Staff Dogs and Muzzles

liam8282

I suggest certain people on this thread read the following link....

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/InYourHome/AnimalsAndPets/DG_180098

This point especially...

Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

krlyr

deannatrois wrote: »

Of course she says this has never happened before. It may not have done. But shouldn't someone keep a big dog that's bred for aggression on a leash when in public places? I'm not biased against staff's.., but u have to know a breed when u take it on and make sure u are aware of the pro's and con's of each breed's traits? I wouldn't dream of having our dog off lead when around people he and we don't know. He only comes off lead when there's absolutely no one around.

Well, I hope you are prepared for the unfair, prejudice comments thrown your way for owning a "nasty" breed like the GSD - I am a GSD owner and have gotten plenty of flack for it. Especially if this attack does cause your dog to become reactive to other dogs out of fear.
As someone else has pointed out, Staffies were bred for their good temperaments - Bull breeds were bred for bull baiting but needed to have good general obedience and no aggression towards their owners. Sadly, they have become a status breed and there is probably more dog-dog aggression being bred into certain lines, but there are many Staffies who still have solid temperaments and no aggression issues at all. There are lots of GSDs who've fallen foul to the same idiots but I wouldn't class them as a big breed bred for aggression - otherwise, I hope you've invested in a pair of muzzles too.

It may well be the first time this dog has done this and I would say there's a good chance it may have happened because your dog is so young. Some dogs can be brilliant with other dogs but something about puppies throws them off - they smell different, they act different (often a lot more wriggly, a lot more high pitched - can often trigger a prey-drive response from some dogs) and they're a lot more delicate than many dogs realise so injuries can happen more easily in play too. One of my dogs reacts badly to puppies - they trigger this hyper play mode, as if the puppy is a toy, no aggressive intent but not appropriate at all so I purposely keep him away from puppies - but I wasn't away of this until we met a puppy (fortunately it was my mum's puppy and done with careful on-lead introductions so no harm done) that I found out.

deannatrois wrote: »

He had his first vaccination at 6 weeks, given by a vet obviously.., it is perfectly legal and ok to do this. He is actually 9 weeks old today. We have only been walking him a few days but as we spoke to other dog owners before getting the pup, we are part of a community already.

Bear in mind that at 6 weeks old his first vaccination would have been 'voided' by the mother's antibodies remaining in his body. This is why puppies need to have two sets of puppy jabs - usually given around 8 weeks and then 10-12 weeks to allow for the antibodies to dissipate. I would be very careful and consider either another set of jabs or titre testing in a few weeks to check he did develop immunity.

In regards to your vet bills, if the owner has admitted fault then you could look to seek compensation via the small claims court. A dog is legally property so you could persue it as damage to property.

I would definately put some serious thought into whether a second puppy is suitable, not just financially. Having two puppies at the same time is not generally recommended in many cases at all, even without potential health or behavioural issues that may result from this attack. A fear-reactive GSD can be quite a handful on its own but bear in mind that dogs will pick up each other's fears/behaviour and you may end up with two reactive dogs despite the other puppy never have being harmed itself. I would be devoting myself to the first puppy and passing on the second pup for now, so I could throw myself into socialisation and doing my best to prevent future issues.

ice_babe

deannatrois wrote: »

We have an 8 weeks German Shepherd pup. He's about 10 inches tall. Well trained already, he walks to heel etc, fully vaccinated etc. We are doing our best for him.

We socialise him with other dogs, have quite a good community of dogs and dog owners at the local park, we all have a good chinwag etc.

Yesterday we went to the park and were chatting to a dog owner we knew with his dog when a young lady we didn't know came up with a large staff dog. Our dog touched noses with the staffy, who then lunged at our pup. He grabbed him by the neck and wouldn't let go. It took my OH a minute to get him off Bear.

Rushed our poor screaming Bear (his breathing didn't sound right) to the local vets at 12 noon. Fortunately they were open. They xrayed him, no damage to spine, shaved his neck, five puncture wounds, kept him nil by mouth and dripped up for 24 hours. Said he had concussion and was highly stressed but nothing more serious, he'd been very lucky. She said something needed to be done about the attacking dog as the type of attack was more than a quick nip.

Went to collect him today. The nurse said she'd just noticed he had some leakage from one of the tooth wounds but keep an eye on him and bring him back tomorrow. They did say there was a chance that one of the staff's teeth had penetrated his oesophagus. Unfortunately, this was just one remark amongst many on discharge. We assumed they'd have checked it out more seriously if there was a real risk of this happening.

So we took him home, gave him a drink and a little food (he was starving) and it came out of his neck, poor thing. Had him back at the vets within minutes. They operated, were able to sew up the opening, but warned that as its classed as a dirty wound, it could get infected and costs were going to mount. I'd had to borrow money to pay the vet fees so far so have had to transfer him to the PDSA. It'll be two days or more before we know if he's got an infection (which could stop the wound healing), he's nil by mouth again while they assess how he's doing. And of course, he will need resocialising when he's better otherwise he could be an aggressive dog himself. Its going to be a fairly long while before he's fully fit and well.

So because of the lack of a muzzle on this dog.., and it being unleashed.., we have had a weekend from hell, spent money we can't afford - my OH has just lost his job and our money isn't sorted out yet (we may get it back from the owner but that's going to take time). We have had police round because my OH was injured trying to get the staff dogs jaws from around our poor pup's neck so it all comes under the Dangerous Dogs Act (it happened in a park where lots of children of all ages play).

We've had the owner who, to her credit, has kept in contact to find out how our Bear is, asking why we have done this (we don't want the dog destroyed but we do want a guarantee that the dog will be muzzled whenever he leaves their home and is always on leash).

Of course she says this has never happened before. It may not have done. But shouldn't someone keep a big dog that's bred for aggression on a leash when in public places? I'm not biased against staff's.., but u have to know a breed when u take it on and make sure u are aware of the pro's and con's of each breed's traits? I wouldn't dream of having our dog off lead when around people he and we don't know. He only comes off lead when there's absolutely no one around.

I was in heaven before yesterday.., our Bear has brought so much to our lives and now.., I don't know if we'll ever get our Bear back. All because some owner didn't know what they were doing.

Oh and my OH can't sleep because he's in so much pain with his hand. Went to the local injuries place but he still has to have an xray (xray wasn't open) to see if he's got a fractured thumb as well as teeth penetration wounds on his hand. The nurse, after being told how the injuries occurred asked him why he stuck his hand in a dog's mouth (felt like saying cause he was bored and the dog looked hungry).., and asked why he'd taken 3 hours to get to the unit (if she'd ever heard a pup scream she wouldn't have asked).

Im sorry your dogs been attacked but any dog can attack. Staffies are not bred for agression, they are particularly good with children and the Kennel Club have a mention of the breed's suitability with children.

Also they are not a large dog at all. The dogs should be under 16" high and weight no more than 17kgs

ice_babe

liam8282 wrote: »

Absolute rubbish, of course you can get insurance for them!

They have a bad reputation because of bad owners and to be blunt ignorant people.

Never had any problems insuring my girl

pulliptears

cbrown372 wrote: »

you have no money and have to use the services of PDSA yet buy another dog?

sorry but it beggars believe

This.

The PDSA does amazing work for people who genuinely need help, for the love of god don't go bloody adding to it.

If you cant afford to pay for treatment for a dog DONT HAVE ONE. I appreciate those who fall on bad times and have no choice but dont go out and get a puppy knowing full well you are going to rely on a charity to offer it basic medical care.

Its damned irresponsible.

System

liam8282 wrote: »

Absolute rubbish, of course you can get insurance for them!

They have a bad reputation because of bad owners and to be blunt ignorant people.

You've obviously misunderstood.

My friend runs a Dog Creche and she is unable to get insurance on Staffies staying at her Dog Creche because they are seen as a danger when they mix with other dogs. Obviously she needs insurance as if anything happens at the creche with any of the dogs then she is financially liable. She can't get this cover if she lets Staffies in.

System

ice_babe wrote: »

Never had any problems insuring my girl

Thats personal insurance and not what I was talking about.

liam8282

goater78 wrote: »

You've obviously misunderstood.

My friend runs a Dog Creche and she is unable to get insurance on Staffies staying at her Dog Creche because they are seen as a danger when they mix with other dogs. Obviously she needs insurance as if anything happens at the creche with any of the dogs then she is financially liable. She can't get this cover if she lets Staffies in.

Sorry, but it is still absolute rubbish.

There is no grounds to refuse insurance for the staffordshire bull terrier breed, as the links I posted show, they are not a dangerous dog.

I think your friend may have misunderstood, or there is a misunderstanding with the insurance company.

There is certainly no reason a staffordshire bull terrier should be refused any kind of insurance, they are classed the same as any other dog, even what some people would call a cute looking yorkshire terrier, a toy poodle or chihuahua.

Humphrey10

deannatrois wrote: »

a large staff dog.

Staffordshire bill terriers aren't large. If you think they are, you might like to think about giving your puppy up for adoption - it will grow much bigger than a Staffordshire bull terrier!

He only comes off lead when there's absolutely no one around.[/QUOTE]
Poor poor dog

System

liam8282 wrote: »

Sorry, but it is still absolute rubbish.

There is no grounds to refuse insurance for the staffordshire bull terrier breed, as the links I posted show, they are not a dangerous dog.

I think your friend may have misunderstood, or there is a misunderstanding with the insurance company.

There is certainly no reason a staffordshire bull terrier should be refused any kind of insurance, they are classed the same as any other dog, even what some people would call a cute looking yorkshire terrier, a toy poodle or chihuahua.

They are not seen as a dangerous dog to humans but they are seen as a dangerous dog to other dogs. I believe the term applied to them is "Dog aggressive". Which when you are mixing dogs together is not a good thing.

If there was no insurance issues with Staffies then they would be allowed in as she likes Staffies and used to have one when she was young.