'Dangerous dogs' - should I report?

zaksmum

backchat wrote: »

A few people here seem to think because you and your daughter were not actually harmed then it is not worth reporting. I have been a dog owner for a good number of years and have been the victim of one such incident as you describe. My dog was attacked and was lucky not to be more seriously hurt .
You must report the incident. It could have been very serious for you both. If it happens again (whatever his excuse) the next person or child may not be so lucky. What would have happened to a child on their own if they had become frightened and started running. You will never forgive yourself if someone gets seriously hurt or worse. Better safe than sorry. I would definitely report it

I don't see the point in speculating what MIGHT have happened when it didn't. The owner apologised and I don't see what more is required.

Even if it was reported - and IF any action was deemed necessary - it would most likely be that the owner would be spoken to and warned not to let it happen again. As he appears to be a decent sort of person because he apologised, surely the OP can handle the matter himself by having a word with him, explaining that his daughter was frightened and asking the owner to make doubly sure the dogs don't get out in future.

Person_one

Sorry, I'm not seeing any reference to any 'dangerous' dogs here...

warehouse

OP, there are a great many on here who own these dangerous dogs and always try to protect them. Report this incident and thank God that they didn't attack you and your Daughter.

MrsAtobe

meritaten wrote: »

would you have been so scared if they had been Jack Russells or Yorkies? and wanted to report the owner? The dogs got out and the owner at least realised they had and retrieved them. The dogs apparently didn't growl or show any signs of aggression. so what are you going to report? Dangerous dogs? how were they dangerous? just by being Rottweilers? I think you will get short shrift for simply reporting two dogs who momentarily escaped their home. unless you can say they were aggressive (which they clearly weren't), then I think you are overreacting.

The dogs were growling and circling, according to one of the OP's later posts, and, quite frankly, I would have been equally scared if the dogs were JRTs or Yorkies, or any other small terriers with a two year old with me.

Person_one

MrsAtobe wrote: »

The dogs were growling and circling, according to one of the OP's later posts, and, quite frankly, I would have been equally scared if the dogs were JRTs or Yorkies, or any other small terriers with a two year old with me.

They weren't growling in the first post.

jumpedtheshark

OP, it seems as though you think it's serious enough to report. If that's the case, report it. But you'll likely be ignored if you do so anonymously.

I'm not sure you're really looking for other opinions given that the incident gets worse with each retelling. Anyway, for what it's worth, I don't think it sounds serious enough to report, though I would have a word with any neighbours you're friends with to see if they've experienced similar. If they have, then that would add weight to the report (if they reported it too). Then, I might also view the incident differently.

Owning a dog doesn't mean it's always easy to judge other people's dogs. When we were redoing our back fence, my lab/collie snuck into the neighbours' gardens. The guy from two doors' over came round to tell me, telling me he'd told his old mother to stay inside until I retrieved the dog so she didn't get hurt. This is a dog that adores children and babies (wagging like crazy, standing or sitting still whilst lapping up attention, etc.), gets her own invites to birthday parties for kids in the street (to which we're not invited!) so she can meet everyone's friends, stands patiently for an older lady with learning difficulties to pat her, etc. They also had a dog (passed away now), but obviously couldn't judge other people's dogs at all - just saw her size and thought 'dangerous'. This is also the only time in over seven years' ownership when she's got out.

moggymutt

If the dogs were genuinely growling as they circled then I would reprt it. Rather a wasted trip by someone to check the dogs than a child run away the next time, and the dogs do something.

Seems strange that with 2 big dogs he had deliberately left the front door open.

So what if the owner realises it's you.

aliasojo

OP I think you need to be careful and accurate about what exactly happened.

Do you think it's possible your obvious fear at the time tainted your interpretation of the situation?

On balance I think I'd personally not do anything for now but if you do genuinely and honestly think these dogs were acting aggressively and were a risk to safety then you have to report, and not anonymously imo.

krlyr

warehouse wrote: »

OP, there are a great many on here who own these dangerous dogs and always try to protect them. Report this incident and thank God that they didn't attack you and your Daughter.

We don't know that these are dangerous dogs.

However, as someone who does own a Rottie cross and a GSD, if mine had escaped the house, chased someone with their child, and growled - I would be out there straight away apologising as much as I possibly could, and then expecting the dog warden/police on my doorstep. I wouldn't feel affronted by being reported for it at all, I'd expect it in that kind of situation.

OP, I say better safe than sorry - report it as a concern. No one was hurt, so the most likely outcome would be an informal warning for the owner, that may make them think twice. They may take action to prevent it again, e.g. keeping the dogs behind another door, using babygates or a tethered lead, leaving the back door open instead and so on.

Like I said at the start of the post - we don't know that they're dangerous. So let the police do their job and take more effective action than speculation on a forum by people who weren't there to judge these dogs. Like aliasojo says, even OP's interpretation of the situation could be biased by the fact she was protective of her child and in a panicked state - but ultimately the dogs shouldn't have been loose, regardless of their behaviour towards people, they put people at risk simply by being loose with the potential to run infront of a car, knock an elderly or frail person over and so on.

universalady_2

Rottweilers were bred to be herding animals, NOT guard or protection animals originally. Unfortunately, due to the numpties in the 80's & early 90's they gained a reputation as dangerous dogs. ANY dog can be dangerous, it depends on how the owner has bought it up and what training they have done/are doing with it.
From what the OP said in his first post I suspect he assumed they were dangerous (due to how they are always portrayed in the media) 'walking around' seems to me like the dogs were following their natural herding instinct.
Usually if a dog (any breed) is to attack in this type of situation (escaping), it would have done so the instant it was within the 'targets' space.
Obviously none of us were there at the time, and this happened quite suddenly to the OP and his daughter (& I accept this can be quite frightening), but no one can say IF something were to happen or if it was a potentially dangerous situation. The fact the owner was out immediately and took them back indoors does sound like it was one of those things, and quite possibly a usually responsible owner who, this time, was not 100% aware of where/what he dogs were doing. It does happen sometimes, a momentarily lapse of awareness or concentration.
My first question to the OP would be though, would you have felt the need to post about this IF it were a pug or similar that had escaped and not a rottweiler??
By all means have a word with the local authorities, dog warden, council, but unfortunately I think you may find nothing would be happen