Irresponsible Dog Owners

Just got to get this off my chest.... On my way back from the shop earlier a Staffordshire bullterrier type dog came running up to me(no owner insight), my daughter and her friend and started snapping at my daughters friends legs, she was absolutely petrified and started running which I know is the worst thing you can do to a dog which indeed started to aggrevate the dog even more. Thankgod we were nearly home and managed to get in without any serious injury and that I didnt have my little toddler with me or god knows what could have happened. Couldnt get through to dog warden so rang police but dont know if it is still in the S5 area so be careful and make sure you tell your kids what to do if they are approached by an aggressive dog. It just makes me SOOO angry that some people just let their dogs off without caring of the consequences. :rant:

Like the bloke this morning walking his dog off the lead through a field full of pregnant ewes at Whirlow , despite notices everywhere...

possible the dog could have escaped from somewhere rather than someone just not caring. glad you are all ok though.

my partner was out jogging through park one evening (also in S5 as it happens) about a year when someones dog off the lead started snapping at his ankles. owner couldnt get dog under control and it bit him quite deeply and so he ended up having to make a trip for tetnas jab. the owner in that instance was quite shocked as far as i know but if it had been a child it could have been serious. people need to ensure their dogs stay on the lead in public places unless they know 100% they're safe

The thing is, you never know if your dog is "100% safe" like you say.

Like people, dogs can have this moment of madness...

I too do not feel safe at all when I'm walking in the street and I see an unlished dog. Sometimes you see those young menacing looking guys with their massive dog on leash, that's even worse.

why do people walk them off lead? no matter how well behaved the dog is or how good an owner it has they are animals with animal instincts. The unfortunate thing is that when a large dog behaves in a poor way the damage it can do is huge and hence the news headlines which do not reflect the fact the vast majority of dogs behave perfectly well - or perhaps its the owners we need to look at

Its always the staffy! I have 2 of them and there soft as <removed>.

Glad no body got hurt though.

The thing is, you never know if your dog is "100% safe" .

a lot of the time true and id be inclined to agree, but not completely. When i was about 10 (and i was very small for age) i used to take one of our family dogs we'd had for several years - a very large german shepherd, to the park daily on my own. she was getting on a little but still very fit and active and she was the most sweet natured softest lump of long fur you could ever meet. she'd have cowered and run away long before ever going for anyone even if backed into a corner but having said that she'd been in rescue as mistreated when young before we got her. Point is i to this day would put my life on that dog being completely safe. I think sometimes you can know a dog through and through, but a lot of the time people dont know and dont find out until its too late

My parents too had a german sheperd when I was a kid, and if anything this dog was a real sissy, afraid of everything around him.

Still, one should be very cautious when taking their dog out unleashed, and as we say, better being safe than sorry.

I have to agree - my dog really is as soft as a brush but I still would not leave her alone with a young child- never take my westie out without a lead but the amount of times i've taken her for a walk and been petrified when I've seen some of the bigger or smaller muscular dogs off leads. Everyone says their dog won't bite but at the end of the day it's an animal!

I think sometimes you can know a dog through and through, but a lot of the time people dont know and dont find out until its too late. The problem being there's no qualification for the people making the assessments.So if one person says his dogs safe you could be 99% sure it is whereas with others you may feel more inclined to asking the dog if his owners safe!

I have to agree - my dog really is as soft as a brush but I still would not leave her alone with a young child- never take my westie out without a lead but the amount of times i've taken her for a walk and been petrified when I've seen some of the bigger or smaller muscular dogs off leads. Everyone says their dog won't bite but at the end of the day it's an animal!

Very true, sometimes when in a bad mood i have been known to bite!

I got 'slated' on the pet forum for saying people should be more careful about letting their dogs run free. A few said 'oh , but dogs do escape', well, that is not acceptable when kids are getting scared. How damned hard is it to keep your dog under control? If you cannot manage it then you should not have a dog.