Like what happened with Frankie was right before my eyes this is a zillion times worth with the loss of a loved one.

Can I ask what breed of dog the attacker was? Oh, a pit bull, I just re-read it. And the other thing that kind of annoyed me was this.

she claimed mental health problems

I can't judge it without knowing the person but you see a lot of this all the time when some people get caught doing wrong they claim some kind of illness. I have Aspergers Syndrome and don't like it if someone does something wrong then tries to use it in court as an excuse. If I go up into town and hold up a post office I know what I am doing and that it is an unlawful. Then again, just because I am aware does not mean all autistic people are. But you get my point, I hope.

Did you ever replace Charlie? Has the woman neighbour moved away?
 
Sue her for treatment costs?

she lived in a caravan on some derelict land, she literally owned nothing so that would have been a complete waste of time.

How utterly tragic. Like what happened with Frankie was right before my eyes this is a zillion times worth with the loss of a loved one.

Can I ask what breed of dog the attacker was? Oh, a pit bull, I just re-read it. And the other thing that kind of annoyed me was this.



I can't judge it without knowing the person but you see a lot of this all the time when some people get caught doing wrong they claim some kind of illness. I have Aspergers Syndrome and don't like it if someone does something wrong then tries to use it in court as an excuse. If I go up into town and hold up a post office I know what I am doing and that it is an unlawful. Then again, just because I am aware does not mean all autistic people are. But you get my point, I hope.

Did you ever replace Charlie? Has the woman neighbour moved away?
Yes, we have two dogs now, a dachshund and a tiny Romanian rescue mutt. I raised the fences round the garden as well so hopefully nothing like this happens again.
She no longer lives in our Lane but I think she’s still in the area, looking at Facebook she went out and immediately bought another giant dog, a Rottweiler this time. Some people just don’t care, the police woman we dealt with said how difficult it has become with people claiming mental health problems, the courts are immediately more lenient with them and they know it. It’s not fair on for genuine sufferers.
 
As has been stated before, the problem with any dog, like some children too ( don’t get me started there!! ), is down to the owner/parent. Back in the 70’s/80’s I spent 10 years with a local Dog Training Club and it was universally accepted that in the beginners class 85/90% of the work was on the owner, training them how to best train their dog. We also used to say that the training actually began before they even joined the classes at 6 months. One of the most important things for a puppy is the Puppy Association classes that many vets run. The pups grow up meeting with other dogs and seeing them as playmates, not threats. After that the real work starts. Training is one essential, as is adequate exercise – once around the block, twice a day, is not enough!! ( except for an older or infirm dog ). It is daft -as in this case - to have a very large dog in a flat, unless you exercise it fully and regularly, the phrase “pent up frustration” doesn’t just come from nowhere.:rolleyes:
 
I once tried to calm my dog who was tethered and who had seen something that upset him.
I ended up in casualty. You are taking a risk trying to separate the dogs, count yourself lucky you weren't hurt (and yes I'd probably have intervened too).
 
I once tried to calm my dog who was tethered and who had seen something that upset him.
I ended up in casualty. You are taking a risk trying to separate the dogs, count yourself lucky you weren't hurt (and yes I'd probably have intervened too).

Similar thing happened to me , and I agree about the second part , human instinct , your highly likely to come off worse though , my wound got infected , very nasty 🤢
 
Some tips to try for anyone that finds themselves in a situation with fighting dogs and can't stop them;

TL;DR - Remain Calm, control the dogs, don't let them control you.

As has been shown many times (and in this thread a few times), humans that try to intervene with fighting dogs run the very high risk of being bitten themselves, so sticking hands/ feet into a ball of fur and teeth is not the right option clearly.

Firstly, stop shouting at them! This seems to be what most dog owners do and it's completely counter-productive. Dogs understand very little in terms of word count - the most intelligent breeds are reckoned to know around 250 words, which seems a lot, but it's not. When people shout at dogs, what the dog normally hears could be loosely translated as this: 'HELP ME! PROTECT ME!'. Shouting does not have the calming effect that people may think it does...

Secondly, let the dog's leads go. Just drop them. This can help in a couple of ways; dogs normally fight over territory, food or mating rights. Bitches normally fight to protect their 'pack'. Dogs do not tend to fight 'to the death', it's more a show of aggression to scare away would-be suitors. Bitches are known to kill to protect their young, dogs not so much. By letting the dogs run away, there is a chance that the fighting may stop - it's not guaranteed of course, but holding two or more scrapping dogs in one place by tethering them to a pair of shouting humans is now looking like an even worse idea...Fear and aggression on the part of the owner is also transmitted quite clearly to the dog by a taut lead.

Lastly, and this worked for me on two separate occasions that my German Shepherd was attacked by Jack Russells over the nearly 13 years we had him: Throw a coat or jumper over the heads of fighting dogs. This causes them to simply stop and separate to try and regain their vision. At this point, they can be pulled apart using their leads if safe to do so. If they are already off the leads, one may run away.

All of the above assume of course that one of the dog owners has the presence of mind to actually take charge of the situation, remain calm and offer solutions. In my experience owning a large 'aggressive' dog breed (don't make me laugh), the only times my dog ever got into fights was with people that had not socialised and trained their dogs.

One woman even had a go at me, screaming that the reason she walked in the park at 6 o'clock in the morning was so that her dog 'didn't have to meet any others'! Her dog had no lead on and ran up to and attacked my dog. I told my boy to 'Sit!', which he duly did. I then grabbed the collar of the Jack Russell and dragged it over to the woman, who picked it up and put it under her arm (still squirming and barking - rather her than me tbh).
My 'vicious beast' (her words) simply remained where I'd told him to, looking rather bemused by the whole situation!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think my neighbour has been rather forgiving, I understand the Mastiff owner will clear the ongoing vet costs by way of monthly payments. I see also that the mini sausage dog pic now has 6 loves to Frankie'S 5!
Very forgiving!! But that is good of the owner to offer that money.
 
Similar thing happened to me , and I agree about the second part , human instinct , your highly likely to come off worse though , my wound got infected , very nasty 🤢
I agree but my natural reaction and instinct would be to save my dogs or help the one being attacked.

Then again, I'm the type of owner who would jump in the river to save my dogs and then die, only for the dogs to probably be fine!
 
Having lost my dog in an attack by a neighbour’s dog in our own back garden I speak from experience. Some people just don’t care and shouldn’t be allowed to keep pets, our neighbour let her dog roam free and it turned out had regularly killed local cats and attacked dogs but she did nothing about it. It cleared our fence to get hold of our dog in an absolutely frenzy, our dog ended up with a severed lower jaw, all ribs broken, punctured stomach and two collapsed lungs, the attack lasted about five minutes and there was literally nothing I could do, I was kicking, stamping, gouging and tried to strangle it but it just carried on.
‘Luckily’ me and my wife got bitten so it became a criminal matter and went to court, she was charged with owning a dangerously out of control dog, owning a banned breed (turned out to be a pit bull) and a couple of other things, she claimed mental health problems and got the minimum fine (£250) and a couple of years to pay it off, the dog was destroyed as it was uncontrollable, they even had to cover its kennel at the holding place as it went mental every time a dog went past.
The police were excellent but I really wish someone else had reported it before our attack so we didn’t have to witness what we did. My advice is to call the police every time something happens so he is forced to at least keep it on a lead and muzzled, it might be a child next time or your own dog.
Here’s a photo of Charlie who was killed, he wasn’t even 4. I should also add that he took two days to die but after many operations he sadly had a heart attack. We ended up with a £5k+ vet bill as well but that was our fault for not getting round to sorting the insurance, an expensive lesson learnt.
View attachment 1353893
That is horrendous and I'm so sorry to hear that you had to go through that 😭
 
Some tips to try for anyone that finds themselves in a situation with fighting dogs and can't stop them;

TL;DR - Remain Calm, control the dogs, don't let them control you.

As has been shown many times (and in this thread a few times), humans that try to intervene with fighting dogs run the very high risk of being bitten themselves, so sticking hands/ feet into a ball of fur and teeth is not the right option clearly.

Firstly, stop shouting at them! This seems to be what most dog owners do and it's completely counter-productive. Dogs understand very little in terms of word count - the most intelligent breeds are reckoned to know around 250 words, which seems a lot, but it's not. When people shout at dogs, what the dog normally hears could be loosely translated as this: 'HELP ME! PROTECT ME!'. Shouting does not have the calming effect that people may think it does...

Secondly, let the dog's leads go. Just drop them. This can help in a couple of ways; dogs normally fight over territory, food or mating rights. Bitches normally fight to protect their 'pack'. Dogs do not tend to fight 'to the death', it's more a show of aggression to scare away would-be suitors. Bitches are known to kill to protect their young, dogs not so much. By letting the dogs run away, there is a chance that the fighting may stop - it's not guaranteed of course, but holding two or more scrapping dogs in one place by tethering them to a pair of shouting humans is now looking like an even worse idea...Fear and aggression on the part of the owner is also transmitted quite clearly to the dog by a taut lead.

Lastly, and this worked for me on two separate occasions that my German Shepherd was attacked by Jack Russells over the nearly 13 years we had him: Throw a coat or jumper over the heads of fighting dogs. This causes them to simply stop and separate to try and regain their vision. At this point, they can be pulled apart using their leads if safe to do so. If they are already off the leads, one may run away.

All of the above assume of course that one of the dog owners has the presence of mind to actually take charge of the situation, remain calm and offer solutions. In my experience owning a large 'aggressive' dog breed (don't make me laugh), the only times my dog ever got into fights was with people that had not socialised and trained their dogs.

One woman even had a go at me, screaming that the reason she walked in the park at 6 o'clock in the morning was so that her dog 'didn't have to meet any others'! Her dog had no lead on and ran up to and attacked my dog. I told my boy to 'Sit!', which he duly did. I then grabbed the collar of the Jack Russell and dragged it over to the woman, who picked it up and put it under her arm (still squirming and barking - rather her than me tbh).
My 'vicious beast' (her words) simply remained where I'd told him to, looking rather bemused by the whole situation!
I can assure you that all goes out the window when your tiny dog is being tossed about like a rag doll and screaming.
 
I agree but my natural reaction and instinct would be to save my dogs or help the one being attacked.

Then again, I'm the type of owner who would jump in the river to save my dogs and then die, only for the dogs to probably be fine!

same here , horrible situation to be in 😢
 
Last edited:
I can assure you that all goes out the window when your tiny dog is being tossed about like a rag doll and screaming.

Totally agree - it's a very old soldiers maxim 'No plan survives first contact', meaning you can plan all you want, but when you're 'contacted' (military speak for 'being shot at'), then the plan goes out the window.
Understanding that this happens and still remaining calm inside is not something that I think most people can do. If one person reads this thread and has the presence of mind to chuck their jacket over fighting dogs, then it's a win imo.

So sorry to hear about your dog, it's not nice. My dog was massive, but still yelped when being attacked :(
 
Totally agree - it's a very old soldiers maxim 'No plan survives first contact', meaning you can plan all you want, but when you're 'contacted' (military speak for 'being shot at'), then the plan goes out the window.
Understanding that this happens and still remaining calm inside is not something that I think most people can do. If one person reads this thread and has the presence of mind to chuck their jacket over fighting dogs, then it's a win imo.

So sorry to hear about your dog, it's not nice. My dog was massive, but still yelped when being attacked :(
I'd love to remain calm and not worsen the situation but I don't think I could!

Just have to hope it never happens!!

There is a staffie on our estate who is a chunky barrel and soft as anything but not towards dogs smaller than it.

His owner will cross the road whenever I walk past with my 2 so it's a bit unnerving but i do appreciate that he's aware it could hurt mine and is responsible enough to make sure it is on a lead.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom