Yet another dog attack
 

Yesterday a five year old child lost her life to a family "pet" believed to be a French Mastiff . I can never understand why people want to have a dog of such size and power around children? To me it beggars belief , the dog in question was recently re homed with this family and had a history of abuse. Why would you bring a dog like that into your home around young ,small children i just dont get it:confused::confused::confused::confused:

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Why would the RSPCA rehome an animal with this background to a home with a child?...I thought they did temperament checks on the dog, and suitability checks on the home.

Yet another dog attack
 

Lip service only I'm afraid.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Some rehoming centres don't do the rigorous checks that the RSPCA do. The dogs are often found wandering and,unless someone claims them, are rehomed after a week. It is up to potential owners using their common sense when choosing a new pet. There is often no way of knowing the previous history of the dogs or the way they've been handled / brought up so it's a case of pot luck. We've always had dogs from these centres and have been very lucky, saying that, when my kids were little we chose a puppy that grew up with them and was very gentle. We have only chosen adult dogs when the kids became adults themselves. It's a real tragedy each time a child is attacked by a family pet but it's the adults who have to answer why they put that child in danger

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

That's why when choosing a dog I made sure we got one that could be easily picked up and thrown out the window if it started.
Erm that sounded wrong but you know what I mean. Beagles are very gentle anyway but they are only small, 15Kg and could easily be dealt with if either ever became nasty. ANy of you on my facebook will see pictures of how gentle they actually are

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

One of those dogs (Doge de Bourgogne) used to come into our local pub and it could have knocked me over let alone a child. Mind you I am only eight stone wet through and they are huge even when young. Fortunately this one seemed qute gentle (emphasis on the seemed) but you never know. He loved beng petted and was always kept on a lead in the pub. Aother canine visitor was a great big German shepherd named Bear who came to the pub with his owner from being a six- or eight-week old puppy.

Those were the days - dogs are banned now under new owners. :gooddog:

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

I do not 'get'why a mother of a small child would choose a dog of this size...especially a rescue dog whose history is, largely unknown.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

I thought you would have stopped wondering why people do stupid things by now :D

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

No Neil, I will never stop being amazed by the things that some folk do...I have taken my anti-cynicism tablets today(:D).

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

The RSPCA are not what they seem.To me they waste money on fancy uniforms and new vans instaed on the animal welfare.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

No matter what breed or temperment the dog is they are still an animal.They should NEVER be left alone with a small child.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Totally agree Frank, but it is worse when the breed of dog is so big and powerful as this one was the thing weighed ten stone, the pictures of it in the paper today are shocking. That poor little lass never stood a chance. The bloody thing was more like a bear than a dog.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

That's the same breed as the dogs at Higher Brox isn't it?

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Yes thats right , and they are big critters to.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

They scare the sh*t out of me when we walk past. His son walks down past our house with his mates and one of the dogs of the lead.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Wouldn't like to go in the yard up there

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

There is a woman who walks two huge mastiffs on the playing fields near me. They gave me a scare earlier this year when one appeared to spot me and make a beeline until it turned back just before running across the road when she shouted it. A couple of weeks ago I saw her again on my way home from work in the morning with a child approx 7 years old holding the lead of one while she had the other. They may well be tame but all dogs have the pack instinct and it's true to say I could feel my legs wobble until they werevwell out of sight. It's the fact that you know you wouldn't stand a chance if they turned on you that's so frightening. The little girl never stood a chance poor thing.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

Yep i think that would probably be a mistake frank , i think one of them has bitten someone before when it got out ,not 100% sure about that though.

Re: Yet another dog attack
 

The picture in the paper this morning showing the dog with the girl is a completely different dog than the one showed on BBC news this evening - I think the dog in the picture was a French Mastiff but the one on TV was a French Bulldog??????????????