Darwen woman's horror as pet shih tzu savaged to death in street by ‘pitbull’ (From Lancashire Telegraph)

"Police said that although the attacking dog was a pitbull type, it is not a banned breed, and they cannot enforce any action against the owner."

WHY?

WHY on earth can't the police do anything, do we really have to wait until a child is attacked before they do anything ???????? "RIDICULOUS" .
I feel so sorry for the lady it will take a long time to get over this.

The Police CAN do something!! I know following a recent incident I have been involved in!

LittleMissKc wrote:
The owner was at first, attempting to give the dog away for free on Facebook, claiming that it was gentle! I hope that the thing has been destroyed now, as promised.

Once again, we see an irresponsible dog owner getting away with it. Clearly, she couldn't afford to keep the dog or was unable to control it, if she was giving it away on Facebook. It sounds to me as if she has let the dog loose on purpose, without any identifying features like a collar or muzzle, hoping it will be taken in by someone else (and God only knows what specimens might fancy having this type of dog). We are repeatedly told, "it's not the breed of the dog to blame, it's all down to how the owners train them". Well, if that is the case, then she is responsible for how her dog behaves and she ought to be held to account. Something drastic needs to be done about dangerous dogs, there's far too much of these incidents - enough is enough. We need to widen the number of dangerous breeds and ban them, licence other potentially dangerous breeds and have a hefty licence fee and be able to make dog owners resonsible for their dogs - i.e. face hefty fines and/ or prison if the dog injures or kills another pet or human being.

firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

It was only a matter of time before someone posted this line of argument but it is flawed. Rarely, if ever, do you read about Yorkshire terriers, poodles, chiwawas, border collies, westies (and so on), savaging, mauling and killing other dogs, adults or children. It is nearly always the same breeds. Yes, the owners are partly to blame for the way in which they train (or don't train) their dogs and how well they look after them. But the defence of all dogs you make simply doesn't wash - some breeds of dog have been bred to be more dangerous than others.

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

I forgot to ask - are you saying it is okay for one dog to savage another as long as it doesn't harm a child? And there should be no repercussions for the owner? Please comment.

One final thing, can the LT name and shame the owner of the pitbull-type dog that had to be put down?

MerlinTheVoiceofReas
on2 wrote:

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

I forgot to ask - are you saying it is okay for one dog to savage another as long as it doesn't harm a child? And there should be no repercussions for the owner? Please comment.

Not at all and owners are the ones who should be held responsible. i have had my present staff now for 6 years and only i know her temperment so i know kids can jump all over her withount any problems but i also know to put her on a lead when around other dogs because she can be defensive so if i have her off her lead or not secure and she attackes a dog then i should be fully made at fault and take all repercussions

MerlinTheVoiceofReas
on2 wrote:

LittleMissKc wrote:
The owner was at first, attempting to give the dog away for free on Facebook, claiming that it was gentle! I hope that the thing has been destroyed now, as promised.

Once again, we see an irresponsible dog owner getting away with it. Clearly, she couldn't afford to keep the dog or was unable to control it, if she was giving it away on Facebook. It sounds to me as if she has let the dog loose on purpose, without any identifying features like a collar or muzzle, hoping it will be taken in by someone else (and God only knows what specimens might fancy having this type of dog). We are repeatedly told, "it's not the breed of the dog to blame, it's all down to how the owners train them". Well, if that is the case, then she is responsible for how her dog behaves and she ought to be held to account. Something drastic needs to be done about dangerous dogs, there's far too much of these incidents - enough is enough. We need to widen the number of dangerous breeds and ban them, licence other potentially dangerous breeds and have a hefty licence fee and be able to make dog owners resonsible for their dogs - i.e. face hefty fines and/ or prison if the dog injures or kills another pet or human being.

It was right after the attack took place that the dog was offered for free on Facebook. The lady was clearly trying to palm the dog off onto somebody else without a second thought as to what could happen. Can you imagine if a mother with small children had taken the dog in believing it to be of good nature..

MerlinTheVoiceofReas
on2 wrote:

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

It was only a matter of time before someone posted this line of argument but it is flawed. Rarely, if ever, do you read about Yorkshire terriers, poodles, chiwawas, border collies, westies (and so on), savaging, mauling and killing other dogs, adults or children. It is nearly always the same breeds. Yes, the owners are partly to blame for the way in which they train (or don't train) their dogs and how well they look after them. But the defence of all dogs you make simply doesn't wash - some breeds of dog have been bred to be more dangerous than others.

It's is terrible what has happened to this woman's poor dog, and agree 100%, the attacking dog's owner should be prosecuted.

The only reason we hear about pitbull type dogs attacking and killing and not other breeds is because of the media, and the irresponsible owners of pitbull type dogs.
Any dog is capable of attacking or killing if it is either provoked or trained to do that sort of thing.
I used to live overseas and owned a red nose pitbull and had 2 children under the age of 3. Because i was a responsible owner, and trained my dog the right way, he was a big softie. On a couple of occasions when he did escape (digging under the 6ft high fence), he was found around the corner playing with other dogs.

cloud99 wrote:

MerlinTheVoiceofReas

on2 wrote:

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

It was only a matter of time before someone posted this line of argument but it is flawed. Rarely, if ever, do you read about Yorkshire terriers, poodles, chiwawas, border collies, westies (and so on), savaging, mauling and killing other dogs, adults or children. It is nearly always the same breeds. Yes, the owners are partly to blame for the way in which they train (or don't train) their dogs and how well they look after them. But the defence of all dogs you make simply doesn't wash - some breeds of dog have been bred to be more dangerous than others.

It's is terrible what has happened to this woman's poor dog, and agree 100%, the attacking dog's owner should be prosecuted.

The only reason we hear about pitbull type dogs attacking and killing and not other breeds is because of the media, and the irresponsible owners of pitbull type dogs.
Any dog is capable of attacking or killing if it is either provoked or trained to do that sort of thing.
I used to live overseas and owned a red nose pitbull and had 2 children under the age of 3. Because i was a responsible owner, and trained my dog the right way, he was a big softie. On a couple of occasions when he did escape (digging under the 6ft high fence), he was found around the corner playing with other dogs.

Spot on, i've also had a pitbull greyhound that was bred to work, police visited my house and found my three year old led on the floor watching TV with her elbows leaning on the dog. The copper said show me the pitbull and when I pointed to her he said shes been reported as a dangerous dog by a neighbour, needless to say she stayed and the copper said she was fine. She had been trained to a good standard like ALL dogs should be .

I was unfortunate to witness this incident and the dog was evil during the attack. Once the dog had got a taste for blood there was no way it was going to let go. The owner of the English Pitbull wasnt even are that the dog had escaped from her house, and blamed a visitor for leaving the door open.
There were children present at the incident and it just a miracle that it didnt turn on them.
The Shih Zu was innocently tethered on its lead to a post, but it could quite of easily been anyone else that was passing.
To offer the Pitbull on facebook indicates that the owner knew she was in hot water, but it has to be commended that she paid the full vet's bill for the poor Shih Zu to be put down.

My Yorkshire Terrier was pinned to the ground by one of these type of dogs a few weeks ago. Luckily I managed to pick her up. I reported it to the police as a dangerous dog as it was out of the house on its own on a main road. It was a very frightening experience. Most people that own them aren't responsible owners, they just think they look big when out with them.
My thoughts are with the owner of this Shih Tzu.

Might I suggest finding out where this dog reside and giving it a 'Little Treat' in the form of meat laced with rat poison...? I would happily do the job for you if you let me know the address...

district01 wrote:
"Police said that although the attacking dog was a pitbull type, it is not a banned breed, and they cannot enforce any action against the owner."

WHY?

My thoughts exactly! If this freak of nature had attacked MY dog,I would have taken ANY responsibility from the Police,cut off it's head and presented it to the owner...Why is there ALWAYS a reason for the Police NOT to get involved?!

I own a very friendly Staffordshire bull terrier. Friendly with people and other dogs. He plays with lots of other dogs without any trouble. I am approached on a regular basis from young lads asking if I want to breed him. No chance not in a million years. We can earn good money out of it one lad said. My dog is not a status symbol he is a good natured dog with a bad name. It saddens me when I see Battersea dogs home on TV and all these types of dog that people have given up on. Why cant it be made illegal to breed dogs without a licence and only sell them to people who can prove they are capable of owning them.

i saw the attack and it was horrible to watch & my heart goes out to the lady who's dog it was...but i have to let everybody know that its wasnt a pitbull are a pitbull type dog,it was an english bull terrier. also the lad who had the dog told us it was getting put down that night then later found out the owners was giving it away for free but never metioned about the attack & that it had happened right next to a park so it could of easily been a child. the dog has now been put down. better late then never i say

i saw the attack and it was horrible to watch & my heart goes out to the lady who's dog it was...but i have to let everybody know that its wasnt a pitbull are a pitbull type dog,it was an english bull terrier. also the lad who had the dog told us it was getting put down that night then later found out the owners was giving it away for free but never metioned about the attack & that it had happened right next to a park so it could of easily been a child. the dog has now been put down. better late then never i say

HILLBILLYBOB wrote:
I was unfortunate to witness this incident and the dog was evil during the attack. Once the dog had got a taste for blood there was no way it was going to let go. The owner of the English Pitbull wasnt even are that the dog had escaped from her house, and blamed a visitor for leaving the door open. There were children present at the incident and it just a miracle that it didnt turn on them. The Shih Zu was innocently tethered on its lead to a post, but it could quite of easily been anyone else that was passing. To offer the Pitbull on facebook indicates that the owner knew she was in hot water, but it has to be commended that she paid the full vet's bill for the poor Shih Zu to be put down.

its english bull terrier to be correct.

There is just no place for these fighting type dogs in todays society. We all see many of this breed and similar walking around the local streets, why. On Merseyside there is a huge crack down on band breeds and mixed breed dogs. I have never seen as many pitbull type breeds being used as stays symbols/weapons it really needs to stop.

Tyson still up to his tricks, but he is on bubble and drinks 8 cans of Stella a day so give him a chance to turn it around.

I bet Tysons owner had blue tattoos and trackie bottoms. Poor little dog, As mentioned above, Tyson needed help with his white lightning addiction, he was only doing as he was trained. Trained to be well ard.
Status dogs should not be allowed in towns. Neither should blue tatoos and trackies either.

dogs are like men (c)umc 2003

in that certain breeds have certain traits
and behaviour patterns, and when they come together there will be chaos...
(this applies to different breeds of men too)
this is why the all dogs on leads law was made, and the onus is on the OWNERs regarding the chaos caused and can face serious charges for ignorantly allowing their mutts to roam freely,one also has the right to kill any animal which attacks any third party and recover all costs from the owner

i also find treating a dog like a child is so absurd as if the human mindset was born to be subservient to lesser beings..how weak and lily livered...

they say that dog is mans best freind ...
utter **** ... if dogs were made aware of this reality then they would simply walk out the door and not come back...period.

This woman has paid £200 to have her dog cremated, the owners of the dog that attacked it should be so ashamed and embarrassed that they should pay her every last penny of that, absolute disgrace, I saw the incident from my bedroom window and it was HORRIFIC! If that had happened to one of my cats or my dog I would have killed the dog myself (and I'm a vegetarian)

I witnessed a Staffordshire bull terrier rip a cat to bits 22 years ago when I was 14. It was absolutly horrific and there was absolutely nothing I could do to intervene. Everytime I read a story it never fails to upset me!

Dogs should be on a **** lead, nothing more nothing less. If a dog savages another dog and that dog isn't on a lead, there should be a penalty against the owner and seeing as the dog in question killed another dog, it should be destroyed or even trained against this kind of thing. I can't believe some comments saying it was fine, its not fine and nor will it ever be. Continue to allow this behaviour and we will see more and more of this happen. What's next? children? adults ?. I wonder when it will stop?

cloud99 wrote:

MerlinTheVoiceofReas

on2 wrote:

jjdsplace wrote:
firstly I find it auful that this has happened.that is

But why do dogs always get made out to be evil yes some dogs will attack other dogs but that dosent mean children are at risk. and banning dangerous breeds there is no such thing it is down to the individual not the breed.

It was only a matter of time before someone posted this line of argument but it is flawed. Rarely, if ever, do you read about Yorkshire terriers, poodles, chiwawas, border collies, westies (and so on), savaging, mauling and killing other dogs, adults or children. It is nearly always the same breeds. Yes, the owners are partly to blame for the way in which they train (or don't train) their dogs and how well they look after them. But the defence of all dogs you make simply doesn't wash - some breeds of dog have been bred to be more dangerous than others.

It's is terrible what has happened to this woman's poor dog, and agree 100%, the attacking dog's owner should be prosecuted.

The only reason we hear about pitbull type dogs attacking and killing and not other breeds is because of the media, and the irresponsible owners of pitbull type dogs.
Any dog is capable of attacking or killing if it is either provoked or trained to do that sort of thing.
I used to live overseas and owned a red nose pitbull and had 2 children under the age of 3. Because i was a responsible owner, and trained my dog the right way, he was a big softie. On a couple of occasions when he did escape (digging under the 6ft high fence), he was found around the corner playing with other dogs.

I agree.
All the talk about banning certain breeds of dog, it's not the breed at fault, its the idiots who own them.
It doesn't matter what sort of dog the idiots have, if a certain breed becomes popular among them, as it will because they are incapable of independent thought, then that breed will become a 'problem'.
So let us stop idiots from owning dogs and certainly from breeding them.

Dogs need socialising and training from a young age, it isn't enough to just let it drag you to the off licence in your pajamas in the morning then sit dossing in the house all day.

slimitus wrote:
Dogs should be on a **** lead, nothing more nothing less. If a dog savages another dog and that dog isn't on a lead, there should be a penalty against the owner and seeing as the dog in question killed another dog, it should be destroyed or even trained against this kind of thing. I can't believe some comments saying it was fine, its not fine and nor will it ever be. Continue to allow this behaviour and we will see more and more of this happen. What's next? children? adults ?. I wonder when it will stop?

it will stop when you stop talking crap.

Violet432 wrote:
I witnessed a Staffordshire bull terrier rip a cat to bits 22 years ago when I was 14. It was absolutly horrific and there was absolutely nothing I could do to intervene. Everytime I read a story it never fails to upset me!

? dogs dont like cats. simple. its nature. so if you beleve in reincarnation, hope your a dog and not a cat. and get a life, it was some manky cat that spent every night shittting in peoples gardens and killing little defenceless garden birds so it got all it deserved.

kakaimacgul wrote:
This woman has paid £200 to have her dog cremated, the owners of the dog that attacked it should be so ashamed and embarrassed that they should pay her every last penny of that, absolute disgrace, I saw the incident from my bedroom window and it was HORRIFIC! If that had happened to one of my cats or my dog I would have killed the dog myself (and I'm a vegetarian)

id have dug a hole for a tenner thus saving £190

HILLBILLYBOB wrote:
I was unfortunate to witness this incident and the dog was evil during the attack. Once the dog had got a taste for blood there was no way it was going to let go. The owner of the English Pitbull wasnt even are that the dog had escaped from her house, and blamed a visitor for leaving the door open. There were children present at the incident and it just a miracle that it didnt turn on them. The Shih Zu was innocently tethered on its lead to a post, but it could quite of easily been anyone else that was passing. To offer the Pitbull on facebook indicates that the owner knew she was in hot water, but it has to be commended that she paid the full vet's bill for the poor Shih Zu to be put down.

puts a whole new meaning to a chippy takeaway ! woof woof

This was indeed a shocking incident, and from what I've read on here it turns out it was an English Bull Terrier. The one thing that gets me about 90% of the population, and the media come to that, is that they can't tell the difference between the various types of bull terriers out there and I am sickened to see so many reports referring to Staffies being involved. Any responsible breeder of Staffies will tell you that, apart from their bark, they are not vicious and are useless as guard dogs because of their playful and loving nature. It's such a shame that they get such a bad press because of incorrect reporting and identification.

The owner of the "offending dog" DID pay the full vets bill for the Shih Zu to be put to sleep and cremated and has to be commended for that....... if nothing else.

First, my heart goes out to Tracey for the loss of her pet. It's a terrible thing.

All pet dogs no matter how well trained have the potential to turn, they are animals and no matt how much we project our own thoughts ("oh he is such a loving dog, he loves kids, he will never bite" etc.) we can only GUESS what is going on in their heads - anyone who says they "know" their dog and how it is thinking is talking crap finally.

The breed is irrelevant, only the degree of damage potential is influenced by breed.

"he doesn't need the lead - he s so well trained" - ****. By definition ANY DOG NOT ON A LEAD IS NOT UNDER CONTROL. one main reason for letting the dog run about off the lead is so the owner does not have to pick up its turd. ("it was in the bushes - I didn't see it")

Every dog should be chipped and every dog should be on a lead at ALL TIMES WHEN OUTSIDE THE OWNERS PRIVATE DOMAIN - there can be no excuse.

Make law and enforce it.

my heart goes out to that poor lady,im so sorry for her loss,i have 2 dogs a rotti & a dog de bourdeaux even wen im walkin them im always cautious of other dogs my rotti got attacked of a yorkie!! People find that funny but i didnt , my dogs r trained but you can never say u know 100% wat they are goin to be like wi other dogs people or kids! Just like humans a dog can snap any time. Im always wary of other dogs n id never dream o leavin em outside anywhere whilst i go in a shop n id never dream o lettin a child walk a dog just remember u never know wats round a corner!!!!