The Ongoing Dog Attack Mega-Thread

[Rerun]

Hmmm.. Gun control... complicated question.

I think all gun owners or potential gun owners should have to obtain a license to own a gun. This should include a background check as well as a test. You should need 2 guarantors (like getting a passport) and the guarantors should be contacted by the Firearms registration people to determine if this person is trustworthy and stable. This should have to be renewed every 3 years, where again the person has to undergo a background check.

The general public should not be able to own automatic weapons or assault style weapons. These were designed to kill people... not be used for hunting.

Handgun ownership should also be illegal... see above.

Gun (rifle and shotgun) registration is stupid and a waste of money.

In general, I think the existing laws work well. There will always be exceptions to the rule but overall I think, for law abiding citizens, the laws do the job they were intended to do. Criminal gun possession is another matter.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Rerun i'm just curious, are you for or against gun control? it's no doubt always the owner's fault, but sometimes the government has to intervene and prevent stupid people from obtaining dangerous animals too easily

True... but that would be the case for having children too.

[Hemi-Cuda]

so you agree that the public shouldn't own certain types of guns. i make the argument that they shouldn't own certain breeds of dogs. no matter how good of an owner you are, you can never be 100% in control of your dog at all times, and as TheGrimm posted even the most loving dogs can still snap because of instinct. this is true regardless of breed, but a poodle going after the meter reader is an entirely different situation than a pitbull

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Example: A dog and a child are drowning in a lake. The dog is yours but the child is not.

I guarantee that everyone of these "weird people" would save the child first.

If this thread is any indication the dog eats the child and the owner says "but he never attacked anybody!!".

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

so you agree that the public shouldn't own certain types of guns. i make the argument that they shouldn't own certain breeds of dogs. no matter how good of an owner you are, you can never be 100% in control of your dog at all times, and as TheGrimm posted even the most loving dogs can still snap because of instinct. this is true regardless of breed, but a poodle going after the meter reader is an entirely different situation than a pitbull

If we are comparing guns to dogs the same could be said about cars or motorcycles..

Lets ban vehicles that have the ability to go faster than the speed limit and are not 100% safe all the time.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Rerun

If we are comparing guns to dogs the same could be said about cars or motorcycles..

Lets ban vehicles that have the ability to go faster than the speed limit and are not 100% safe all the time.

As the amazingly wise fotze once said in some thread on CP, just because we can't fix all the problems at once, doesn't mean we shouldn't fix any of them.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

nm. Moved to GMG thread. Nothing to do with dog attacks.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Rerun

If we are comparing guns to dogs the same could be said about cars or motorcycles..

Lets ban vehicles that have the ability to go faster than the speed limit and are not 100% safe all the time.

a vehicle doesn't have a mind of it's own, it will only do what it's operator tells it to do. and if it's all about the owner and nothing else, would you feel safe if your neighbor bought a wolf cub with the intention of raising it as a pet? how about a tiger?

[4X4]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

There are people who are eccentric in all aspects of life.. The truth lies in the meaty part of the bell curve.

My sister has a blue-nose pitbull and while he is a great dog, he is tenacious and I wouldn't trust him around my child unsupervised. She, on the other hand is convinced he would never hurt a child and will let him hang around her infant child unsupervised.

Our family boxer is probably one of the most affectionate dogs I know (I might be slightly biased). He loves the neighbourhood children and we often let him off leash while we are puttering around the front yard (we live in a cul-de-sac), he is extremely friendly and we had never had a violent incident until last summer.

My wife was suntanning in the back yard and the meter reader came walking around the corner and startled our dog, he proceeded to snarl and charged at the meter reader who bolted back through the gate to the other side of the fence. Had my wife not witnessed it I would never have believed it could happen.

I am not sure he would have attacked the guy, but the fact is, as much as you think you know your dog, when instincts and self preservation kick in, they can be dangerous.

There should be aptitude tests and licenses required for all dog owners. Dog ownership is a privilege, and anyone who cares enough about the animals should have no problem ensuring they are fit to co-habitate.

I used to have the same attitude with my old rottie, that she'd never hurt a fly, unless the fly hurt her first. I knew she was territorial about the house, but most dogs are.
One day me and the woman were camping and went down to a spring there in the river valley. There were some nice people down there that offered us beers out of their stash, and as the guy was handing a beer to my ex, he let go before she grabbed it, and it started to fall. He was pretty quick and snatched it out of mid air, and that set off my dog. She lunged at him and barked at him like I never heard her bark before. It was a "you touch this woman and I'll kill you" kind of thing.
It took her a few minutes to completely calm down, but I was always worried after that. On one hand, I guess I knew that the ex was safe as long as our dog was with her, but on the other hand, I'd sure hate for a situation like her nephew to come running up to her to give her a hug, and the dog mistaking that for a reason to defend, and for me to not be there to hold her back.

Anyway, as much as I loved (and still do love) rotties, I don't think I'll ever own one again. Or any dog that has that killer instinct. I would hate to have to put down my dog because it went ###### and bit a child or an adult or anyone. At least with the mutts I have now, they just don't have the capability to seriously harm anyone. They're still cute and awesome and fun, and I really don't have to worry if they were to get out of the yard and go explore the neighbourhood. Worst that would happen is that they would get hurt, not that they would hurt someone.

I think guard dogs should be behind fences in junkyards or chained to tires on farms or whatever. And I guess if you want to have a dog like that on your property at home, that's your prerogative, but I don't really like seeing them off leash in public, even at the dog park. Especially at the dog park. They're dangerous, and people know it. Seriously, of all the dog attacks you hear about, 7/10 are pitbulls, then two of the remaining are rottie and doberman, and then the last one is just random. But it's never a lab or a retriever, or a cocker spaniel. So this is why pitbulls get such a bad rap, and pitbull owners need to stop whining about it and pretending that their dogs are just as docile as the labs and retrievers.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by 4X4

At least with the mutts I have now, they just don't have the capability to seriously harm anyone. They're still cute and awesome and fun, and I really don't have to worry if they were to get out of the yard and go explore the neighbourhood. Worst that would happen is that they would get hurt, not that they would hurt someone.

Respectfully, that's pretty ignorant. There is no animal that won't bite.

They're dangerous, and people know it. Seriously, of all the dog attacks you hear about, 7/10 are pitbulls, then two of the remaining are rottie and doberman, and then the last one is just random. But it's never a lab or a retriever, or a cocker spaniel.

Never heard of Spaniel rage eh? There are plenty of kids in particular that get mauled pretty good by Cocker Spaniels. I personally know of more than one that had a traumatic childhood event with that breed.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Respectfully, that's pretty ignorant. There is no animal that won't bite.



Never heard of Spaniel rage eh? There are plenty of kids in particular that get mauled pretty good by Cocker Spaniels. I personally know of more than one that had a traumatic childhood event with that breed.

Ooooh kay. I don't know that you can respectfully call me ignorant when you're the one that's missing the point. The point is that there are breeds that were bred to kill and/or protect, and there are breeds that were bred to be pets. No, I haven't heard of cocker spaniel rage, but I'm sure that in the history of the world, there have been a few cases. But there have been many, many more cases of pitbull rage. So....

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Never heard of Spaniel rage eh? There are plenty of kids in particular that get mauled pretty good by Cocker Spaniels. I personally know of more than one that had a traumatic childhood event with that breed.

there's a difference between a pitbull, and this



if i have the ability to kick a dog for a field goal, it's not that dangerous. sure little Jimmy might be traumatized that he got bit, but a pitbull in that situation could have done a lot more than a little emotional scarring

[DFO]

An opinion on this from the Sun,

http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/08/19...-the-dog-house

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Ooooh kay. I don't know that you can respectfully call me ignorant when you're the one that's missing the point. The point is that there are breeds that were bred to kill and/or protect, and there are breeds that were bred to be pets. No, I haven't heard of cocker spaniel rage, but I'm sure that in the history of the world, there have been a few cases. But there have been many, many more cases of pitbull rage. So....

I'm not missing the point at all - you had an "aggressive breed" dog that you judged to be docile, and it exhibited aggressive behaviour. You've now gone on to own dogs of indeterminate breed, and have again decided that they are unlikely to be dangerous. Your experience with the first dog though shows that in unusual circumstances even a dog that "wouldn't hurt a fly" can be dangerously aggressive.

It's ignorant to assume any animal won't cause harm when startled, cornered, accidentally injured, or when it misjudges a situation, as happened to you. The breed has nothing to do with it.

From the CDC:

Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites; half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about 16 die. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. Injury rates in children are significantly higher for boys than for girls.

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreation...factsheet.html

Given that pit bull type dogs are a tiny fraction of the overall dog population in North America (statistics I can find would put pitbulls around 0.3% of all dogs in the US, for example), you are _far_ more likely to be hurt by a dog other than a pitbull, despite your opinion to the contrary.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

there's a difference between a pitbull, and this



if i have the ability to kick a dog for a field goal, it's not that dangerous. sure little Jimmy might be traumatized that he got bit, but a pitbull in that situation could have done a lot more than a little emotional scarring

Just emotional scarring eh? These are from a Jack Russel and a Springer Spaniel.

I'm not defending pitbulls - I don't believe them to have any redeeming qualities to be honest - I'm just pointing out that presuming any dog to be safe is folly. When I hear "my dog wouldn't hurt a fly" from the owner of a Lab, it's the exact same sentiment that got the pitbull owner into trouble, and the exact same sentiment, that if consciously avoided by all dog owners, could prevent hundreds of thousands of dog bites every single year.

[BlackRedGold25]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

there's a difference between a pitbull, and this

Yeah. One's an intimidating dog and the other is a cry for help.

[MrMastodonFarm]

ewww, nfsw tags or something

[FlyingDonutz]

On one side, I tell myself I'd never hurt a dog, on the other side, I feel like if a dog jumped on me, I'd snap its jaw. Thing is, I own a German Shepard, and damn, I love that dog. Put it this way, unless my dog hurt someone, if someone hurt MY dog, I'd screw that person up, BAD. Like with a weapon or something. So when a dog hurts a kid, you have to understand why the parents go to court, and why the dog is put down, because I would damn near kill someone if my dog was killed, on purpose, and the connection to a child is so much more...

People that stand up for dogs, that attack people for no reason... really, really, need to think.

[Alberta_Beef]

If a person believes any animal doesn't have the capacity to bite or attack or whatever they are stupid.

While I believe sometimes a dog may just be "not right" in the head, I think most cases of attacks the blame falls on the owner. While you can never remove the danger you can most certainly reduce the risk.

I have always played with my dogs in a way they bite/chew on my hand, but in every case (in my life I have had 4 purebreads of different breeds and 4 mutts) when I say ouch or ow while playing they all stopped immediately and started licking my hand. Not once has any of them been aggressive towards another person. Now I am not suggesting my dogs could have never done anything bad or ever will, but I believe if you train them right, treat them right and show them love, they will behave and not lash out.

Just my 2 cents on the issue.

I am also not opposed to people needing a permit for pets, but not necessarily for public safety, but for the pet's safety too.

[Wormius]

In this case, I am siding with the dog.