[Closed] Aggressive dog going for toddler

A trip to the vets for a green syringe with any luck.

Probably worth taking her dog as well.

Throw chocolate in her garden. Literally, not euphemistically. Actually, both.

Or police again and again and again.

All you can really do is contact the police again stating it actually went for your kid, and mention it was off the lead and as you understood it that was something this dog was never meant to be allowed to do.

Definitely call the Police, chuck a report in to the council as well.

It does not read like she should be allowed to have dogs at all.

There was a thread a while back that lead to a worst case scenario option, apparently should you need to stop a dog in attack mode, cros your arms, grab a rear leg in each hand and pull and un-cross your arms. You have a flipped dog on it's back that should have released the thing it was latched onto.

Failing that, carry a big stick.

I have a dog who can react oddly at times, as with most dogs this is out of fear, so I work to train her out of this and to distract her, if your neighbour doesn't care enough to do this then she shouldn't be allowed to own a dog. Licences should be required!

I think the Dangerous Dogs Act covers it pretty well, clearly an offence

Report to your council dog warden as well. Generally dog on dog attacks are the responsibility of the council unless it's an assistance dog and dog on human attacks are the responsibility of the police.

Had a West Highland terrier go for me whilst out riding, fortunately I was wearing very sturdy winter boots and it didn't make any real impression on my foot, the owner was all like 'Ho-ho, sorry, don't mind him' like it was funny.

When I (fairly calmly) pointed out that a dog that behaves like that should be on a leash and if it had come at me like that when I had my 4 year old with me I'd have punted it into the nearest hedge he utterly lost his rag. Zero concept of how a parent with a young child might react in those circumstances.

Yeah, dogs that go for kids are not funny, if it's not yours it'll be someone else's report, report, report.

It's sad, because I love animals and it's not the dog's fault but the owner has let it down badly if things have got to this point.

Dogs going for little kids is a massive issue. Call to police so that even if they can't do anything here they have a record in case there are other complaints.

Aggressive dogs can be scary. I got attacked by two huge Pyrenean mountain dogs in September in a pea soup fog near the top of Mount Ventoux. Absolutely no one around. I got bitten and had to throw stones to keep them off. All highly surreal.

Mate of mine has a big Boxer, the dog has had all sorts of training, but he's still very defensive of Mark and his family. Mark can see the signs and will reign him in, he keeps him on a lead at all times, even when we're out hillwalking in the middle of nowhere, for the simple reason - He wants to keep his dog, he's his best mate, and he sees it as his responsiblity to ensure no potential circumstances are going to cause him to lose the dog.

If only everyone thought the same. I've immense respect for the work he puts in to keep the dog from biting someone.

Worst case scenario, cross your arms and pull? Are you mad? Maybe for an experienced animal handler.

I love dogs, I love animals, but in a "worst case scenario" involving a 2-year old kid I'd be deploying a size 8 to put the thing into low Earth orbit. Bollocks to putting my hands anywhere near a dog in "attack mode," I'm kind of attached to my fingers and I'd like to remain so.

"I’d be deploying a size 8 to put the thing into low Earth orbit."

Thing is, in worst case, you may very well boot the dog and whatever it's got it's teeth clamped to into orbit; once they've got their teeth clamped, they very rarely let go.

Cougar. With the greatest respect, you're talking bollocks. Lifting the dog up and lying it on its back as described is the accepted best technique by people who know their shit to get the dog under control.

If, at that point, you wish to repeatedly knee it in the bawsack then it is perfectly positioned for you to do so. Without any risk of you kicking the baby instead.

There was a thread a while back that lead to a worst case scenario option, apparently should you need to stop a dog in attack mode, cros your arms, grab a rear leg in each hand and pull and un-cross your arms. You have a flipped dog on it’s back that should have released the thing it was latched onto.

Failing that, carry a big stick.

The dog warden was also contacted but said its a police matter, I've asked for a call back off them though to discuss the previous dog against dog issues.

The owner has 5 other dogs, none of the others are aggresive although they will act as a pack and run over to people barking. She was upset thinking this would lead to her dog getting put down, I explained she knows the dog has problems and still doesn't keep it on a lead so if it happens thats on her. However she's an alcoholic with some mental health issues and clearly struggles to understand that very simple logic.

Although I appreciate the advice, I’d rather my partner didn’t have to learn self defence techniques or go armed when she pops over to the local park with our grandson

Totally agree. Didn't mean you diminish the responsibility if the police to deal with it.

But OTOH I'm not convinced you'll hear anything. I'm still waiting to hear back from them after my son and his mates were attacked by 15 other kids in the local park at the weekend.

BTW, has the format text toolbar disappeared for everyone, or just me?

Yay, quoting is broken.

"Lifting the dog up and lying it on its back as described is the accepted best technique by people [b]who know their shit[/b] to get the dog under control."

That's as may be. But for people who _don't_ know their shit it's a reckless gambit. Are you seriously recommending that the first time someone tries something like that is when a strange dog is going for their toddler?

Mate of mine had a giant Schnauzer that was North of 11 stone, gonna cross your arms and quietly roll him onto his back in an approved manner whilst he's in 'attack mode,' having never attempted anything like that before in your life, are you? Ain't just the dog that's barking if so. I know how to take a knife off a mugger, I'm not entirely convinced that I'd try.

And with similar respect, no-one should have to learn canine martial arts in order to safely take their toddler to the park. Shite to that.

We have a local crazy dog woman like that, dog up close barking at my kids and she was blaming them for being where she always walks her dogs.

Must have shouted at her for about 10 minutes, daft ****ing cow stays out of my way now.

no-one should have to learn canine martial arts in order to safely take their toddler to the park. Shite to that.

Totally agree

< deleted as it's a tangent>

👍

I love dogs, I genuinely do. I just tire of the attitude some owners have. Animals do not trump people, it's that simple.

We have a local crazy dog woman like that, dog up close barking at my kids and she was blaming them for being where she always walks her dogs.

Must have shouted at her for about 10 minutes, daft **** cow stays out of my way now.

Yeah I have previous with this woman, we've had some very harsh words, but we've reached friendly-ish terms and to give her her dues, she can see the park from her house, and now checks if I'm out with my dogs before going out with hers, so she's not completely selfish.

On this occasion she was already out with all her dogs, so my partner walked off in the opposite direction to avoid her but the dogs spotted her and came running at her barking, the aggresive one came over snarling, teeth out and making as if it was about to attack. Our dogs weren't even out so it was the sight of the toddler that caused this.

Besides which,

It's easy to speculate as to what one would or should do when we've got the luxury of writing paragraphs about it. But in the heat of the moment people don't - can't - do that, they react.

In the red corner we have some half-remembered advice from the Internet about grabbing this and turning that, in the blue corner we have hoofing it across the park... you're not gonna get many people falling into the former category I'm afraid. If that's problematic then that's what leads are for.

"On this occasion she was already out with all her dogs, so my partner walked off in the opposite direction to avoid her but the dogs spotted her and came running at her barking, the aggresive one came over snarling, teeth out and making as if it was about to attack. Our dogs weren’t even out so it was the sight of the toddler that caused this."

Always strikes me as odd that in our parks the kids play areas are small fenced off areas and the rest of the park left to be a dog toilet. Even more annoying is the fact the dog owners don't even respect that exclusion

the aggresive one came over snarling, teeth out and making as if it was about to attack. Our dogs weren’t even out so it was the sight of the toddler that caused this.

I posted something similar to this on a dog thread a few months ago. In the park, my youngest was on her skateboard when a dog came charging up the path barking and teeth out. I was told on the thread, by a prolific pro-dog poster who hasn't yet appeared, that the dog wasn't really going to attack her. I felt reassured by his advice and so in that spirit can tell you that you were all safe and that dog was just being friendly/spooked/nervous/stressed, but in no way intending a bite. Calm down!

"who hasn’t yet appeared"

He's walking the dog

I love dogs, I genuinely do. I just tire of the attitude some owners have. Animals do not trump people, it’s that simple.

Totally agree.

I've got a lovely friendly Cocker, but if it bothers you or your kid you've my permission to take whatever action is appropriate. The consequences would be on me, not you, because its my dog.

But it would never happen because:
1. I've trained and socialised her properly so she's never aggressive with people or dogs
2. If she is off the lead and about to bother someone I whistle and she comes back
3. If we are somewhere remotely busy then she is on the lead until I'm happy she isn't going to bother anyone.

👏👏

I went for a walk a couple of weeks back with the aforementioned mate, let's call him L for he has an unusual name. The Schnauzer has long passed, he has a black lab now. It was a fantastic afternoon out.

But the behaviour difference in dogs and owners was stark. We'd be walking along, my mate L would have Monty running about, telling him to leave sticks for (to my non-dog-owning mind) inconceivable distances then sending him back to retrieve them. "Monty, 360" and he'd run a loop around L. Then we'd meet another dog-walker with some hound straining at the end of a lead going batshit, L would quietly go "Monty, sit" and Monty's arse would hit the ground so hard that it practically dented the floor. Some middle-aged woman would drag their barrel of teeth and spit past us, then we'd cart on.

Why would you do that? Why would you want an animal like that in your life, rather than something you could train and interact with and be social with?

People, man.

" Then we’d meet another dog-walker with some hound straining at the end of a lead going batshit, L would quietly go “Monty, sit” and Monty’s arse would hit the ground so hard that it practically dented the floor."

Not ideal I'll grant you and I see your point but essentially you've got one dog off lead under control and other dogs on lead and under control. Sounds a dream compared to what I see some days.

Monty sounds ace.

My dog is far from perfect, she is still pretty young and she does still get distracted. I'm nowhere near the stage yet of having her completely off the lead but its a process and you need to put the effort in.

Why would you do that? Why would you want an animal like that in your life, rather than something you could train and interact with and be social with?

I had some mouthbreather having a go at me the other day because his dog chased mine. Apparently his crappy recall skills were my responsibility.

From a lot of the comments on here in past threads, I thought it was your fault for not teaching your child how to behave near aggressive dogs?

Certainly that's what I was told when my child was attacked twice in two days by dogs off the lead and uncontrolled.

1. I’ve trained and socialised her properly so she’s never aggressive with people or dogs
2. If she is off the lead and about to bother someone I whistle and she comes back
3. If we are somewhere remotely busy then she is on the lead until I’m happy she isn’t going to bother anyone.

Why can't everyone do this/be made to do this? My theory is that the kind of people who let their dogs off leads inappropriately are doing it because they are too lazy to walk them sufficiently on the lead or to train them properly. If you can't control your dog and get it to come back to you, it shouldn't really be off the lead ever should it?

From a lot of the comments on here in past threads, I thought it was your fault for not teaching your child how to behave near aggressive dogs?

Anyone with that attitude can go and do one.

As Cougar has already pointed out humans trump dogs. I know people absolutely love their "fur babies", I love mine, but despite being an adorable, fluffy, floppy eared bundle of fun, my spaniel doesn't have the right to annoy anyone. Nor should I expect anyone to make any adjustments to accommodate it or its behaviour.

Its not complicated. Very few people NEED a dog. I WANTED a dog for entirely selfish reasons, so its not up to anyone else to deal with it.

"Not ideal I’ll grant you and I see your point but essentially you’ve got one dog off lead under control and other dogs on lead and under control. Sounds a dream compared to what I see some days."

It's not under control, it's just tethered to a fixed point thankfully (the owner)

I see a woman out and about with a pair of dogs, fortunately always on a lead as they go bezerk whenever there's another dog in sight. Barney just looks at them, looks at me then carries on, sniffing things usually. I've offered to take Barney over to meet them but she declined, she looks permanently harassed and apologises a lot.

And with similar respect, no-one should have to learn canine martial arts in order to safely take their toddler to the park. Shite to that.

I'm not saying you *should* have to at all, but if I had a kid (not that I have any, but I might borrow one on occasion) with me I'd not stand and dial the police or politely waiting for it to stop before asking the owner to get it under control, this is the recommended approach and yeah, it sounds risky, but a kid was killed 2 weeks ago as no-one acted or stepped in.

I can't control the dogs I come into contact with on a daily basis, only the 1 I look after.

This was intended as a worst case scenario for the OP who sounds genuinely concerned that something might happen soon.

My theory: Dogs should still be wolves or wild dogs and have enough space to live natural lives. Human beings should leave them well alone as they should all animals. Obviously, what with the way things are, then I think if you want to offer a dog a home, you should.

@flicker They are under a lot more control than some dogs I see. I can still hear the voice of the piece of shite who told me: "That's what dogs do, they fight," when his two big dogs ran at mine, the one knocking her over and then pinning her to the floor. I'd have been delighted if that dog had been tethered to a fixed point.

[i]"Dogs should still be wolves or wild dogs and have enough space to live natural lives. Human beings should leave them well alone as they should all animals."[/i]

We domesticated dogs tens of thousands of years ago. That ship hasn't just sailed, it's halfway to Mars.

[i]"I’d not stand and dial the police or politely waiting for it to stop before asking the owner to get it under control, this is the recommended approach"[/i]

Recommended by whom, and to who?

It might be the recommended approach amongst professional dog handlers (or might be abject nonsense, I've no idea) but I'm not seeing Glynis next door riggweltering 70kg of hound any time soon. ****ing it one with her walking stick however, way more plausible.

At the risk of repeating myself, if you think I'm putting my hands anywhere near a fighting dog then you're out of your gourd, "recommended" or no.

I’d be deploying a size 8 to put the thing into low Earth orbit

In my head that could only be delivered as a triumphantly mono-tonal Alan Partridge humble-brag. ‘And into a micro-flourish’ 👞💥🐕

From a lot of the comments on here in past threads, I thought it was your fault for not teaching your child how to behave near aggressive dogs?

Yup - its what we are always told by dog owners on here - many times from many people

That dog needs to be put down - simple as that.

I’ve grown up around working dogs for 47 years. I’ve trained my share to a pretty high standard and trained dogs with some very, very knowledgeable people.

There’s no way in a million years I’d contemplate some crazy origami move in the heat of things (and never heard of anything like it before either - sounds like internet cobblers). I’d be kicking the living f*** out of anything attached to my son. Low orbit would be the least of its worries.

Just my balanced view of course…

I'd try to find some East Cairngorm eagle food ™ and chuck it over the fence wrapped in liver.

Just my balanced view of course…

Quite.

For reference, I know cats. I know cats well, I've had cats for decades and I'm a bit of a cat whisperer. Yet I've separated fighting cats "knowing what I'm doing" and still come away looking like Stevie Wonder had been self-harming. I just about grabbed one of ours making a high-speed bid for freedom out of an upstairs window the other week and it was like catching a running chainsaw.

I once got properly bitten whilst separating fighting dwarf hamsters, for goodness' sake. That $%^&ing hurt enough.

Dogs? **** going anywhere near that bare-handed, you must be joking. The last time I had to deal with a dog on the attack - actually two of them who were playing tug-o-war with a cat (see above) - I had the element of surprise and made sufficient noise that they bolted. Had that not been the case I doubt the outcome would have been favourable for me.

I’d go for repeatedly kicking the dog till it stopped twitching if it attacked a child I was out with then turn my attention onto the owner at a later date when the kids were safe. Having “issues” is zero excuse and a child would have more than issues if mauled by a dog. Write to your local MP if you consider it a real threat and see what everyone says once there involved.
I like dogs a lot as well. Stupid irresponsible owners not so much.

I loled at "east cairngorm eagle food"

We have adopted 2 french Bulldogs from the same home. Never been walked, socialised or trained. We knew or work was going to be hard to sort them. . One is the gentlest, loving female. the male is fine one minute, next is trying to bite.

As we have worked with them he has got better but walking them is a nightmare. Whenever another dog comes close they go into a snarling snapping frenzy. Really embarrassing because people naturally assume I can't control them, but they are slowly getting better with a lot of work. I don't think they will ever be perfect though. They are never off the lead as I know that they are so unpredictable and I definitely don't have control.

Luckily we live in a small village and every dog walker knows us and are understanding. To be honest we are battling with the boy and he is coming close to being put down as i simply can't trust him not to bite. So any recommendations on how to help him would be very welcome?

Muzzle?

Dogs? **** going anywhere near that bare-handed, you must be joking.

Yup. I was at my brothers last weekend and played a fair amount with his cockapoo type. So something which is reasonably small and likes me. It was still a handful at tug of war and given the damage it was doing to the toy I would be mildly concerned that using ninja skills would just end up with the damage to my arm or the leg I tried to boot it with instead.

. So any recommendations on how to help him would be very welcome?

Muzzle straight off, then use one of those leads that pulls the muzzle down when tensioned

Muzzle?

French bulldogs have flat faces, it's need to be a hockey mask I'd say!

At home biting depends on aggressive vs playful excitment, if playful when he starts to bite switch to a toy and give reward/praise for chewing the correct thing. If aggression I'd get a behaviourist in to work with you.

When out walking, if you can teach the 'hand' command (see wood green website), it works as a distraction, once their focus is not on the other dog you can pass-by easily enough. Works for our dog some, not all of the time as yet, training continues (with a behaviourist).

@uggski

So any recommendations on how to help him would be very welcome?

I don’t know your background and it sounds like you are trying your best with the dogs. It might be worth getting in a professional to assess the dog and see if they think it can be trained out of its current behaviour.

We had in no way the same problem - we had a small fluffy dog that got anxious when we had a baby - but we had just one session with a trainer and she immediately seemed to have the dog’s trust when she came in and suggested things to do and very quickly the dog was back to pre-baby and is very relaxed around kids now.

I can’t remember how I found her now - she was called Gemma Sankey and had a military dogs background I think. Based in Salisbury. Her website seems to be broken / down now though so maybe she’s not working anymore.

We've got a boarder terrier who can be a bit of a knob so he's always on the lead. Certain things set him off like a fire engine siren or a large black dog which is fairly normal I guess, but also oddly anyone carrying a small child in their arms. I don't know if he's trying to 'protect' the kid or something but he becomes a noisy ball of fur and teeth.

He's a large boarder terrier... but that is still a relatively small dog so he's easy to control in that situation, but we have to be alert to it when walking him.

I once got properly bitten whilst separating fighting dwarf hamsters, for goodness’ sake. That $%^&ing hurt enough.

That made me produce snot!

I love these suggestions on how to handle dogs. They often sound vaguely sensible when there isn't a bitey, snarling set of aggressive teeth attempting to get you or a loved one. Years ago, pre-internet, a friend told me that the 'proper' way to deal with a dog was to grab the front legs and extend your arms, breaking the dogs legs and breastbone I guess. Then he said, 'or maybe you're meant to cover the nostrils so that it can't breathe. That may be ferrets...'

Nothing to add for the op, but our dog is a lab, collie cross. So nothing particularly built for aggression or fighting etc. But when he (or any dog bigger than knee high) wants to show off with a ball or toy etc you realise just how strong and powerful he/they are. All the talk of kicking one etc you would have to seriously surprise one to get close enough. Just try catching any dog that doesnt want to be caught. I cant lay a hand on him playing unless he chooses to let me close enough.

That made me produce snot!

For clarity, they were dwarf hamsters who were fighting, I don't think Fighting Hamsters are actually a thing.

Great big pointy teeth, mind you. Little shitbag fanged hold of my finger and wouldn't let go, I'm there screaming with a sodding hamster swinging about as I'm trying to shake it off without having to resort to braining it, my OH of the time was helpfully watching on with an "I told you so" look on her face.

We’ve got a boarder terrier who can be a bit of a knob 

Probably pissed off that he's not been on the slopes for ages due to covid.

I sympathise.

Thanks for the advice. We think he was badly beaten before he came to us. I was in the kitchen making pies, I took the rolling pin out the draw and he went mental. Attacking the pin. It's like a switch. The other night he was on the couch next to me. Came over for a cuddles and turned on me. Just missed my face. I think he wasn't going for me. Just warning.

Other times he is really affectionate. We can tell. he gets a look and his ears go back and sort of turn in. Most times we just turn our hands to him, say no, and he seems to snap out of it.

Things like he could not go up stairs. Wouldn't cross a line between rooms. When I touched his back near his bum he would go mad, In the beginning it was almost constant but he's improved almost beyond recognition but there is still that edge.

We have only had them three months so still working on it.

As I suspected, police are barely interested. They'll look into her previous, make the 'dog team' aware and maybe pay her a visit and get back to us if they decide to take any further action, which they think is unlikely due to there being no actual attack.
So despite the fact that nearly everyone who uses the field has had incidents with this character the police are seemingly powerless to act, or more likely just under-resourced.

I'm in 2 minds for the next encounter. When the dog comes running at us, whether that's if we're just with our dogs or if the grandchild is out, do I massively escalate things and give it a good kicking? She's the kind of unstable character with some dodgy family connections that could create issues for us, the type that thrives on trouble when we just want a quiet life.

Council dog warden may have more of a remit here.

Just keep pressuring the police.  No actual injuries is irrelevant  there was an attack and  that dog clearly met the definitions under the dangerous dogs act

Uggski - some of that sounds familiar with ours, also a rescue, but not to the same extent (there's no aggression, just fear/barking). Things like sticks/brollies can wind him up too and he's also not too keen on anyone touching his back end

If you've only had him three months and you're already seeing a change, then well done. It'll take time, but he should get there.

But, and it's big but, he may not, and if that edge never goes then you may need to make a difficult decision. A good friend of mine had to do it with their dog - an absolutely lovely thing that they'd had from a pup. 99.5% of the time it was adorable, but had a switch loose somewhere and the remaining 0.5% was vicious. They were experienced dog owners and did everything they could (training, dog psychologists, the lot), but that 0.5% would not go, so in the end they did what they considered was the only safe thing, and it was put to sleep.

Plastic baby in push chair. Mobile phone or go pro cameras strategically positioned
You can see her walking the dogs off the leads
Be interesting to see wjat happens if you back away and let the dogs carry on with their intentions without interruption. At least then you will know how far they are willing to go. The owner will have a bit of a problem denying it, with the usual oh hes only playing, being friendly, being a dog bull that they always come out with just aftet one of them nips your ankle when the doll is headless on the floor after being pulled apart by the demonic hounds

The woman in the OP sounds like an idiot and the dog needs to be removed. Can never understand why anyone would have a dog and not do their utmost to ensure it’s well trained, behaved and under control. Dogs are always let down by shitty owners

when we just want a quiet life

Hey, I can relate to this. So let's say you shouldn't have to put up with this persons dog-related failings at all, but quiet life desires mean compromise, so...

grandchild

Hey, everyone has their own setup and for all I know you all live together, which would be totally cool. But if you are doing occasional childcare duties, how often does the scenario arise? I'd put up with avoiding a drunk dog owner a lot more if it was once a week, rather than several times a day. Seems like a factor in the response.

When the dog comes running at us, whether that’s if we’re just with our dogs or if the grandchild is out, do I massively escalate things and give it a good kicking

There's a great deal of speculation in this thread, but I've missed the bit where you mentioned what breed or big/small dog it is. German shepherd, maybe a different approach might be sensible. But equivalently, public sympathy is limited for the chap that punts a Dachshund into space. Although they can be proper jerks.

So I'd suggest deciding how difficult it is to avoid the dog in reality (yeah you shouldn't have to) and also if you have a genuinely held fear that you couldn't prevent an attack, even with an adult present. That should decide how cat-in-the-wheelie-bin you go in your future actions.

the police are seemingly powerless to act, or more likely just under-resourced.

I know it really shouldn't be so, but you need to start making a real fuss if no action is ultimately taken. Talk to more senior officers with you concerns, complain to the police and crime. Commissioner, local MP, get on the police's social media feeds and encourage other people who have suffered to do the same. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

Owen P, that's all good advice thanks. Grandchild is here 2 days every week, I wfh for 2 random days each week, so there's usually at least 1 occasion each week where my partner has dogs+child and is terrified she couldn't grab him in time to prevent an attack if it came to that. To be honest though we usually manage to avoid each other and it could be weeks before we bump into the idiot, it could also be every day if the timing is wrong.
The dog is a mutt, going by the markings there's a bit of german shepherd in there and it's about the size of a small Labrador. I'm pretty confident I could take it in a fight without resorting to doggy martial arts techniques.

Came over for a cuddles and turned on me. Just missed my face. I think he wasn’t going for me. Just warning.

To be honest you need to decide whether you are taking him to the vet before or after he bites you. I think you already know that though.

Plastic baby in push chair

... with a couple of sausages inside.

So any recommendations on how to help him would be very welcome?

see wood green website

+1 (and give them a ring/e-mail if you're still struggling, they've got a great team of trainers/behaviourists that'll give better advice than kick-it that you get on STW).

Thanks guys. I've always had dogs. Normally Staffs.(I know) but never had this with Staffs except they didn't always get on with other dogs so were kept on a lead if there was any doubt.

Sorry to sidetrack your thread @mdavids

Letter to MP I would say.

Given the recent tragedy, the police should, regardless of resourcing constraints, be there within minutes of getting the call/seeing that the dog and owner have a history of complaints. The fact that they just fobbed you off is outrageous (from a public perspective) but also monumentally stupid from the perspective of the police.

It's the equivalent of them ignoring an unaccompanied bag on a bus the day after 7/7

The fact that they just fobbed you off is outrageous (from a public perspective) but also monumentally stupid from the perspective of the police.

It’s the equivalent of them ignoring an unaccompanied bag on a bus the day after 7/7

I have a close friend who actually works for Northumbria police, he openly admits they are useless. They don't have the resources to police serious crime so something like this is way down the list of priorities. We will be keeping at them though and if nothing gets done I'll explore other avenues of complaint.

We had a guy here with a gsd that he hd trained as a protection dog, badly.
It bit children through the front gate and when I went to speak to him about it bit my hand over his garden wall.
I went back to see him with my fac which had a condition on it allowing me to shoot animals that pose a danger to humans.

It was never allowed in his front garden again.

There is no excuse for keeping a dangerous dog. And if it was my kids it attacked it would not survive it.
The OP , if they want it dealt with, should be reporting a dog attack and keep at it until they get a result.
Good luck relying on the cops but I suppose it’s your only choice in some folks case.

If it’s your own dog that has aggressive behaviour issues then if training fails , an e-collar can give great results if you use it correctly.
If that fails the dog needs put down.

Just to be clear for certain readers. I am not being antagonistic in any way.

Took me a while but I got there. Boarder / border... what am I like?

, he openly admits they are useless. They don’t have the resources to police serious crime so something like this is way down the list of priorities

I think we need to be careful confounding "under resourced" with "useless".

The terrible thing is an hour tackling this now could prevent an even worse incident/tragedy, with all the knock on costs to Police, justice and health services, but that's not the way the public sector operates.

an e-collar can give great results if you use it correctly.

Although I don't necessarily disagree, that's a pretty big if. Used incorrectly, they're downright cruel.

So is a shoe, but thats a different thread.

Aye, true

I've had a much better response from the dog warden. They've confirmed this behaviour is covered by the dangerous dogs act but apparently the police comms team who initially take the call are generally not aware of this.
Although it's a police matter they'll be paying a visit to the owner but have no powers except to give warnings. However they'll also be escalating with the police dog team and are more positive about getting a good response from them.

I once tried to get a red setter off a lamb it had chased down.

I tried kicking it, grabbing its muzzle, poking it in the eyes all kinds of violence

none of it worked. apparently the dog had never done that before.....

So thanks for the cross arms, grab back legs and flip advice, I will remember that one if a dog goes for my child.

Much rather get it off than panicking, thumping the dog and getting nowhere.

I’ve had a much better response from the dog warden. They’ve confirmed this behaviour is covered by the dangerous dogs act but apparently the police comms team who initially take the call are generally not aware of this.
Although it’s a police matter they’ll be paying a visit to the owner but have no powers except to give warnings. However they’ll also be escalating with the police dog team and are more positive about getting a good response from them.

That sounds promising, fingers crossed a visit from someone official gives the owner a wake up call.