Reporting Dogs To The Authorities

[tdierikx]

Keep reporting the days and times the offending dogs are likely to be around - then the ranger can be there waiting for them...

T.

[curly]

Keep reporting the days and times the offending dogs are likely to be around - then the ranger can be there waiting for them...

T.

Actually, I've thought of that one! The dobermans usually walk early mornings, the mastiff late arvo, that maremma is usually on the lead now (that was a mongrel!). But... they vary a lot.

I keep waiting for the horses to stomp invading dogs, but the girls in the closest paddock are good. They mostly just look.

[curly]

And now the neighours dog is barking. They keep coming over, too, but at least they're aware of it and trying to keep them in.

[Santo66]

The problem is, what can be done? I don't know where these dogs live

Unless you can identify the owner, the council may provide some lip service but there is nothing they can do really, even with a description on record, they still can only address the current situation if they catch up with them......I would tend to follow them or find out where the dogs live so you can make a valid report where they have to do something about it?

Edited October 3, 2013 by Santo66

[Santo66]

Many years ago I changed the way I walked to my children's school because of two GSD's that would run out with their hackles up, I didn't scare as easy in those days, shouting and saying "Go home" would get rid of them. However I didn't walk my kids passed them as I had no right to risk them getting attacked, so I went a different longer way around.

A few weeks later those dogs attacked a child because he tried to run away, then they attacked the child's mother. They didn't know how to react, they did the worst thing by running, was it their fault then, no it was the irresponsible owner of the dogs fault.

I should have reported those dogs the first time they rushed me, they rushed at everyone walking passed, no one reported them because they hadn't bitten anyone, but when they decided to start biting it was severe.

It's not about a nanny state, it's about a community drawing a line and saying for the safety of others this behavior cannot continue, we are all responsible for the communities we live in. If anyone sees or experiences anything dangerous they should report it.

We had a GSD up the road when I was a kid who used to run out and bail people up. The old girl who owned him when she was home used to let him lay on the front porch and when she heard him barking, she would come out and tell him to get inside. She could call him off and he would wander back in and wait for the next person walking by and do the same thing. He bit a kid in the end and the police were called who shot him in the front yard.....he came out at the cops when they rolled up to interview the owner about the attack on the kid apparently. GSD's could have been a banned breed back then too being another reason they may have shot him....it was around 1970/71 by memory but was big action in street everyone talked about.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Santo66

[Alison03]

Many years ago I changed the way I walked to my children's school because of two GSD's that would run out with their hackles up, I didn't scare as easy in those days, shouting and saying "Go home" would get rid of them. However I didn't walk my kids passed them as I had no right to risk them getting attacked, so I went a different longer way around.

A few weeks later those dogs attacked a child because he tried to run away, then they attacked the child's mother. They didn't know how to react, they did the worst thing by running, was it their fault then, no it was the irresponsible owner of the dogs fault.

I should have reported those dogs the first time they rushed me, they rushed at everyone walking passed, no one reported them because they hadn't bitten anyone, but when they decided to start biting it was severe.

It's not about a nanny state, it's about a community drawing a line and saying for the safety of others this behavior cannot continue, we are all responsible for the communities we live in. If anyone sees or experiences anything dangerous they should report it.

We had a GSD up the road when I was a kid who used to run out and bail people up. The old girl who owned him when she was home used to let him lay on the front porch and when she heard him barking, she would come out and tell him to get inside. She could call him off and he would wander back in and wait for the next person walking by and do the same thing. He bit a kid in the end and the police were called who shot him in the front yard.....he came out at the cops when they rolled up to interview the owner about the attack on the kid apparently. GSD's could have been a banned breed back then too being another reason they may have shot him....it was around 1970/71 by memory but was big action in street everyone talked about.

Shot the dog in the front yard, didn't they use pepper spray back then?

Now just to clear something up I thought "GSD" meant German Shepherd, but I must be wrong as they aren't a banned breed are they? Forgive my ignorance I shouldn't use initials if I don't know what they stand for.

Just for clarification the dogs in my story were German Shepherds.

It sounds like a similar situation to mine apart from no one used to call the dogs back in, but they'd go back if you knew to shout "go home". It's like a lot of dog attacks I've heard of, it starts with the dog/s running out of their garden barking and as time goes on they escalate to biting not just rushing. I've always assumed that's because the nature strip becomes their territory as well as their garden.

The shepherds in my story were taken to the pound to be PTS, not shot by the police, that would have been dramatic and upsetting for the old girl, but I guess the police felt threatened.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Alison03

[Boronia]

A dog can recognise certain words that the owner has taught it, words like...sit, stay or drop.

I am wondering how a complete stranger can shout 'go home' and the dog know exactly what to do.

eta this example

Edited October 3, 2013 by Boronia

[Alison03]

A dog can recognise certain words that the owner has taught it, words like...sit, stay or drop.

I am wondering how a complete stranger can shout 'go home' and the dog know exactly what to do.

eta this

Edited October 3, 2013 by Alison03

[Alison03]

A dog can recognise certain words that the owner has taught it, words like...sit, stay or drop.

I am wondering how a complete stranger can shout 'go home' and the dog know exactly what to do.

eta this example

I just typed a response and it disappeared, I'll try again.

I just think after using various phrases, some I can't repeat here :laugh:

I found a phrase their owner must have used, which was "Go Home" while pointing in the direction I wanted them to go. They reacted to the word "No" too. Most dogs recognize that word just like kids and husbands do.

[Boronia]

A dog can recognise certain words that the owner has taught it, words like...sit, stay or drop.

I am wondering how a complete stranger can shout 'go home' and the dog know exactly what to do.

eta this example

I don't know either but after shouting a number of phrases, some I can't repeat here, I found they reacted to "No" and "Go home" I'd point the way I wanted them to go, and they'd go, I'm just glad it worked. I must have found the command phrases the owner used. "No" is fairly universal I would think, most people use that word to a dog, child, husband.

:-))

Yep..I saw a woman walking two polite medium-dog mixes last week when a blue/gray coloured entire staffy ran right across the road at her dogs, she yelled "F*@K off yer mongrel"...that worked :)

[Alison03]

A dog can recognise certain words that the owner has taught it, words like...sit, stay or drop.

I am wondering how a complete stranger can shout 'go home' and the dog know exactly what to do.

eta this example

I don't know either but after shouting a number of phrases, some I can't repeat here, I found they reacted to "No" and "Go home" I'd point the way I wanted them to go, and they'd go, I'm just glad it worked. I must have found the command phrases the owner used. "No" is fairly universal I would think, most people use that word to a dog, child, husband.

:-))

Yep..I saw a woman walking two polite medium-dog mixes last week when a blue/gray coloured entire staffy ran right across the road at her dogs, she yelled "F*@K off yer mongrel"...that worked :)

I think I may have used that exact phrase myself, sometimes it works really well. :laugh:

[melzawelza]

Many years ago I changed the way I walked to my children's school because of two GSD's that would run out with their hackles up, I didn't scare as easy in those days, shouting and saying "Go home" would get rid of them. However I didn't walk my kids passed them as I had no right to risk them getting attacked, so I went a different longer way around.

A few weeks later those dogs attacked a child because he tried to run away, then they attacked the child's mother. They didn't know how to react, they did the worst thing by running, was it their fault then, no it was the irresponsible owner of the dogs fault.

I should have reported those dogs the first time they rushed me, they rushed at everyone walking passed, no one reported them because they hadn't bitten anyone, but when they decided to start biting it was severe.

It's not about a nanny state, it's about a community drawing a line and saying for the safety of others this behavior cannot continue, we are all responsible for the communities we live in. If anyone sees or experiences anything dangerous they should report it.

We had a GSD up the road when I was a kid who used to run out and bail people up. The old girl who owned him when she was home used to let him lay on the front porch and when she heard him barking, she would come out and tell him to get inside. She could call him off and he would wander back in and wait for the next person walking by and do the same thing. He bit a kid in the end and the police were called who shot him in the front yard.....he came out at the cops when they rolled up to interview the owner about the attack on the kid apparently. GSD's could have been a banned breed back then too being another reason they may have shot him....it was around 1970/71 by memory but was big action in street everyone talked about.

Now just to clear something up I thought "GSD" meant German Shepherd, but I must be wrong as they aren't a banned breed are they? Forgive my ignorance I shouldn't use initials if I don't know what they stand for.

Australia was the first country in the world to enact any kind of BSL and German Shepherds were the dogs targeted. There was an import ban and various restrictions on the dogs from the 40s in to the 70s. They were seen as inherently vicious' dogs that were more like a wolf than a 'normal', domesticated dog. Farmers were also concerned they would breed with dingoes and create a crazed sheep killer that would decimate their livestock.

It's a hard question. I investigated an incident in the last couple of years where a dog ran out of it's front gate and injured another dog so badly that there was a 5k vet bill and the dog subsequently died. I had no history on the dog whatsoever but as I was investigating I ended up finding out about three prior incidents where the dog had done exactly the same thing, but the owners were savvy enough to prevent injury to their dog, and had never reported it.

Because not one of those people had reported it, a little dog died. In fact, two dogs died, as following the Dangerous Dog declaration the owner euthanased the attacking dog rather than comply with the onerous regulations.

If one of the lesser incidents had been reported I could have intervened much earlier in the piece and prevented that final incident ever happening. The small dog would have been alive today and the attacking dog (who was absolutely wonderful with people but not with other dogs) would have also lived.

[JulesP]

It's a hard question. I investigated an incident in the last couple of years where a dog ran out of it's front gate and injured another dog so badly that there was a 5k vet bill and the dog subsequently died. I had no history on the dog whatsoever but as I was investigating I ended up finding out about three prior incidents where the dog had done exactly the same thing, but the owners were savvy enough to prevent injury to their dog, and had never reported it.

Because not one of those people had reported it, a little dog died. In fact, two dogs died, as following the Dangerous Dog declaration the owner euthanased the attacking dog rather than comply with the onerous regulations.

If one of the lesser incidents had been reported I could have intervened much earlier in the piece and prevented that final incident ever happening. The small dog would have been alive today and the attacking dog (who was absolutely wonderful with people but not with other dogs) would have also lived.

This is pretty much why I decided to report the dog that I reported. I felt that a smaller dog would have been killed.

Unfortunately the ranger left it up to me as to what happened to the dog, which I didn't think was fair. Hopefully having the ranger visit was enough for them to not let the dog out again.

My dog did require a vet visit.

[melzawelza]

It's a hard question. I investigated an incident in the last couple of years where a dog ran out of it's front gate and injured another dog so badly that there was a 5k vet bill and the dog subsequently died. I had no history on the dog whatsoever but as I was investigating I ended up finding out about three prior incidents where the dog had done exactly the same thing, but the owners were savvy enough to prevent injury to their dog, and had never reported it.

Because not one of those people had reported it, a little dog died. In fact, two dogs died, as following the Dangerous Dog declaration the owner euthanased the attacking dog rather than comply with the onerous regulations.

If one of the lesser incidents had been reported I could have intervened much earlier in the piece and prevented that final incident ever happening. The small dog would have been alive today and the attacking dog (who was absolutely wonderful with people but not with other dogs) would have also lived.

This is pretty much why I decided to report the dog that I reported. I felt that a smaller dog would have been killed.

Unfortunately the ranger left it up to me as to what happened to the dog, which I didn't think was fair. Hopefully having the ranger visit was enough for them to not let the dog out again.

My dog did require a vet visit.

I keep hearing people saying this and it bothers me. I don't believe it's right for Rangers or AMOs to do this. They are the person who has the skills and training to decide what is the best option. I would never leave it up to the victim to decide what happens to the dog! Sometimes I take more action that the victim wants, sometimes I take less. It's MY call, I'm the one being paid to do it, so I shouldn't be expecting members of the public to do my job for me.

[curly]

So here's an update on the phone call to council.

To briefly recap, I get many, many off-lead dogs wandering into my property, going my dogs through the fence and so on.

The lovely council rep is making a report to go to the rangers, who will look into things. This may result in signs being posted, random patrols, whatever. The person I spoke to was right on to the 'dogs off lead' issue, as we all know it's not allowed in public (except designated areas).

The idea was to get it on record that these dogs are loose, are creating a nuisance, chasing stock etc. I don't know if it's already known that people walk dogs off lead here, but now it's official.

So the moral is, make that report to council! Even if the dog in question can't be identified, there will be a record of, say, a black lab chasing people on x street.

Now, if anyone knows how to stop mongrel teenagers throwing rocks at horses, I'm all ears.

[Steph M]

Snipers throwing rocks of their own. Little dipshits!

[Rozzie]

Now, if anyone knows how to stop mongrel teenagers throwing rocks at horses, I'm all ears.

Take photos. Call the police.

[Alison03]

Many years ago I changed the way I walked to my children's school because of two GSD's that would run out with their hackles up, I didn't scare as easy in those days, shouting and saying "Go home" would get rid of them. However I didn't walk my kids passed them as I had no right to risk them getting attacked, so I went a different longer way around.

A few weeks later those dogs attacked a child because he tried to run away, then they attacked the child's mother. They didn't know how to react, they did the worst thing by running, was it their fault then, no it was the irresponsible owner of the dogs fault.

I should have reported those dogs the first time they rushed me, they rushed at everyone walking passed, no one reported them because they hadn't bitten anyone, but when they decided to start biting it was severe.

It's not about a nanny state, it's about a community drawing a line and saying for the safety of others this behavior cannot continue, we are all responsible for the communities we live in. If anyone sees or experiences anything dangerous they should report it.

We had a GSD up the road when I was a kid who used to run out and bail people up. The old girl who owned him when she was home used to let him lay on the front porch and when she heard him barking, she would come out and tell him to get inside. She could call him off and he would wander back in and wait for the next person walking by and do the same thing. He bit a kid in the end and the police were called who shot him in the front yard.....he came out at the cops when they rolled up to interview the owner about the attack on the kid apparently. GSD's could have been a banned breed back then too being another reason they may have shot him....it was around 1970/71 by memory but was big action in street everyone talked about.

Now just to clear something up I thought "GSD" meant German Shepherd, but I must be wrong as they aren't a banned breed are they? Forgive my ignorance I shouldn't use initials if I don't know what they stand for.

Australia was the first country in the world to enact any kind of BSL and German Shepherds were the dogs targeted. There was an import ban and various restrictions on the dogs from the 40s in to the 70s. They were seen as inherently vicious' dogs that were more like a wolf than a 'normal', domesticated dog. Farmers were also concerned they would breed with dingoes and create a crazed sheep killer that would decimate their livestock.

It's a hard question. I investigated an incident in the last couple of years where a dog ran out of it's front gate and injured another dog so badly that there was a 5k vet bill and the dog subsequently died. I had no history on the dog whatsoever but as I was investigating I ended up finding out about three prior incidents where the dog had done exactly the same thing, but the owners were savvy enough to prevent injury to their dog, and had never reported it.

Because not one of those people had reported it, a little dog died. In fact, two dogs died, as following the Dangerous Dog declaration the owner euthanased the attacking dog rather than comply with the onerous regulations.

If one of the lesser incidents had been reported I could have intervened much earlier in the piece and prevented that final incident ever happening. The small dog would have been alive today and the attacking dog (who was absolutely wonderful with people but not with other dogs) would have also lived.

Thanks for letting me know about GSD's, glad I got the right dog wasn't sure for a minute there. My husband owned GSD's back in the day and a lab/dingo cross, he didn't have a problem with any of them.

I feel any incident with an aggressive dog should be reported, a curious dog I wouldn't report, but any rushing barking snarling stuff is worth my time to ring the council, just in case it leads to a serious attack on someone else. If someone had reported the two dogs that attacked me and my dog, it would have saved me a lot of anxiety and therapy.

I think its best if the victim of an attack doesn't have a say in what happens to the dog/s, as a traumatised person could make a decision they regret once they have calmed down. I did say to the animal control lady that I didn't want the dogs destroyed, she said it wasn't up to me, which is how it should be.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Alison03

[Alison03]

So here's an update on the phone call to council.

To briefly recap, I get many, many off-lead dogs wandering into my property, going my dogs through the fence and so on.

The lovely council rep is making a report to go to the rangers, who will look into things. This may result in signs being posted, random patrols, whatever. The person I spoke to was right on to the 'dogs off lead' issue, as we all know it's not allowed in public (except designated areas).

The idea was to get it on record that these dogs are loose, are creating a nuisance, chasing stock etc. I don't know if it's already known that people walk dogs off lead here, but now it's official.

So the moral is, make that report to council! Even if the dog in question can't be identified, there will be a record of, say, a black lab chasing people on x street.

Now, if anyone knows how to stop mongrel teenagers throwing rocks at horses, I'm all ears.

I'd say that is a really good result, its great when the system works well. :) Not sure about the teenager problem, but a phone call to the police might help.

[Dame Aussie]

Now, if anyone knows how to stop mongrel teenagers throwing rocks at horses, I'm all ears.

Take photos. Call the police.

This. Who does that?! Little serial killers in the making