dog attack Dulwich Park

[ericyork]

Hi everyone, I would just like to warn you dog walkers that use dulwich park and other local parks. I work as a dog walker and I use the park everyday, indeed i have known dulwich Park for over 30 years and this is the first time that I have had a problem. I was walking my own two dogs on tuesday the 17th of February around 10 a.m. - When a balck Staffordshire terrier, charged accross towards me and took hold of one of my dogs and attacked her, leaving her with serious injuries and me with a vet bill for ?400.00 this attack was unprovoked and very sudden. The owners then told me that the previous owners had got rid of the dog because it attacked people! and other dogs. This dog , not content with attacking my dog, then went for another, even though it was back on the lead. My parntner runs the petstore in northcross road and we have received another report of an attack, this time outside sainsburys in dog Kennel Hill and it sounds like the same dog, this time it attacked a german Shepered, so size does not stop this animal. from what I have pieced together, this dog is doing the rounds in Dulwich, being passed from one owner to the next. I have a feeling that it is now living on the Lordship Lane estate, which borders the park. The police have been informed, at Lordship Lane police station. This dog obviously must be stopped, so if you have any encounters with it, please report it. The dog looks young and slim, is black and wears a fancy harness, the owners were, one white female, I would say in her fifties and a young half caste lad in his teens.

[first mate]

Hi Eric,

Were the people hostile too or were they concerned about the state of your dog? Did they give you a name and address? Do you think they understood the severity of what the dog had done and will keep it on a lead in future, or are they clueless?

Was it pure Staff, or a mix? Hard to tell I know. Is it smallish or one of the longer legged type?

Were the police interested?

As you know, if you were sufficiently frightened of the dog yourself and had good reason to believe it might attack you, that might be grounds under the DDA to have the dog siezed and PTS.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Thank you for alerting everyone as this dog needs to be caught right now b4 any otherOwner has their beautiful and loving dogs injured. So Thanks again!

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Shame and quite sad that my harmless little joke was removed, totally unnecessarily, I feel.

I'm sure NO=ONE on here would have minded that gentlest of jokes, as it was a reference to earlier posts about Adults, which I'm sure most will have known and I can't believe that anyone that did not realise it would be remotely offended.

For the first time, I'm disappointed at Admins involvement.

[Administrator]

Tony

You posted a "joke" asking was it really necessary to mention that the dog was black.

There was a shooting recently and quite a few posts mentioning racism. I posted a message asking people to behave and not be antagonistic. I edited your post and sent you the following message immediately aftewards:

"Hello Tony

I have removed the following line from your post:

"By the way don't know how relevant it is to tell the Forum that the dog was black.....big grin"

as it is unnecessary especially in light of recent posts.

Regards

The Administrator "

I believe this is fair and I would ask you top respect that decision. If you have an issue with my decisions please contact me directly. This is a not a thread about the decisions I make, it is about a savage dog attack and I ask you to respect that.

[Jeremy]

If it has a history of attacking people and other animals, it should be put down.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Administrator Wrote:

This is a not a thread about the decisions I make, it is about a savage dog attack and I ask you to respect that.

I agree with that.

Our posts have crossed as I have sent you a Private PM explaining why I feel a gentle, joking reference to a former heated difference will take any remaining tension out of a situation, imo. and I said that I would remove my post so as not to deflect the direction of this thread.

As I said in my PM we will agree to disagree on this one.

[red devil]

Ageed, and the owners need to be held accountable to.

I don't know Tony personally but judging by his previous posts I'm sure there wasn't any malice intended in his deleted comment.

I would've presumed rightly or wrongly that it was a tongue in cheek reference to the '4 black girls' thread, rather than the shooting incident...

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If it has a history of attacking people and other

> animals, it should be put down.

[Administrator]

Please stay on topic

[SeanMacGabhann]

I hate dogs - was attacked a couple of times when I was young and stories like this make me no happier. But I know lots of people love them yadda yadda - don't want to turn this into a pro v anti thread

But the attitude described by the OP is out of order

[SteveT]

Can we put the useless owners down to keep the animal company in the after life?

[Asset]

A forumite I know has a staffy but it doesn't fit that description (and neither does the forumite).

[Tony.London Suburbs]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

I hate dogs - was attacked a couple of times when I was young

Think we'll change the venue of our drink Seanster!

We'll go to a nice Country Pub and I'll bring my beautifully behaved 4 West Highland Terriers along, complete with their pretty lil red matching jackets.

THEN tell me you don't like Dogs after spending some "quality time" with my "pack":)-D

[SeanMacGabhann]

sounds good to me Tone, but we're off topic here!

Back to the thread - I was kindly PM'd to suggest that my previous post was less than clear so here goes

I agree with the OP completely - it's the attitude described by the OP (ie the couple with the dog) I deplored

[Tony.London Suburbs]

...

[Tony.London Suburbs]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

- it's the ATTITUDE described by the OP (ie the couple with the dog) I deplored

The dog destroyed Head Garments as well as other Dogs?

"It was the hat he chewed yer 'onor!"....

[chuff]

Does anyone know how to separate dogs when fighting?

I wouldn't have a clue where to start, without getting mauled myself.

[SteveT]

I was attacked some years ago by a pitbull and ever since that visit to brockwell park I always carry a walking stick.

It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life.

There was no owner with the dog, and it took me several minutes to calm down enough to stop shaking, and eventually to resume my journey.

The people who own such dogs are incapable of dealing with them as they are dangerous animals, not family pets.

Ownership seems all too easy, and in my opinion they should all be muzzled in public places.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Y'all be surprised at how many Inner South London Dog Owners come out, at weekends (in particular) to The Suburbs to walk their pooches.

In the last fortnight I've met owners from Rotherhithe, Grove Park, Hither Green and Ladywell who did not want to risk the type of attack that SteveT experienced.

Usual addendum: Nowhere is 100% safe but some areas drastically decrease your chances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[chuff]

The really annoying thing is, if the dog was muzzled it wouldn't be a danger. There is always the chance too that it could attack a child and why anyone would risk that amazes me.

[SeanMacGabhann]

pretty much everything that there is to say on all sides re: dogs and muzzles and leads and ooooh everything can be found

here (previously on EDF)

[chuff]

oh yes, thanks for that sean.

I meant that particular dog by the way, not every dog, only those that have 'previous' as such.

Anyway, I am just interested in how to rescue a dog being attacked. I quite often walk a colleagues dog and it would be a good bit of knowledge to have.

[Huggers]

To break up a fight, douse with water- if you happen to have a bottle on you.

To make a staffordshire type bull terrier unlock its jaws, insert stick up its anus. I personally wouldnt like to try this but if your child is trapped in its jaws it's a very useful thing to know.

[jayes]

If you were to gouge the attacking dogs eyes this would release the animal. It is also very sensitive on it's nose so a swift clout on the end of the nose is a good way to stop a dog too.

[TillieTrotter]

Not a stafford I fear. Apparently, and I haven't tried it, but the way to stop a Stafford is to pull it front legs apart. This apparently ruptures it's heart. Not sure if this is true.