Dog attack

[123tree]

7 hours ago, Prancer said:

No!  Let’s not blame the kids for when a dog attacks.  If you have a dog that is near small children, make sure your dog is under control!  
 

 

 

I agree with this.  Yes children do need to learn about dogs in the same way that they need to learn to cross the road and not touch a hot stove.  
However this is a learning curve and obviously they don’t get it on day one and obviously it’s a learning process.  It makes me so angry that people are so quick to blame children when they have every right to be safe in their world.  
 

Im sure I’m going to be pounced on but we have speed limits, pedestrian crossings and fences beside playgrounds.  Dogs are dangerous and a child should not bear the consequences of facial disfigurement, nerve damage and worse just because people are arrogant about their stupid dogs.  

[LemonMyrtle]

School pick up used to shot me to tears. The school has a huge no dogs sign, so what do people do? Bring their dogs anyway and tie them up, right outside the school gate!!! And even worse, it was a very narrow path so to avoid the dog on your walk home, you basically had to walk on the road. 
When people get a dog, they leave their brains behind, I swear these people are dumber than your average individual. 

[Yogaalaates]

9 minutes ago, BoyMum2 said:

 

I love dogs but it shits me that you can barely go anywhere now without potentially encountering dogs. Do you really have to bring your dog to the cafe, Bunnings, school dropoff, a playground?! 

I was recently in the UK and dogs are allowed inside many venues. But I don’t think I saw any dogs inside that weren’t well behaved! Dogs inside bakeries and cafes (always on leads) sat patiently at their owner’s feet. 

[LemonMyrtle]

The Facebook comments on an article about the OP attack were appalling. “Why did you leave your child there?” “Another parent not doing their job properly”. Such victim blaming, it’s atrocious. 

[Puddleduck]

One of my pet peeves with people and their out of control off lead dog is the ‘Don’t worry he’s friendly’ yell. I don’t care if your dog is friendly, people don’t want dogs in their faces and other dogs don’t want it either.

One of my dogs was charged at multiple times as puppy and now regards any running dog as a threat that he needs to protect himself from. I don’t walk with them anywhere with out a piece of polly pipe now to keep off leash dogs away until their owner finally decides to come and get them.

[BoyMum2]

1 hour ago, Puddleduck said:

 

One of my dogs was charged at multiple times as puppy and now regards any running dog as a threat that he needs to protect himself from. 

Same with my kid - a few interactions with ‘friendly’ dogs running at him when he was a toddler and now at 6yo it’s a full-blown phobia of dogs. 

[Aust-27]

On 19/09/2024 at 9:22 PM, seemingly said:

Always on high alert when the conditions are changed for my own dogs and how they will react with my own children, let alone how they will react with strangers. We keep our dogs locked up inside the house when people come to work on our property etc. Our dogs are protective cattle dogs. They nip heels - the eldest nudges you forcibly with her nose all the time. Some people don't like dogs and make a big deal when our dogs are just trying to greet them - it's okay, I get it, not everyone likes dogs.

But I love dogs. And even though I do, whenever I see dogs when out and about, I always keep my own children close.

I am not scared of dogs. I do not think other dog owners poorly train their pets; hell, I don't think my own dogs are as well trained as they should be (come when called, sit when told etc). I just think that animals are animals and the consequences when things go wrong are not bearable.

So even though I love my dogs to the point where I would skip meals so they could eat (haven't had to, just thinking of ways to come across as to how much I love them), if one of them mauled (not bit, mauled) a boy the same age or younger than my own children, I would have to put them to sleep.

Why are you in high alert? That would be so much stress for me!

We have dog. 11 years old and under 3 grandchildren. That stresses me out as the combination is unpredictable. 

 

[Beanette]

1 hour ago, BoyMum2 said:

I love dogs but it shits me that you can barely go anywhere now without potentially encountering dogs. Do you really have to bring your dog to the cafe, Bunnings, school dropoff, a playground?! 

Dogs are banned on our school grounds but people slowly start bringing them inside the gates as the term wears on, then a notice will go up and then people stop doing it, then a new terms starts and the cycle starts over again. 

It really annoys me, not only for the safety factor, but it's also just gross. Do we really need dogs trying to pee on playground equipment and doing a poo on the oval?? Just leave your dog at home 

[Needaname]

2 hours ago, BoyMum2 said:

Oh my god, this drives me insane. I should bloody hope you are confident of the friendliness of your dog if you’re letting it run around wild, even in an off-lead area. However, that doesn’t matter because people are genuinely afraid of dogs and a dog running at you is intimidating, no matter who you are. 
I have pretty much given up hope of my kid ever being ok with dogs. We make a bit of progress and then inevitably there will be a moment where a dog runs for him and it’s back to square one. And yet, even though my child is screaming as if he’s being murdered, the owner will just stand there saying ‘don’t worry, she’s friendly’

WTF, this is just braindead behaviour to me. 
I love dogs but it shits me that you can barely go anywhere now without potentially encountering dogs. Do you really have to bring your dog to the cafe, Bunnings, school dropoff, a playground?! 

That is my experience as well. I doubt my child will ever be ok around dogs either. It also means that it is hard to teach the child some basic dog safety and how to read dog body language (tail tucked tight between legs and under it's body - don't approach as it is scared ect). 

It seems very few dog owners teach their dogs basic manners like walking on a lead without pulling, sit ect these days and the super long retractable leashes should be banned.

[Kiwi Bicycle]

9 minutes ago, Needaname said:

and the super long retractable leashes should be banned.

Totally yes, because they are so hard to see to other users, like cyclists, roller bladers and even the elderly and children are just walking along. You don't expect a cord to be stretched out across the path, ready to trip, strangle or entangle in your wheels.

Maybe you can use it if you are walking in a huge field in the middle of nowhere  with no one else around. But in a park or walking path/ track where others are? No, just no.

[Basil]

One of our neighbours has a bull Arab cross.  He's a massive dog and the only one in the family who has control of the dog is the father but it's the teenage daughter who walks the dog the most.  She has no control of the dog who goes where he wants when he wants.  He doesn't mind female dogs but is aggressive towards male dogs like ours.  

One day, he broke away from the teenage girl and charged at our metal electric sliding gate.  He did it with such force that it caused the gate to jump off its slider.  My DS called our dog inside our house while this big bull Arab was barking and aggressive at the gate.  The teen girl had to phone her mum to come help take their dog home.

I was so angry when I arrived home and my DS was telling me about it.  I wanted to call the council but DH talked me down.  He tried to talk to the owners who promised they would manage the dog better but I have noticed they are allowing the dog off lead on walks again.

[seemingly]

15 hours ago, Aust-27 said:

Why are you in high alert? That would be so much stress for me!

We have dog. 11 years old and under 3 grandchildren. That stresses me out as the combination is unpredictable. 

 

When conditions are different to normal. I know that people get hurt when: they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing, or somewhere they're not supposed to be. So I'm on high alert when I have guests over (people are in our dog's territory), when other dogs are here (see previous), and when my dogs are not where they're supposed to be (anywhere other than home). Yes, that's stressful, but I would rather be hyper vigilant than lax when my dogs are concerned.

But here's a picture of our sweeties.

[Elmo]

11 hours ago, Basil said:

One of our neighbours has a bull Arab cross.  He's a massive dog and the only one in the family who has control of the dog is the father but it's the teenage daughter who walks the dog the most.  She has no control of the dog who goes where he wants when he wants.  He doesn't mind female dogs but is aggressive towards male dogs like ours.  

One day, he broke away from the teenage girl and charged at our metal electric sliding gate.  He did it with such force that it caused the gate to jump off its slider.  My DS called our dog inside our house while this big bull Arab was barking and aggressive at the gate.  The teen girl had to phone her mum to come help take their dog home.

I was so angry when I arrived home and my DS was telling me about it.  I wanted to call the council but DH talked me down.  He tried to talk to the owners who promised they would manage the dog better but I have noticed they are allowing the dog off lead on walks again.

You can lodge anonymous complaints online to the council about dogs. I've done for the dogs across the road who are always running at people

[Meepy]

I was attacked by a dog when young and my DD was rushed at by a few dogs when she was young.  I don’t mind dogs but am very wary.  She is petrified.  When we get in our apartment lift, there are often dogs in there. It is terrifying for her and the owners think that is OK for their dogs to sniff at us and brush against us in a confined space.  
It has taken her to the point of quivering and crying for these entitled parts to listen to our pleas to move the dog away from her.  It is beyond ridiculous that dog owners expect everyone to share their spaces with dogs constantly.

[Fruitmincepies]

21 hours ago, BoyMum2 said:

Same with my kid - a few interactions with ‘friendly’ dogs running at him when he was a toddler and now at 6yo it’s a full-blown phobia of dogs. 

This was my DD. She’s 10yo now, and no longer has a dog phobia. It took many planned interactions with dogs we knew, but she was able to react rationally rather than heading straight into flight mode. Anyway, I hope that gives you some hope, as it was tough having a kid with a dog phobia considering how prevalent they are in society. 

[banyan]

It would be kind of cool if owners were zapped by a cattle prod every time they said "Don't worry, he's friendly."

[BoyMum2]

15 hours ago, Fruitmincepies said:

This was my DD. She’s 10yo now, and no longer has a dog phobia. It took many planned interactions with dogs we knew, but she was able to react rationally rather than heading straight into flight mode. Anyway, I hope that gives you some hope, as it was tough having a kid with a dog phobia considering how prevalent they are in society. 

Thanks, that does help. We don’t have friends with dogs so I think a big part of the issue is they are always unknown dogs, to all of us. I get anxious if a strange dog runs up to me and I think he’s just feeling that energy as well. I do show him lots of videos of dogs and he always seems genuinely delighted, laughing and watching intently. I think there’s hope but the unexpected meetings when out are just too much. He is autistic and reasoning through fear isn’t really a skill he possesses yet. He still can barely walk into a public toilet for fear of the hand dryer suddenly turning on. In the same way, I think dogs are just too unpredictable for his ordered head.

[Bethlehem]

I grew up with a staffy cross who was the most gorgeous dog. Yes jaws of steel but her personality was amazingly gentle. 

We always walked her on lead. I remember one memorable time, walking her, this little tiny dog would always be up against its fence going off its tiny head at her- even if we were on the other side of the road. One time it got out and bailed us up. We couldn’t walk. My darling dog just stood there and looked at me. I also knew that if she did anything to the little tiny thing, we’d be considered the ones in the wrong. Despite my dog being right at my side, on lead and under threat from the small dog. It was also concerning because I was worried about either of us being bitten by this little feral thing. If that had happened and my dog snapped to protect herself or me the little dog would be injured. 
 

The owner found it hilarious that my big dog was under threat. 

[Basil]

On 22/9/2024 at 11:23 AM, Bethlehem said:

The owner found it hilarious that my big dog was under threat. 

I hate when ignorant owners behave like that.

We have a German shepherd and we know his actions are our responsibility.  He has his quirks which means we take steps to ensure he stays safe from the stupidity of humans.

When we are out and about, he is generally very docile and not reactive to other dogs.  He has been bitten many times on the snout by small dogs where the owners just laugh.  Our dog could seriously injure your dog but he is well trained and doesn't just go and lunges at other dogs or humans.

He's not perfect and has nipped at a person before.  DD was holding the leash and DH and I were all walking together.  We stopped to talked to some acquaintances when a teenage boy decided to walk between DD and DH and intentionally/unintentionally whacked DD with his duffle bag.  Our dog growled and nipped his pants.  If he wanted to bite, he could have but it was a warning nip.  The silly boy had a whole empty street to cross at but chose that spot.  We generally keep ourselves between the dog and other people.  He's kept close when walking and if the footpath is narrow, we'll often move onto the road (if it's not busy) or off the path to wait.

He's super protective at home, especially if DH is away.  It's generally why I prefer to meet friends out than to invite them to our place.  It's safer for everyone.  We had a previous GSD who was so tolerant of kids but I'd still put her in our bedroom when we had kids over.  It was as much to protect her as anything.  I found a kid had let her out of the bedroom and looped her leash over a tree branch so she had to stand and couldn't move.  She would have been in that position for about 40mins til I realised.  Poor thing.  The mother didn't think her child had done anything wrong.  It was the last time they were invited to our place.  

[Not Escapin Xmas]

6 minutes ago, Basil said:

I found a kid had let her out of the bedroom and looped her leash over a tree branch so she had to stand and couldn't move.  She would have been in that position for about 40mins til I realised.  Poor thing.  The mother didn't think her child had done anything wrong.  It was the last time they were invited to our place.  

that's awful, your poor dog.

[Mooguru]

On 22/09/2024 at 11:23 AM, Bethlehem said:

I grew up with a staffy cross who was the most gorgeous dog. Yes jaws of steel but her personality was amazingly gentle. 

We always walked her on lead. I remember one memorable time, walking her, this little tiny dog would always be up against its fence going off its tiny head at her- even if we were on the other side of the road. One time it got out and bailed us up. We couldn’t walk. My darling dog just stood there and looked at me. I also knew that if she did anything to the little tiny thing, we’d be considered the ones in the wrong. Despite my dog being right at my side, on lead and under threat from the small dog. It was also concerning because I was worried about either of us being bitten by this little feral thing. If that had happened and my dog snapped to protect herself or me the little dog would be injured. 
 

The owner found it hilarious that my big dog was under threat. 

Oh I had a similar experience with my old dog. Yappy little thing bailed us up and was snapping and biting my much bigger dog. After a few minutes my dog picked the other dog up (like a mum with a puppy) gently tossed it to the side.

 

Eta the owners were nowhere to be seen but I bet they would've been all "your dog attacked mine" when their unleashed dog was the problem. (Dog wasn't hurt at all - it was literally like you see a mum dob with a puppy. I saw the same dog bailing up other dogs later on)

Edited September 25 by Mooguru

[Chicken Pie]

When we took our rescue to the oval my DD and I were practicing hockey and throwing ball to our heeler x kelpie

This pup came screeching across the oval and was al over him. Our dog is fine with dogs unless a dog jumps all over him which this dog did and wouldn’t stop. I held my dog between my legs (leashed), my dd and I kept pushing this yapper away and the owner Fucn DAWDLED across the oval - I screamed at him as did saying get control of your dog 

 

then he apologised and laughed saying it’s a puppy - I said your puppy could have been killed and because of your bad handling. I was so so stressed.

[LemonMyrtle]

Two more dog attacks. A woman has lost an arm, and a serious attack in Melbourne.

All the dogs involved were shot by police.

https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/11/townsville-queensland-dog-attack-womans-arm-severed-garbutt

[Cstar]

OMG that's horrifying

[MerryMadigralMadge]

those 3 dogs shot by the police - family pets apparently, and the police tried capsicum spray first, and then 19 shots to stop the dogs. 

They had those dogs for years apparently.