Golden Retriever Attacks 4 People

[periannath]

[is just come to the news that the next door neighbour grab the dog by the throat as he biting the owner and the dog then attack him. Idiots as I suspected, should have grab the dog by the back legs, is no wonder the dog switch into the defense, I am very sad for the dog he pushed into that positon to defend and then put to sleep.]

Isn't it a little harsh to expect the next door neighbour to have attended stopping dog attacks 101? Many dog breeders wouldn't know how, let alone poor Joe Public. He was harmed himself while trying to help his neighbours and it is my understanding that he spoke in defence of the dog. Must of been a horrifying situation for everyone involved.Poor people, poor old dog.

[LizT]

Poor Buster! It is very sad. He is being put to sleep for being a dog and behaving like a dog. Dogs are not humans, however much they are trained they are still animals. I am sure his instincts kicked in and he reacted to what he perceived to be a threat.

NO. Buster is NOT being put to sleep for JUST being a dog being a dog.

He is being PTS for being a dog that attacked people. The biggest crime in Dogdom of which the penalty is the biggest to pay.

Very sad non the less.

[Tim'sMum]

I wonder if the same sympathy would be shown if the dog was one of the breeds the Media have labeled Dangerous breed discrimination is alive and well.

The dog regardless of breed has attacted four people including the owners and the council ranger is seen patting the dog on the head as it's lead away. I bet money the ranger would not have, if it was one of those Dangerous breeds.

Of cause there's something wrong with this dog, but would you have this dog around kids ? Imagine what damage could have been done to a small child, is it worth the risk.

If the dog was mine, I don't think I would want it back as I would feel apprehensive, no matter what the reason that caused the attack in the first place...and I certainly would not want it rehomed.

As for breed...yes, GR's are on the whole quite a placid breed but as with any breed of dog there are differences between individuals.

When I was walking a previous dog, Bron (a GSD), on lead across a park, a GR had been let off lead and it ran across the park and launched itself at my dog. There was no sniffing, hackles, precursor to an attack...it just attacked my dog straight away. Bron didn't even have time to fight back. It was lucky that the other owner ran fast enough to pull his dog off mine before too much damage was done. Bron had puncture wounds on his neck though and needed antibiotics.

I have been very wary of GR's since then.

The initial reasons for the attack have not been explained in the press, just the aftermath.

The dog's breed should never come into the equation however, when decisions are made whether its safer to put the dog down or not. That decision should be made purely on why the attack occured in the first place.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Tim'sMum

[Trisven13]

The dog's breed should never come into the equation however, when decisions are made whether its safer to put the dog down or not. That decision should be made purely on why the attack occured in the first place.

I agree with this wholeheartedly and hope that one day this will happen. My frustration in this whole event was the different way it was treated by the media which I believe was due only to the dog's breed.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

The issue is getting restricted breeds a fair go, not lowering the bar for the rest.

I agree.

I had a look at K9Force's facebook page. I wonder why he is willing to attempt to intervene on behalf of this particular dog. The reasoning he has provided could be applied to many other cases just as easily. Has he attempted other interventions of this nature with the council after dog attacks on humans in the past ?

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: Some things for everyone to think about...

If someone put your dog and a corner and beat it with a stick until it attacked them, would you want your dog put down?

This may not have happened but it also may, or there could be 1000 other reasons why this happened that would be reasons for action other than euthanizing the dog.

Put your hand up if you have a dog that is incapable of an attack. If your dog is living it IS capable, all dogs are under the right or wrong circumstances.

I have offered to complete an assessment on this dog, why? Well there are a number of reasons.

1. This dog has apparently no history of aggression.

2. There are extenuating circumstances (owners fighting in the house)

3. The dog was captured by strangers and led from the house with a simple slip leash and pushed into the council transport without the slightest hint of aggression. (This I did see)

4. I would like to see what is going on with this dog for my own research.

5. I think EVERY dog deserves to have its say, I think a temperament assessment will help do that.

The dog may still be euthanized, no one can justify that without a thorough investigation. If I felt it could be rehabilitated I put my hand up to adopt the dog and work with it, as perhaps no one else would.

The breed has zero to do with my involvement with this dog, I do the same regularly for other breeds, including many bull breeds, German Shepherds, Rotts etc.

Every week I am working with one council case or another to help with Dangerous Dog Declarations etc.

A few months ago I worked with a family with a Labrador that attacked a family member, I was able to place the dog back in the original home with a few changes and a lot of work with the family. The dog has been aggression free since then (a few months so far).

Will it attack in the next few months or years, no one knows that but as the dog was three years old before it showed any aggression, I guess this just proves that EVERY dog has the potential for this type of behaviour.

If you want zero risk, don't own a dog, or a cat, or a car or lawnmower and the list goes on.

I am hoping Canterbury Council will call me back and give us all the opportunity of better understanding why these things happen.

[Clyde]

This is OT but Im really sorry JoeK, I really have a hard time understanding what you're talking about.

If you read slowly and pretend he is a Russian gangster he makes perfect sense

[nightgrace6]

Maybe someone was trying to steal its food..

Nah ok sorry bad joke I was attempting to cut the tension, hope the owners treated it correctly and it wasn't an inbred byb puppy... the demand for labs and grs as "family pets" has greatly increased the statistics of dog breed attacks, yep lab is on par with dobermanns .. naww dobies ...anyway I think we will see a rise of attack in any breed that is "common" and "commonly bred" by bybs so unfortunately in the near future "family pets" may be classed as "aggressive" purely because of people wanting to make a quick buck and choosing to breed the dog that everyone wants but poorly...

[dee lee]

I am hoping Canterbury Council will call me back and give us all the opportunity of better understanding why these things happen.

Its my understanding that Golden Retriever Rescue is working with the council to help Buster.

Might want to give them a call with your offer, they may be in more of a position to accept it?

[Aussienot]

I wish in future attacks only say it is a Dog. Can say a large or small dog, but in all attacks the breed is irrelevent. It would be great if it was reported as

" a dog chained in a yard attacked" or "a dog never given socialisation or training attacked" or "a dog that may have medical problems attacked", but that will never happen either.

Cause we all know that only certain breeds attack "without reason" . . .

[geo]

I wish in future attacks only say it is a Dog. Can say a large or small dog, but in all attacks the breed is irrelevent. It would be great if it was reported as

" a dog chained in a yard attacked" or "a dog never given socialisation or training attacked" or "a dog that may have medical problems attacked", but that will never happen either.

Cause we all know that only certain breeds attack "without reason" . . .

Too true, all restricted breeds are a ticking time bomb waiting to go off! given the right ingredients any dog can be aggressive.

IMO, this GR has reacted under the stressful situation, ok it didn't react in a way that society demands, but given that most people don't train their dog under intense situations these things do happen.

Dog owners should know how their dog reacts when they cuddle their partner, or the kids are play fighting or voices are raised.. similar to teaching kids not to run or scream around dogs as this can get them chasing, nipping etc.. times that by 10 and this is probably what the GR was dealing with.

[Steve K9Pro]

I am hoping Canterbury Council will call me back and give us all the opportunity of better understanding why these things happen.

Its my understanding that Golden Retriever Rescue is working with the council to help Buster.

Might want to give them a call with your offer, they may be in more of a position to accept it?

K9: Thanks Dee Lee, was in touch with GRR over the weekend, they are aware of my offer to help.

[Leelaa17]

The issue is getting restricted breeds a fair go, not lowering the bar for the rest.

I agree.

I had a look at K9Force's facebook page. I wonder why he is willing to attempt to intervene on behalf of this particular dog. The reasoning he has provided could be applied to many other cases just as easily. Has he attempted other interventions of this nature with the council after dog attacks on humans in the past ?

Yes he would. The k9 pro behaviourist is extremely professional and works with all kinds of dogs - this I know because I have talked to him before. Just because it is a GR doesnt mean anything - He would do the same if it was a gsd or any kind of bull terrier.

[Steve K9Pro]

Breeds we will not work with

[RottnBullies]

Maybe It's not a question of whether someone Is willing to do the behaviour assesment, but on whether It would actually be allowed to If It were certain "other" breeds, I'm well aware that K9 does do It for bull breeds and others

[MelodysMum]

K9: Some things for everyone to think about...

If someone put your dog and a corner and beat it with a stick until it attacked them, would you want your dog put down?

This may not have happened but it also may, or there could be 1000 other reasons why this happened that would be reasons for action other than euthanizing the dog.

Put your hand up if you have a dog that is incapable of an attack. If your dog is living it IS capable, all dogs are under the right or wrong circumstances.

I have offered to complete an assessment on this dog, why? Well there are a number of reasons.

1. This dog has apparently no history of aggression.

2. There are extenuating circumstances (owners fighting in the house)

3. The dog was captured by strangers and led from the house with a simple slip leash and pushed into the council transport without the slightest hint of aggression. (This I did see)

4. I would like to see what is going on with this dog for my own research.

5. I think EVERY dog deserves to have its say, I think a temperament assessment will help do that.

The dog may still be euthanized, no one can justify that without a thorough investigation. If I felt it could be rehabilitated I put my hand up to adopt the dog and work with it, as perhaps no one else would.

The breed has zero to do with my involvement with this dog, I do the same regularly for other breeds, including many bull breeds, German Shepherds, Rotts etc.

Every week I am working with one council case or another to help with Dangerous Dog Declarations etc.

A few months ago I worked with a family with a Labrador that attacked a family member, I was able to place the dog back in the original home with a few changes and a lot of work with the family. The dog has been aggression free since then (a few months so far).

Will it attack in the next few months or years, no one knows that but as the dog was three years old before it showed any aggression, I guess this just proves that EVERY dog has the potential for this type of behaviour.

If you want zero risk, don't own a dog, or a cat, or a car or lawnmower and the list goes on.

I am hoping Canterbury Council will call me back and give us all the opportunity of better understanding why these things happen.

Steve, it is so good to read what you have written! You said it so much better than I could. I know that my own dog Brianna would certainly bite if she felt scared enough and she is a placid, loving dog that adores everyone. I am not naive enough to assume that her instinct for survival would not kick in if she felt threatened enough though.

I really don't understand people who say that any dog who bites a human should be put to sleep. Are they supposed to just submit and let themselves be hurt or even killed because a human is superior? Are they not allowed to defend themselves?

If a person was being attacked and felt that their life was being threatened they would defend themselves. People who would never normally do such a thing could become violent, even kill someone if they were defending themselves, their family or their home. They get let off on the grounds of self-defence. Yet a dog who may have done exactly the same thing should be killed without any investigation? Sorry, I don't agree.

Anyone who owns horses knows that quite often a horse will be spooked or get upset and kick out at its owner. I suffered a broken arm as a result of one of our horses trying to kick me. Nobody would even suggest that a horse should be destroyed because its owner got hurt. They would understand that the horse is an animal, and that its behaviour is not always predictable, but that humans should learn how to handle horses. The same should also apply to dogs. Obviously there are dogs which cannot be rehabilitated, but up until this incident Buster from all reports was a well-behaved, under control, well-socialised dog. There is no reason to believe he cannot be again. If Michael Vick's fighting dogs in the USA can be rehabilitated and become family pets (and it is well documented that some of them have), then surely Buster should be given a second chance.

Edited March 28, 2011 by WendyH

[fetchindawgs]

The owners were in their early twenties and mum 40 something. And, the brothers were fighting. Mum was possibly screaming at her sons, and who knows how violent the fighting became.

Natural reaction from a loyal family dog is to intervene/join in. Maybe the dog had one member of the family that he had bonded with more than the others, but sounds to me that the dog got into the fight, and hands and arms and teeth all got in the way of each other. If calmness had prevailed then probably none of this would have happened. And, of course with the neighbour putting his hand in to the fray to pull out the dog, (dangerous move at any time), then he also ended up with an injury.

Too many maybe(s) and if(s). Separate interviews of the family involved would probably bring light on the event. I feel sorry for the dog being put into this situation, and possibly only doing what it thought right. The media presuming it attacked & mauled and headlining it annoys the hell out of me. Sensationalizing is the usual media ploy often used on the wrong news items.

We put too much pressure on dogs to be humanized. They do not reason, they do not know the law. All cases where the dog comes off second best, sadden me, this being one.

[RottnBullies]

I think most agree that there Is more to this story than what's been printed, but that's not surprising. What Is being asked Is If this were same circumstances but not a popular breed as the GR, would people be screaming out for an assement etc??

As much as everyone says It shouldn't matter on the breed, this Is just a clear example that It does!

I'm all for this dog getting what he needs as i do feel for him and know that something was not quiet right, but we need this to extend to all dog attacks .

Dogs rarely attack without reason, and that's for all breeds, finding out what has gone wrong in all cases will only serve to help all In this regard

[Aidan3]

I hesitate to post this, because I know that for many, the points will be hard to see:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13...ang-attack.html

[Aidan3]

I think most agree that there Is more to this story than what's been printed, but that's not surprising. What Is being asked Is If this were same circumstances but not a popular breed as the GR, would people be screaming out for an assement etc??

No, but didn't we get that the first time it was brought up? I think poodlefan summed it up the best.