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Dog attacks "skyrocketing", now "an unrecognised public health crisis"

Funny how we never seem to have any kind of moral panic about road safety?

Well, we do. Hence such changes as compulsory seatbelts, cracking down on drink-driving and on using mobiles whilst driving, more speed bumps and 20 mph zones, etc etc. What significant changes have been made to limit attacks by dogs?
 
I realise that it is a very small minority view, but i've always found the desire to own any animal, for anything other than commercial or pest control reasons, odd and more than a little creepy.

Rather like guns, the desire to own another animal, for its own sake, should automatically disqualify you from it;)

and you think animal lovers are odd ?
 
:D

Spaniels are nuts, they have this switch in their head that say's 'I'm off mate, see ya!':D

The key to spaniel ownership, IMO, is recognising when that switch is about to be turned on before he does but it only takes seconds for you to make your move otherwise he's offski:D

Ditto for beagles. One scent of prey and they will go chase it. Takes a ton of training to reel in that instinct.
 
Ditto for beagles. One scent of prey and they will go chase it. Takes a ton of training to reel in that instinct.

Aye howlers they're as mad as a box of frogs.

Actually my dog seems to be losing his prey drive but I think that's down to amount of retrieving I get him to do which is incredible to watch he's a working dog and really benefits from working at something.
 
Well, we do. Hence such changes as compulsory seatbelts, cracking down on drink-driving and on using mobiles whilst driving, more speed bumps and 20 mph zones, etc etc. What significant changes have been made to limit attacks by dogs?
Dangerous Dogs act? Have also made it an offence to not clean up after them & bylaws exist restricting access to beaches at certain times of year.

Look at the push back on low traffic zones, for example, we don’t seem to care about road safety in a meaningful sense. Cars just get bigger & more powerful. Anyway I don’t want to derail the thread any further. Sorry.
 
I wasn’t being serious & I am not anti dog. The main problem is always people being dicks whether they are dog owners or drivers or whatever.

Too late, I'm afraid. I have set the wheels in motion to have the removal of dogs' teeth made law.

It will be colloquially known as 'Woodface's law' and you will have to fend off any angry dog owners who may seek to blame you.

On the plus side, at least the angry dog owners will only be able to threaten you with their gummy dogs. Very much a case of their bark being worse than their bite.
 
and you think animal lovers are odd ?

I did say it was a small minority view;)

It's not that i don't like animals, I'd like to think it was the opposite.

It's just that I can't imagine "owning" one being anything other than a necessary evil.
 
Looking at fatalities many of the dogs were pit bulls, this either says something that breed or the people who own them. They are an extremely powerful and agile dog, which is how they were bred, but watching videos on Youtube of Americans say, rehoming a pit bull, and your heart melts. But fatality wise, attacks average around 4 per year in the UK. Most killed are children, and a good few of them babies. Next up seem to be neighbours, so errr, be careful how you look at your neighbour's dog. It's clear most of the fatalities were by dogs whose owners were irresponsible, perhaps such people should only be allowed to own Cockapoos? Gosh just had another look at those Wikipedia stats, about 8 people among them were killed by their own dogs whilst having an epileptic fit.
List of fatal dog attacks in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia
 
I'll freely admit to not being much of a fan of Dogs. I just don't get on with them. I don't hate them and I would never deliberately harm one, but I don't want them in my house. We had two for years.. They were a pain in the arse.

But, it is patently obvious to all concerned that there is a real issue with dogs attacking people. Only last week another poor child was killed by a dog, close to where I live.
I'm not interested in 'Only bad owners' or similar bollox. The bottom line is that if the Dog was not there, the victim would not be killed. It's remarkably similar to Gun Ownership arguments. Guns don't kill people.. but oddly, the more of them there are about.. the more folk die from gunshots..Which moves us to the question 'Why is the Dog there and what regulates its presence?

At the moment it is far too easy for people to acquire dogs. As far as I know there is no effective licensing system and only a partial/voluntary 'chipping' system which is more concerned with preventing theft than with preventing deaths...which in itself says a lot about motivations for Dog ownership. This needs to change. Fast.

My own daughter has a ball of fluff she calls a Pikachon. It's a cross between a Bichon Frise and a Pekingese. I have to admit that if the bloody thing ever stops yapping and calms down..it is an attractive little thing.. She also has an 8 month old daughter. She never leaves the two together unsupervised. The baby loves the Dog and likes to play with it.. but clearly does not understand boundaries. The Dog is remarkably patient.. but has limits...
It's not a set up I'm comfortable with.
 
I'll freely admit to not being much of a fan of Dogs. I just don't get on with them. I don't hate them and I would never deliberately harm one, but I don't want them in my house. We had two for years.. They were a pain in the arse.
I also suffered with two dogs for years. My ex was a crap dog owner & too much of the responsibility fell on me. The Bitzer had her charms though & preferred to be "my" dog. The Jack Russell was a psycho that would always try to attack me when I went to kiss the ex goodbye whenever I went out.

I pleaded with L not to get another dog after the second one died. Guess one reason my ex became an ex.

I've once had to defend myself with force. Years ago, two fierce-looking dogs rushed at me from a driveway barking their faces off as I walked down a street. With almost no time to react, I gave one a swing of camera tripod to the head while the other got a mouthful of combat boot simultaneously. They ran off howling: I was sorry I might have injured them but my self-preservation came first.
 


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