Dogs - sheesh!

I really think the whole 'we are allowed to have a dog as a pet' thing should undergo a radical rethink. Sorry but most dogs just appear to me to be a set of teeth on legs, and extremely sharp, nasty teeth at that.

My mate has only recently gone back to work as a postman after having to undergo an operation to reattach the ligament that goes over the knee cap after a dog worried him on his round. He attempted to get away from the animal and apparently ripped the tendon away from the bone. A very serious injury which will probably bother him for the rest of his life.

My concerns are the type of animals people are allowed to own and owner's incredible lack of control.

I run a lot and down to the beach is a regular run for myself and other club runners. Last week we got to the beach and low and behold a woman was approaching with 3 dogs - 2 enormous Rottweilers and some other huge dog which was all head, shoulders and teeth; at least 30 stone of dog in all at a rough estimate. They were good natured as it happens but hell what if one turned? One dog probably weighed more than she did. How can people be allowed to keep such animals?

This week I ran to the beach again only to end up having a sheepdog pup nipping at my heels. The only way to get rid of it was to run back to the owner. I exchanged words with the owner in fact as I was so bloody annoyed. All he had to say was 'calm down, it is only a pup'! No bloody idea how to keep the dog under control at all.

I honestly don't get it and I really think something should be done about it too. Why should people be allowed to own something that has so much potential to hurt people and blatantly take it, or them, anywhere they want? And I haven't touched on the fouling issue, such as owners taking their dogs on to rugby fields to do their business which I witnessed this week. Just wrong.

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

Luckily my dog is very docile, but I still wouldn't let him off the lead unless there was no-one about. We've had a few run-ins with loose dogs. Two of our farmers had sheep attacked by them last year. It should be law to have them on a lead. I think the law's just been changed regarding dogs on private property, which were not covered if they bit someone. Besides, not all people like dogs but some people think it's ok to let them chase them or jump up on them!

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

It is completely wrong, and against council by laws to allow a dog to foul and not clear up after it, it's also in some places against council policy to allow a dog onto the beach at certain times of the year or on certain parts of the beach, or in our area to allow a dog off the lead within 250 mts of a leisure area.No more than 6 dogs to be walked by any one person. As for people unable or not wanting to control their dog, some of them are unbelievable some are just plain stupid and a few I would call cruel cowards, who train their dogs to attack cos they're too scared to.
You could run past any dog I've ever owned (4 at one time) and they wouldn't have even looked at you, the pup should already be being taught not to chase.In fact bailey does it every day cos our walk is shared with runners, joggers, walkers and cyclists.

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

My next door neighbor has just acquired an English Mastiff and they re-cone it will go to 15 stone ..why the hell would anyone want a dog that big ..I have a cat that incidentally lived in that house until they old neighbors moved and left it behind .just hope the cat and dog dont meet ..just hope I dont meet the bloody thing as well ..

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

I agree with you Mark - there is a worrying trend with dog owning. More and more breeds that have the propensity to do severe damage and little control by the owners. These dogs are allowed to run off the lead as well. My youngest dog has been attacked several times and I've chased off every dog except the Rottweiler - I'm ashamed to say I froze but luckily, all it did was a domination thing of forcing my dog to cower underneath him and then his owner arrived; then his owner got an earful. It makes you feel so helpless. Now my dogs are never off the lead which is a shame - the well-behaved dogs are kept on leads whilst the badly behaved ones have the run of where they're taken.

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

I'm often asked (usually by children) "mister, do your dogs bite" ? My response is that "ALL dogs will bite, given the right/wrong circumstances". In the film "Beethoven's Big Break", Cesar Milan made (I think) an interesting observation/comment. "IT'S NEVER THE DOG" ! Having worked with dogs for over 50 years, I'm inclined to agree, as a dog usually reflects an owner's "personality". There's also research by the British Psychological Society (and others) to support this point of view. It's also been said that most dog owners haven't got a clue as to what they've got at the other end of the lead (in the way of behaviour, capabilities, ancestry, history, breeding, etc) ! As a generalisation, law-abiding, thoughtful, caring people will (usually) have a well-trained, sociable, obedient dog. Others, less so. If a dog's not being sociable, look to the owner - NOT the dog. The dog's just being a dog. It knows nothing of governmental laws, society's rules and sometimes it knows nothing about people, who are a totally different species. People sometimes think that they can "beat" Nature. WRONG ! "Mother Nature" will win EVERY time - though it may take a while for it to happen. An excellent example, I think, are animals whose ancestors roamed the earth whilst we still lived in caves, had no language (as such) and were learning to use tools - whereas homo sapiens are destroying this planet at an amazing speed - because of "profit margins" ! ! ! I've met many people who don't believe that there'll be a 3rd millenium for people. I wouldn't mind betting that there'll be some OTHER living creatures around, though !

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

"I really think the whole 'we are allowed to have a dog as a pet' thing should undergo a radical rethink. Sorry but most dogs just appear to me to be a set of teeth on legs, and extremely sharp, nasty teeth at that. "

Sorry, MKJ - have you seen what PEOPLE can do ? NO COMPARISON ! ! ! ! it wasn't any other animal but homo sapiens that created atomic bombs, landmines, currency, etc ! ! !

Give me a dog, rather than a person - ANY TIME ! They're a lot more honest than a lot of people ! Whenever you see a (domestic) dog, please remember - IT WAS CREATED BY A PERSON ! It was never meant to live in a human world - PEOPLE made it so ! Wolves (from whom most dogs are descended) lived in the "wild". NOT in towns/cities - or even houses !

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

Having read through this thread I was just about to comment that dogs are descended from the wolf and basically that's what you have in your homes. However, having said that, it is the owner's responsibility to train a dog in a way that is acceptable.

Me? I'm terrified of dogs and have never owned one, therefore I don't consider different breeds to be potentially more dangerous than another. They are all capable of doing damage, most especially to children and other animals.

Dog owners probably won't like this but, apart from being kept on a lead at ALL times when outside of their home environment, I honestly think they should be muzzled as well in populated areas.

Hope I haven't offended anyone as that wasn't my intention.

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

I can see two sides to the argument. I have always loved dogs (and most other animals too), but I do agree wholeheartedly that some people should not be allowed to keep one. Maybe a compulsory basic training qualification before taking ownership would help?
My own small dog was badly attacked by a muzzled dog running loose in our local park. The idiot owner knew full well his dog was dangerous, hence the muzzle, but he said it couldn't do any harm because of the muzzle! It didn't enter his thick head that his dog could still injure an elderley person, child, or family pet by crashing into it and holding it down by sheer weight and bully tactics. My own dog was not only on her lead at the time, but also half way through a pregnancy, so I was extremely upset and frightened.
Having said that, in a way I can see why joggers might get nipped, because on occasions, I have been walking along around dusk, or along a lonely path, and heard someone running up behind me and it has made me nearly jump out of my skin. Dogs don't always bite through aggression, don't forget they can be startled, frightened, or protective of their family as well. If a dog "saved" his mistress or elderley owner from violent thugs, would it still be considered aggressive then?
Having aired my thoughts on this, I have kept dogs for nearly 50 years and none of mine have ever caused trouble - (touch wood)!

Re: Dogs - sheesh!

"If a dog "saved" his mistress or elderley owner from violent thugs, would it still be considered aggressive then? "

An interesting observation, Mups

The owner would probably be sued by the thugs - and the dog killed by the "authorities" as being "dangerous" !

It's been said that "in the 70s, it was the Alsations/GSDs. In the 80's the Dobermans. In the 90s, it was the Rotweillers, then it was the "bull" breeds. When will it be identified/recognised/accepted that it's the people" !