Okay, no jokes after seeing the title please.

Just heard from my wife that my mother-in-law has been attacked by a staffordshire bull terrier this morning and has gone to hospital for stiches.

She was walking Beth, her German Shepherd, and the dog attacked Beth for her ball and when my m-i-l interevened, it turned on her and bit a great lump out of her arm. She feel to the floor and the dog's owner pulled the dog off and apologised before doing a runner.

Now my m-i-l is a real doggie lover and refuses to inform the police for fear the dog will be put down. My wife has said that it could have been a child (we have a 2yr old) that got hurt, or indeed could get hurt if the dog does it again, but she still doesn't want to grass.

The dog and owner are 'known' so can we report this to the police ourselves? If she had been attacked by a known person, I would be inclined to have a 'quiet word' but I couldn't do anything to a dog.

What should I do??

 

sorry to hear about you mother-in-law, however i suggest you report the incident, as the dog could be a potential threat to other people (children especially)

 

IIRC she can report the attack but you dont have to press charges, at least something will be on record that way so if it attacks someone else in the future with the same attitude as your MIL then it might make them think twice that the dog is dangerous and should be destroyed.

Hope the damage is not too bad

 

If you don't want the death of local child on your concience I suggest you report it to the Police ASAP.

 

I would suggest that she should really inform the police. If not to report what happened to her but to prevent anything like that happening to someone else.

Don't know dogs as I've never had one but I can only assume if did that to her it will do it to someone else.

It won't be pleasant for her to inform the police but it would be alot worse if something else happened and she could have prevented it.

Hope she gets well soon though

 

Since writing the original post, I've just learnt that my wife has reported it.

 

Ouch, sorry to hear that! Staffies generally don't like other dogs!

I would report it, but it's unlikely to get put down for that, I belive, so try and get your M-I-L to report it as that'll be easier. The dog didn't go for her straight away, it was a dog fight gone bad rather than a viscous attack. Shameful that he just bolted.

One of my Rottweilers snapped the lead over the weekend to go and see a poodle. Proper inch think lead, just snapped it in two! The poor woman with the poodle was understandably terrified. Luckily both my Rottweilers are very friendly, just too exciteable being only 1 year old. I apologised profusely, scolded my dogs and took them home, then went out in the car to apologise to her again. Oh, and then bought some new leads!

Anyhow, report it to the police and the RSPCA one way or the other and I hope your mother in law is ok!

 

Much as I love dogs (no jokes please......well, only good ones! )

This incident HAS to be reported. if you own a dog it is incumbent on YOU to make sure it does not bite people. If you fail to do this then YOU have to take responsibility and the circumstances of the attack need to be noted as action may need to be taken to prevent a similar attack from happening again.

Ns04

 

Sorry to hear about you M-I-L Awful thing to happen, and like your wife said, could have easily been a child.

It should be reported, but it should be the owner that is responsible, not the dog put down, you M-I-L may have just got caught in between trying to break the two dogs up from fighting. If the owner is known, he should be forced to only take the dog out on a lead or not be allowed a dog at all.

Hope she's OK

 

Hardly the sign of a responsible owner either.

Now I like my M-I-L just as much as your average bloke - but someone leaving a woman who's just been mauled by a dog deserves a good kicking.

I'm already getting a picture of this owner / dog and it includes tattoos, ****, burberry and a studded collar - and that's just the dog .

 

Lol indeed!

Ns04

 

The actions of the owner are akin to somebody involved in a hit and run. I'd report it more due to that persons actions. Leaving an injured person is a low act.

 

I got bit by a dog when I was walking to school about 12 years ago, reported that to the police. The owner decided to put the dog down, I think that was for the best to be honest. It put me off dogs for ages!

 

Very low indeed, she sould have been more seriously injured and that ****** wouldn't have a clue because he fled, fecking scum

 

Whilst the incident was unfortunate this type of comment irritates me and a complete overreaction. I have a cross staffy and of course he knows better than to bite a person but i'm afraid if you come between two dogs then there's a chance you'll get bit. If it happens again then of course the owner needs dealing with.

If it had of been me I would have apologised and dealt with the situation rather than scuttling off. Often its the owners that need putting down

 

Well I guess it depends on wether or not the dog goes on to kill a local child or not.

I don't think reporting a dog willing to bite an adult to the police is a major overreaction - Let the police decide if the dog is a threat to others

 

People who feel the need to own these types of dogs more than likely have a very small ***** and thus need something to make them feel like a 'real man'

 

As I said earlier, this wasn't a viscous dog attack, it was a dog in the heat of a fight lashing out. I always seperate fighting dogs if mine is involved, and the instigator will get sorted out, whoever owns it. I'm not surprised if I get a nip, but it's rare. At the end of the day the lady is ok, thankfully, and the dog probably isn't viscous, but should be reported anyway.

Staffies are known to generally HATE and be very aggressive to other dogs but are excellent with humans and exceptionally placid.

It would be so much easier if dog ownership and breeding was licensed.

 

I agree, but the staff is one of the softest dogs around, which makes it even more comical when your "hard" local chav is strutting around with a dog that will roll onto his back at the first opportunity. I love going up to the staffies covered in studded harnesses and giving them a rub, taking some "cred" away from the owner!

 

Sorry to hear about the attack mate. Interestingly though, I posted a similar thread a few months ago. A German Shepherd cross bit my sister while trying to get to her Staffy.
I was basically told by most posters to get over it and get a life. It's what dogs do.

Not everyone said that though, but that was the general consensus.

Report it to the police, though unless you were a witness, or it bit you, they'll tell you to fcukoff. That's the reaction I got off them. Even when I was concerned about it attacking a child, they wouldn't do anything.

After my sister reported it, the Police went round to see the owner and insisted they keep their dog on a muzzle or risk having it put down.

 

breaking up fighting dogs is dangerous and if your mum has had dogs for a long time she will know this, which is probably why she doesn't want to report it. The dog wouldn't have known it was biting a person, the ball was the catalyst and dogs will fight over them.

 

my brother has a staffie he's well cute but still not a dog to mess with how is your mil doing now?? i hope she's ok and that something will be done about this not nessicarily (sp) being put down but making sure that the owner keeps it on a lead its a shame something like this has to happen before people will take control of their animals i have a dog she's never bitten anyone she's giddy but would never bite unless we told her to

 

if the child was daft enough to be trying to get inbetween two dogs then yes.

its a bad thing to happen and the owner of the staffie should never have just bolted,but its a well documented fact that the bull terriers dont get on too well with other dogs so ultimatly the owner of it should really have had more control over the dog but trying to get inbetween them wasnt the wisest thing to do.

 

"breaking up fighting dogs is dangerous and if your mum has had dogs for a long time she will know this,"

maybe she hasnt owned **** extensions like a staffy before so wasnt aware of the etiqute for fighting dogs?

 

LMAO @ Tiggs!!!

Whilst your MIL probably shouldn't have got involved, the very fact that this Staffy has bitten her should result in the dog being put down. The owner should also be taken to task over not being able to control the animal and doing a runner.

I say this as a dog owner myself, and as much as my two dogs are a major part of my life, if they ever attacked/bit somebody, they would be destroyed.

Probably will get flamed for these comments (like I really give a t0ss!), this is all IMHO, of course

Hope your MIL gets better soon.

Dan

ps shame we don't have the same penalties for cats and their owners

 

Took me ages to work out MIL.

 

A child could egt between them, innocently, not realising they're fighting, or the dogs could start fighting near a small child if they're loose, without a lead on a park frequented by families etc That's all I meant by my comment