Most days I check my site stats to see how people find it. Every day it is the same sad search terms, “dog bit me, can I call police” “dog attacked my dog, what can I do?” “Dogs nearly killed my dog/bit my child”.
Why are these still top searches? Because we learn nothing. The latest tragic and sad case is that of Jade Anderson-Lomas, killed by 4 dogs in her friends home after she returned with a pie to eat and was alone with 4 large, loose dogs. This 14 year old child suffered terrible bites and the outcry and backlash against dogs is understandable but misguided.
Why is there never any kind of investigation after these attacks? Why aren’t the dogs tested, assessed and the owners too? It comes as a shock after every serious injury or death caused by a dog to discover that the Dangerous Dogs Act doesn’t cover private property. However the original Dogs Act, still in force, does yet nobody ever uses it.
There are often similarities in these cases: indiscriminate breeding, no training, stupid risks being taken with loose, entire, untrained dogs being with children.
For 20 years I have bleated on about the law, the need for owner responsibility as have many, many professionals. Yet the governments response is to bring in compulsory microchipping. The useless Dangerous Dogs Act, hurried in after a spate of attacks is proof that laws for dogs only do not work.
We will see this again and again, more people will be injured and killed by dogs
and so will other dogs. Yet 20 years on, since the DDA implementation, nothing has changed.
There should be a requirement for a full investigation of dogs AND owners after a serious incident. There needs to be a way to stop the endless back yard breeders and puppy farmers churning out dogs with health and temperament problems and filling their houses with untrained, hormonal dogs.
I hope the family of Jade find some peace, but I also hope that this case does not produce more knee jerk legislation and that we can get a government to actually listen to the owners and professionals who clearly have far more idea about how to stop the problem than they do.
Hear me and Julie Hill discussing the sad death of Jade and other dog attacks on episode 43 of The Dog News Show
http://www.thedognewsshow.com/content/episode-43-dog-attacks-media-and-more
Next door’s akita came into my garden and killed my elderly cat, pretty much on my back step. The neighbour claimed to be horrified and sent the dog away but today she brought the thing back. She reckons it’s safe because it’s chained up. It was meant to be chained before. All I want is for it to be rehomed. I’m not asking for it to be put down, just to go away.
Sorry to read this sad story. I’d be worried too if it was my cat killed. You could try more fencing for your garden, but it seems unfair for you to have the expense. If private or council rented, you could speak to her landlord and raise your concerns?
Appalled to find out today the landlord is going to let her have the dog back. What happened to victim support?