Self Defence ?

[barney 0]

I would report the attack to the police and the dog warden....doesn't mean the staff will be put down.

Something similar happened to me tho it was an akita which attacked my dogs.First time she got my lurcher when I was returning from a walk up the hill,my dog on lead......she appeared and launched straight into him.Fortunately she backed off when I shouted at her but her owner,who must have heard the noise,never appeared to ask what happened.Fortunately my vet bill wasn't too high.I later heard that this bitch had attacked at least three other dogs.When I saw her with her owner I told him about it,"not my dog" was his reply.

About six months later same happened again:this time she attacked my new(ish) lurcher bitch who had a good go back.Manged to give the other dogs to my mate and charged after the akita(to her credit she wasn't aggressive toward me when I went to try to break up the fight,backed off when I roared at the pair of them).Managed to catch up with the owner who,again,must have heard the noise but was heading back down the hill.This time he couldn't say "not my dog" as she had blood on her:he did say that it was only my dogs she had a problem with .

Called police who came and asked what I wanted done.Said I didn't want him charged or action taken against the dog but did want him warned about keeping his dog under control and would appreciate vet bill being paid.

Police said they would speak to him but without charging him couldn't guarantee either action.

Luckily he did(eventually) pay vet bill and seems to be walking his dog on her lead.

There is also now some history on his dog so that if she does attack anyone else guy is less likely to get away with "my dog wouldn't do that".

I was lucky that it wasn't my wee jrt x that the akita went for and that she wasn't people aggressive as there was no way I could have got her off either of the lurchers on my own if "shouting" at her hadn't worked.

Spose I'm saying don't rule out the police as it doesn't mean the staff will be destroyed IF owners take a warning.

[Guest bsafanman]

we had a staffy attack ur golden retriever once was walking it on the local field on the lead when this staffy came running at it i was in my garden at the time my mum was walking the dog all i head was snarling and my mum screaming i ran round there with a baseball bat thinking the worst tried opening the dogs jaws not a chance then started punching the staff even the baseball bat didnt work so eventually i poke its eyes and kick the fecker right in the gut it let go but than came back for more so the baseball bat ended up round its jaw smashed to smitherines then the chavvy owner ends up squaring up to me needless to say he got the other end of my fist too since then they moved away not seen them since i love staffs but the fact is you need to control them this was on a housing estate there was little kids playing it could of been a lot worse there should be requierments to owning a staff they are lovely dogs had one as a pet years ago was lovely really enjoyed a cuddle

[the niterider 0]

you did the right thing there mate hope your family are ok

[minion 29]

Are your dogs okay?

[Guest bsafanman]

Are your dogs okay?

yeh he is fine the staff just caught the skin behind the ear my dog had the sense to turn as the staff lunged

[woodchip 2]

i think you should go to the bill what if that dog attacks a kid could you live with yourself ???? i know i wouldnt.....

[COMPO 54]

I would probably report it BUT i dont think the DDA covers dogs attacking other animals only people! (see below legal bit)

 

That said the police should be told, as you said yourself what if your little girls had been alone with the pup??

 

My 9 year old often walks my dogs alone (only in our street) but what if it happened to a kid by themselves ?????

 

below is from the dangerous dogs act:-

 

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1991/Ukpga_19910065_en_1.htm

 

3 Keeping dogs under proper control (1) If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place—

(a) the owner; and

( if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog,

is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

(2) In proceedings for an offence under subsection (1) above against a person who is the owner of a dog but was not at the material time in charge of it, it shall be a defence for the accused to prove that the dog was at the material time in the charge of a person whom he reasonably believed to be a fit and proper person to be in charge of it.

(3) If the owner or, if different, the person for the time being in charge of a dog allows it to enter a place which is not a public place but where it is not permitted to be and while it is there—

(a) it injures any person; or

( there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will do so,

he is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog injures any person, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

(4) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (3) above other than an aggravated offence is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or both; and a person guilty of an aggravated offence under either of those subsections is liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both;

( on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine or both.

(5) It is hereby declared for the avoidance of doubt that an order under section 2 of the [1871 c. 56.] Dogs Act 1871 (order on complaint that dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control)—

(a) may be made whether or not the dog is shown to have injured any person; and

( may specify the measures to be taken for keeping the dog under proper control, whether by muzzling, keeping on a lead, excluding it from specified places or otherwise.

(6) If it appears to a court on a complaint under section 2 of the said Act of 1871 that the dog to which the complaint relates is a male and would be less dangerous if neutered the court may under that section make an order requiring it to be neutered.

(7) The reference in section 1(3) of the [1989 c. 30.] Dangerous Dogs Act 1989 (penalties) to failing to comply with an order under section 2 of the said Act of 1871 to keep a dog under proper control shall include a reference to failing to comply with any other order made under that section; but no order shall be made under that section by virtue of subsection (6) above where the matters complained of arose before the coming into force of that subsection.

[COMPO 54]

i dont know why it has put smilies in the legal bit, i just cut and pasted that and they came up??????

[gaz 284]

I had the same problem with a huskey type which was let to run loose about a wood near the village were i walk my dogs.on two occasions this deranged mut had a go at my pup of 4-5 months at the time which was on the leash,i spoke to owner civley about his dog and explained im getting a bit pissed off with it and maybe it would be better if he had some control over it if couldn,t be trusted with other dogs,but he rufused to take responsability for it saying it was only wanting to play

 

Now on both previous occasions this dog was out of site of its owner as it always bounded about a half a mile in front of him but not on the 3rd occasion when just as it was eyeing up the pup i intervened putting my body between the dog and pup the fecker took a lunge for my leg luckily just catching my trousers so i did what i should have done the first time and gave the fecker a size 9 right on the side of the head,i then turned my attention to its owner who was trying to shout back his mutt now disapearing into the distance with its tail beetween its legs still yelping,as he turned to face me his bottom lip started to quiver as he now relised i was foaming at the mouth with rage

 

I gave the fecker 3 options 1- he keeps this fecker of a dog back from my pup from now on preferbley on a leash if he has no control over it, 2- I go to the police and get the fecker destroyed and him charched or 3- my preffered option as there was no wittneses about, to sort it out like grown men as he was to blame for all this grief with his arrogance.................................he took the first option never had any other problems since but i reminded him the other two options still stand if i have any more bother from his mutt.

[The Ferret 0]

I don't know what I'd do to be honest. You've got nothing to worry about though matey. At the end of the day, your dogs are your property. The law states that you can use reasonable force to prevent damage to your property. In that instance, I'd say that the force you used was reasonable, in order to prevent the staff from causing any further damage!

 

Ferret

[nelson 0]

You are within the law as you were defending yourself and your family against an aggresive dog.

 

You are also allowed to kill the dog in the defence of yourself and/or your family regardless of its breed

 

Of coarse, the rogue dog was attacking your pup which was being walked by your child and you were fearing for both they're safety,

 

Stop worrying, you have done nothing wrong mate.

[stoaty 171]

I wouldn't go and see them at all mate their dog was in the wrong not yours.I had a boxer charge my old whippet cross had hold of him good and proper if it wasn't for the old staffy x pat and the old bull cross flynne the boxer would of killed him(all my dogs were on a lead coming out of my back gate).Must say I've never known such an agressive boxer a mass of muscle and teeth.Never the less the old lads tail was hanging on by the sinues had to have the tail amputated and it took months to heal up and lots of cash.Knocked on the twats door and was told by the blokes mrs what do you think I am rockerfella (cheeky bitch) too say I lost it was an understatement her hubby came up the house later apologising and paid the bills.But the old dog was never right and went down hill rapidly over the next 18 months.I tend to think the spine was damaged to a degree.Zak the blue pied dog is the son of this great old dog glad I bred out of him soon after this happened.But I lost a great dog and gotta say I'll always be gutted about the way he went (p.s the family have a different boxer now and its another nasty it must be the way they rare em or something)

all the best

Stoaty

Edited September 7, 2007 by stoaty