My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

to not understand why people have these types of dogs in their homes

699 replies

FunnysInLaJardin · 06/11/2013 11:12

I've heard the arguments for and against keeping pit bull/mastiff type dogs and just don't understand at all why anyone would keep a powerful muscular dog as a pet in a family home. Yet another sad news story today in a village just down the road from my home village.

This isn't a AIBU really, just a 'why do they do it'. Is a pet really worth the risk? There are so many other dog types to chose from. I don't understand at all.

OP posts:
Report
fromparistoberlin · 06/11/2013 11:16

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Bubbles1066 · 06/11/2013 11:17

I think the risks of having pets of any kind with babies/young children are not always fully appreciated. Dogs or other pack animals can react badly to new additions to the family and lash out. My Mum was telling me back when I was a baby there was a worry about cats smothering babies out of jealousy or whatever and so everyone had a cat net on their pram. You don't really see that now though for some reason. However, some typed of animals are worse than others definitely.

Report
Weeantwee · 06/11/2013 11:19

It's not those breeds of dogs that are the problem, it's the owners that train/don't train them.

Report
Sparklingbrook · 06/11/2013 11:19

Can you ever fully trust a dog whatever the breed?

Report
RoxanneReidsChafingFishnets · 06/11/2013 11:20

Its the owners not the dog in my eyes. I had a pit bull growing up and she was a right softy. She protected us but never went for anyone in all the years we had her.

We had a Jack Russell, a pit bull and a Staffie at one point. The worse was the JR. Grumpy old dog.


I know people with these dogs and they haven't had them bite people either and they are family dogs.

Not a lentil weaving, Mensa membership owning, guardian reader though Grin

Report
Tulip26 · 06/11/2013 11:20

Any dog can be a nightmare in the wrong hands

www.nytimes.com/1997/09/14/us/after-movies-unwanted-dalmatians.html

Report
BatPenguin · 06/11/2013 11:21

I can't imagine bringing such a powerful animal into a home with a small child living there.
The parents obviously felt it was safe and I really feel for them, how guilty they must be feeling now. But I really don't get it. I wouldn't trust any dog around a small child.

Report
Quoteunquote · 06/11/2013 11:21

Go to any rescue centre and they are full of them, along with malamute types, (a dog bred to live outside in Alaska)

Irresponsible breeding, irresponsible owners.

Report
Gileswithachainsaw · 06/11/2013 11:21

Most of the time it's the owners. You put any dog into surroundings that aren't suitable , don't ecxercise then enough or take any interest in safe guarding the anima or the child and of course things will happen.

Its fuckwit people wanting to own dogs with little or no thought to what is requiredthat are the bigger problem than the dog.

Everyone has a computer or a smart phone these days. Google is at out fingertips every moment of our lives. (If people can't afford internet then there's a good possibility
You any afford a pet either -unless u already have it) te information is there but people don't care they want the status symbol.

Report
FunnysInLaJardin · 06/11/2013 11:22

but Wee trained or not, why would you have a dog with huge powerful jaws and a muscular build in a family home? Why not have another kind of dog?

And Sparkling no probably not, but I suspect the toy poodle my friend had as a child wouldn't cause nearly as much damage if it had flipped out. You can just see that these types of dogs are capable of great harm.

OP posts:
Report
Sparklingbrook · 06/11/2013 11:23

Dogs are really time consuming to look after and expensive to keep, I can't imagine wanting the hassle as well as having young children.

Report
BatPenguin · 06/11/2013 11:23

Just read now that they lives in a flat. Why have a dog that size in a flat??

Report
Tulip26 · 06/11/2013 11:23

I have "one of those dogs" (staffy x mastiff). He's a nice pet who knows his place. He's neutered, chipped and well cared for. A dog is a dog at the end of the day, judge the deed not the breed. not a lentil muncher, just a dog lover

Report
Gileswithachainsaw · 06/11/2013 11:23

They also need to be nuetered and socialized and given somewhere the can retreat. They don't want to be mauled all day. Learn about your dog, it's behaviour it's body language and of course teach your children how to pet an animal. Don't assume a dog will just put up with hair pulling or whatever.

Report
Sparklingbrook · 06/11/2013 11:24

Yes Funnys that's true. Those big stocky dogs look scary.

Report
boschy · 06/11/2013 11:24

Well, lets just hope that little girl's mum doesnt read this eh? awful awful event.

Report
SharpLily · 06/11/2013 11:24

This reaction is inevitable whenever these incidents occur and it always worries me - I am a Doberman owner, past, present and future and always worry they will be next on the 'banned' list. I love, love, love the breed, for a number of reasons. It's pointless trying to convince other people how wonderful a particular breed is (although I could evangelise on Dobes all day long) , but I would urge people to remember that these kind of incidents are the minority. Where you see a big, slobbery, rather pointless beast, good owners see something far more complex and rewarding. Breeds others may consider aggressive and unpleasant are also, in the right hands, well known for being affectionate and excellent with children. Irresponsible dog ownership rather than breed banning is the problem that needs to be addressed. Labs and Border Collies are all well known biters but you don't hear an awful lot of publicity about it.

Report
FunnysInLaJardin · 06/11/2013 11:25

Tulip don't you worry your dog might just turn and if he did you wouldn't be able to do anything about it?

We had a cat once that was a bit chippy and I used to dream that he would go for me and I wouldn't be able to get his teeth out of my leg. That was enough risk for me Grin

OP posts:
Report
HoneyDragon · 06/11/2013 11:25

The police have stated that the dog pictured in the press is not the dog being investigated.

Report
ANormalOne · 06/11/2013 11:25

Her daughter has literally just been killed in front of her, and some of yo on here are calling her an idiot, a fuckwit and thick as fucking shit.

What lovely people you are.

Report
KnickersOnOnesHead · 06/11/2013 11:26

I think anyone who puts the responsibility on the dogs are thick as fuck. Hmm

Report
frustratedandfailing · 06/11/2013 11:26

What bubbles said - except for the cat thing - that really is completely not true.

I don't trust any dog. I grew up with a friend who had a horrific scar on her face from her grandmother's dog which was not a dog people generally expect to turn...but he did, because he was frightened by a clap of thunder. ALL dogs are unpredictable. This morning on Daybreak they had a dog expert on there who quite rightly said we need to move away from this whole idea that some dogs are safe and others are dangerous because the bottom line is that any dog, the most normally placid and friendly dog, can turn in the right situation. Children and dogs are always a risk and I think it's about time tougher laws were brought in regarding dogs out in public because children come first and if you are a dog owner and you stupidly believe your dog will never ever turn and then it does, you will be the one serving a prison sentence. And I say that as someone who grew up with a "dangerous" dog who never hurt a fly and my parents would get bolshy when parents were nervous - my parents were WRONG and they were lucky.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Mckayz · 06/11/2013 11:26

I hate these thread. Judge the deed and not the breed.

It's the owners and not the dogs. We had a staffy and she was wonderful as we took the time to train her.

Report
CoolItKittens · 06/11/2013 11:26

What weeantwee said. The problem isn't the breed, it's the owners. Dsis had a bull mastiff when her DS was small, it was the the soppiest most friendly dog I've ever known. I was more than happy to have it around my DC (I wouldn't leave a child unsupervised with any dog though) whereas I refuse to have DBro's Jack Russell in a room with them. It's an awful dog because he's never bothered to train it.

Report
Thisvehicleisreversing · 06/11/2013 11:26

I think there is the chance that any dog could 'turn' .

However I'd like to think that I could overpower a small dog if it bit a child.

No one would stand a chance against a bull mastiff or a rottweiler. They are just too big and powerful.


Why would you take that risk with your family?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.