Are some people stupid

Our Patterdale Terriers didn't take to our new baby (6 years ago). They have a bull blood line and you can see unpredictable traits coming through with demotion and change in the family hierarchy. They are lovely family dogs, BUT not with small children and now live quite happily with my father in law in wales.

Not all people are stupid, but Wales does seem to have a rather unique population though.:hehe:

 

I'm afraid it was simply a tragic accident, certainly no fault of the dogs.

Even with legislation tragedies happen, the only good thing that might come out of it is that it may just make people aware of the dangers of leaving children unattended with dogs.

I remember the rotweiler bitch at the farm I used to work that for no reason lunged at my hand as I went to open the yard gate just as id done regularly for 12 months. My reaction was quick and the dog miss timed its lunge and bent one of the gate bars.

For whatever reason something about a regular action caused it to flip, at the end of the day pets are only domesticated wild animals and care needs to be taken. The dog in question died four months later due to a cancer growth, perhaps it was the pain it was in that changed its behavior.

As it was, I was an adult with quick reactions, a young child opening the gate might have been another tragic story.

 

Sorry Pro - it wasn't an accident, and I can't agree with Redstar. The dog was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They are bred for fighting and killing. Had the baby been left with just the Jack Russel or virtually any other dog I would agree with you - it would have been an accident. But to leave a baby alone with a live handgrenade is very very stupid, especially with all the publicity that there has been about Pit Bulls and Staffordshire terriers.

 

The end result could have been the same had the dog been a Labrador.

I don't see a problem with breed, any dog or pet can be aggressive and revert to wild tendencies the only difference being that the larger the dog the more capability to cause damage.

I'm not a huge dog lover particularly after the incident I mentioned but any talk of banning breeds, or restricting ownership, or criticizeing breeds is getting away from the real issue.

 

:lollol::dh:

 

This is not a mistake, this is not stupid. This down right NEGLECT. She neglected to keep the 3 month old in a safe environment.
I have fired staff over less much offensive when its found they were NEGLECTFUL of the client.
Does having no forethought mean one is stupid, or the better word lack common sense. I don't have to know her past mistakes, I stand by years of supervising staff, a person either has common sense or not.
They will continue to make errors/mistake that show me a lack of common sense. I can teach most anything to staff, but I cannot teach common sense.
A dog is an animal period.
Good Lord, it was a 3 month old folks. How hard was it to bundle it up and take it with you????
What did it weigh like 12 lbs. a size of a potato sack.
What was wrong with this women's mind.
No pity here for that sad human.

 

Although people seem to think it's right.
Children and Dogs are not a good mix.
Never have been never will be.
When will people learn?
I have sympathy for all concerned.
It must be unbearable for them all.

 

I rescued a German Shepherd bitch once and this dog was totally safe with my kids, totally safe with all people-I had absolute faith in her, she never so much as growled or gave that warning look -that "too attentive" look, I would have trusted her with anyone and anything-BUT I never did. My children were never alone with her ( mainly because she followed me from room to room) and, despite everyone saying how wonderful with the kids she was (they even "rode" her ) I was proved right to be so cautious.

Since losing a litter of pups she was clearly unwell. When I took her in for her check up the vet ( whom she always had been completely calm with) reached to stroke her and she snapped. If I hadn`t been there she would have seriously hurt the vet, the dog was pi**ed and she was big and she went mental.


I have no doubt that whilst she was in that state she would taken down anyone around her-she didn`t bite me or try to, but this hitherto docile and obedient and intelligent, beautiful creature fought me with everything bar her teeth to get at the vet.

When she came home it was like nothing had ever happened but I had to make a choice because I could no longer trust her near my kids even with me in the room. The next day after some results had come back from the vets it was clear she was seriously ill and a few days later we lost her, she was lucky to have made it that far frankly so the choice was taken out of my hands thankfully, but I would not have hesitated had it been any other way. I saw a side to that dog I had never ever seen before, and although I loved her very, very much and miss her terribly to this day, my kids had to come first.


I was responsible for this animal, I was responsible for anything and everything.


This woman was responsible for those animals so yes she was responsible for what they did to this baby. Dogs are like loaded guns with the safety on, if you ever sense anything amiss at all listen to your instincts.

 

Redstar - I do apologise - I disagreed with you in my post - but I must have misread yours, it was too late at night! In fact I agree with all that you said.

Pro - I am afraid I must still disagree with you. The breed of the dog is very important. Traits are bred into dogs the same way that traits are bred into plants. Any plant in theory could climb to 10 feet, but climbers have been bred to climb and are consequently much more likely too to do so. Yes, any dog can turn nasty, but Staffordshire Terriers are much more likely to. They were bred to be aggressive, fighting dogs. What it did to this baby is exactly what it was bred to do. This is why I said it was no accident.

If there were little difference between breeds, you would see drug dealers using Poodles and Daschunds to defend themselves and intimidate others, but they don't. They use Pit Bulls and Staffordshire terriers.

 

It isn`t the breed that is entirely at fault. It`s the willful ignorance of the owners. Unfortunately the vast majority of these owners like to dismiss this element from their mind thinking that with love and proper attention they will never show the traits that have been bred into them. This is absolutely untrue.

I wouldn`t obtain a pack of sh*t-zus to defend my property anymore than I would bring a greyhound into a house with cats.


We`ve forgotton that dogs are predators who only have a relationship with humans because it was once of mutual benefit. We`ve since twisted and distorted this animal into something nature would never have conjured up. Then we allow this genetically vandalised animal free access to our children.

 

Peter, I disagree with you in that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are usually very placid dogs. Originally they were bred for fighting, but after all that sick business was outlawed most of that aggression was bred out of them. Of course they are still little bags of solid muscle, which makes them more dangerous if they do flip, but in truth any breed of dog can move much faster than a human, and they all have incredibly powerful jaws. I remember one of our dogs, a small mongrel that was half border collie and half everything else. When she was just a year old she picked up something gross as dogs do. I ordered her to drop it and she wouldn't. Fearing she would make herself ill I grabbed the jaw in one hand and the top of her mouth in the other. I used ever ounce of strength I had to try to physically make her drop the offending item, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't even straining, she was just stood there quite relaxed wondering what exactly I was trying to do.

On to the other dog involved in this tragic incident, it was a Jack Russel. They really can be nasty. They were bred for the purpose of pest control. It is their instinct to root out and kill small animals (such as rats and rabbits, but tragically in this case a baby). They are unstable and have a napolean complex, yet they too are fast, agile, and very tough.

 

And further,


although dog fighting is now outlawed they still go on. The favoured dog? Staffy of course.


The animals are provided by the same people who run the puppy farms, so every time you buy one from one of these places..well done, you just condemned hundreds to a disgusting life ended by a death of disease or degradation or at the jaws of another poor animal similarly treated. You only see the lucky ones-and as in the case of the King Charles Spaniel ( among others) it doesn`t stop there.


Although I know full well the venomous backlash this comment will make I stand firm. The breeding of dogs for profit is inhumane and should be made illegal-IMHO

 

Except whippets because they are cute !

 

Aggression of breeds is an issue but more so is training or the lack of it any dog can be aggressive a dog must know who is boss.

A while back I was asked to look after a friends Labrador whilst they were on holiday, I had the dog for a fortnight and was warned that it had a likeing to chew furniture..... not for me it wouldn't.

Within an hour of it arriving it had started to chew the edge of the kitchen door, a squirt with a water squirter, and a tap on the nose along with the firm words no and it stopped. Another couple of no s and squirts and for the duration of its stay it was perfectly behaved even on its return to it's normal home it has never since chewed any furniture.

Yes staffs could be banned but as mentioned the other dog involved in attacking the baby was a jack russel, what next ban them as well?

Sadly the owner of the dogs involved were irresponsible and a tragic accident happened but to blame a breed is a generalization too farr.

 

Dogs are also individuals and each have their own personality and temprament.