:'( girl possibly killed by dogs

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21321953

Two mastiffs and two possible Staffordshire bull terriers humanely pts. Poor girl:'(

Oh my God, what a horrible story.

14 year old left alone with 5(!!!) powerful dogs.

I've just seen it on the news, apparently she was visting the house. It's so sad for her and the dogs.

I know, she was visiting too so might not have known the dogs or how to handle them.

An absolute tragedy, no doubt, but I can't help but notice;

'and two may be Staffordshire bull terriers'

Be prepared for a new assault on the breed whether they were Staffies or not.

Tragic, heart goes out to the family xX

A very sad day - and not least for this poor young girl and her family.

What a horrible story but there has to be more to it . My stepson owns 2 Bull Mastiffs and obviously we own 2 staffs but I wouldn't think twice about leaving Jenny in the house with all 4 of them together, she knows each and every dog very well and exactly how to handle them , they probably listen to her more than me so people should not go scare mongering without knowing facts

tragic accidants can not really comment

I'm backing out of this one now with what I deem as an irresponsible comment after discussing with my OH (it was an off the hip comment) Normally if the dogs were to start scrapping then worse case scenario they hurt each other ( or worse ) but as my OH pointed out , what if the girl decided to try and separate them. TBH its not a situation I've ever contemplated so I stand corrected

I think the girl didn't live there or own the dogs though which was why I was quite shocked that she was on her own. Personally none of us at home were allowed to be on our own around the dogs as kids. That said, there was guard dogs at a time.

But after hearing she was visiting it strikes me as a a freak accident and a tragedy at that. However, reading that some of the dogs were immediately PTS as being deemed out of control is worrying.

Horrible poor girl. And her family of course.

MatLogan wrote:I think the girl didn't live there or own the dogs though which was why I was quite shocked that she was on her own. Personally none of us at home were allowed to be on our own around the dogs as kids. That said, there was guard dogs at a time.

But after hearing she was visiting it strikes me as a a freak accident and a tragedy at that. However, reading that some of the dogs were immediately PTS as being deemed out of control is worrying.

I think I know my dogs and my sons dogs but it makes you think about the what ifs . Jenny walks our 2 knows how to handle hm , what to do in an emergency , cross the road when she sees other dogs etc etc but never really contemplated a scenario like this , she loves all the dogs to bits so if she decided to go i the middle to break it up then

Dave wrote:I think I know my dogs and my sons dogs but it makes you think about the what ifs . Jenny walks our 2 knows how to handle hm , what to do in an emergency , cross the road when she sees other dogs etc etc but never really contemplated a scenario like this , she loves all the dogs to bits so if she decided to go i the middle to break it up then

We weren't allowed because at a family BBQ my cousins were messing with a laser pen and pointed it at my brother who was a toddler at the time and one of the GSD's paniced and went for him full on. It's really hard to know sometimes, it can take very little to set them off I guess.

I know mate , my comment was out of order , we don't know the story but if it makes me think on the right level then ...............

Dave wrote:I know mate , my comment was out of order , we don't know the story but if it makes me think on the right level then ...............

Nah I don't think out of order at all fella tbh. It's a fairly emotion driven topic.

Dave wrote:I know mate , my comment was out of order , we don't know the story but if it makes me think on the right level then ...............

I don't think it was out of order, it's easy to think of things from your own point of view, and we all feel like we know what our dogs would or wouldn't do under every situation and etc. No-one wants to think something like that could ever happen

Tara wrote:

Dave wrote:I know mate , my comment was out of order , we don't know the story but if it makes me think on the right level then ...............

I don't think it was out of order, it's easy to think of things from your own point of view, and we all feel like we know what our dogs would or wouldn't do under every situation and etc. No-one wants to think something like that could ever happen

Thankyou Tara but it is about thinking, we all think we know everything but there is always something to make you stop ><

Just seen it on TV (3 I believe ) seems the girl was visiting a friend , frien d dissapeared , unknown situation and no mention or accusation of breed , just forensic scientists and investigation ongoing to establish breed / breeds involved

really tragic. cant imagine what the girls family are going through
horrible that the dogs had to lose their lives too.

Dave wrote:Just seen it on TV (3 I believe ) seems the girl was visiting a friend , frien d dissapeared , unknown situation and no mention or accusation of breed , just forensic scientists and investigation ongoing to establish breed / breeds involved

i just saw it on bbc news Dave.
im guessing they'll be checking to see if theyre illegal breeds.

i still dont think that the breed type should be released (though no dout it will be) as its irrellevant really. the whole tragic incident is down to human error and not the fault of the dogs.
telling everyone the breed will just cause scaremongering in my opinion.

First of all my thoughts are with the family of the girl, such a terrible thing to happen.
Just watched a discussion on Sky News where one of the presenters insisted that 'this would never happen with a Labrador, its always a certain type of breed that does this'
Thanks to the female presenter who also insisted that any dog could do this and its down to owners and training.
No one knows what really happened but i agree that our breed will take another beating over the coming weeks.
Again my sympathy goes out to the victims family

Apparantly the girl went in eating a pie which they reckon attracted the dogs and it just got out of hand. Tragic

EllieSmith wrote:Apparantly the girl went in eating a pie which they reckon attracted the dogs and it just got out of hand. Tragic

I heard that today too. I dunno about it tbh. But that aside it's dreadfully tragic and horrible for everyone involved.

They were probably never walked properly or stimulated. If I was cooped up and hungry I'd have a pie too.

At least the general view is still "deed not breed" and that the owners are to blame.

Rip girly

Horrendously tragic poor girl. My heart goes out to her family.

I'd like to know what this "humanely" pts was if it was done by the police?

A horrible tragic, our thoughts with the girls family too.
My view are this, its the way those dogs have been brough up, treated, handled......... and this goes for any breed of dog!!!!
My brother was attacked by a labardor which was our neighbours in the face for no reason years ago. Dogs like any animal are unpredictable.
Only the other week I had to grab a labardor that had come running out of no where towards Pixee, lucky at the time, my son was with me, as I know Pixee does not like dogs coming at her out of no where, son had her back on the lead quick, as she had laid down which to me is play mode, but I couldnt take the risk. The man came running and said how sorry he was, he knew alot about staffies, and stood talking to us saying, its not the dogs fault, but some owners, and the fact that the fight has been breed into them years ago, and how soft staffies are in genera to some dogs and thats why people misunderstand them on the whole. He fussed Pixee, which to my suprise she let him do cos she is still wary of strangers. Sorry for going off topic abit, but just stating the facts and how news people just give out time and time again the wrong views on our staffies etc never the other dogs breed, so wrong.

Hayley wrote:I'd like to know what this "humanely" pts was if it was done by the police?

Me too................

I saw in the paper today that the woman who owned the dogs breed them. The only exercise they got was in the garden, not taken out and she apparently gloated on facebook about how aggressive one of the bigger dogs were on facebook that she had to get it castrated.

They also showed the pictures of her dogs, a bull mastiff, and two other dogs, one to me looked like a pitbull and the other looked staffy cross, but I am no expert on that. Either way, this is a tragic thing to happen and it all points again to an irresponsible owner. My heart goes out to that girls family and the poor dogs who were put in that situation.

To do anything other than mourn the loss of this girl and send thoughts to the family so soon after this tragic incident is disrespectful IMO.

That's what makes all the speculation and sensationalism in some of the papers even more abhorrent as it causes this to descend into and argument about dogs, owners feeling they have to defend against such sweeping and ignorant statements when at the moment we should just be thinking of this poor girl and her family and friends.

Tony n Jane wrote:First of all my thoughts are with the family of the girl, such a terrible thing to happen.
Just watched a discussion on Sky News where one of the presenters insisted that 'this would never happen with a Labrador, its always a certain type of breed that does this'
Thanks to the female presenter who also insisted that any dog could do this and its down to owners and training.
No one knows what really happened but i agree that our breed will take another beating over the coming weeks.
Again my sympathy goes out to the victims family

Rubbish. As a child skipping to the post box I was randomly attacked by an unaccompanied black lab in the street. Luckily a passing adult lifted me out of its way. I was petrified of black labs for years.

Very sad news, indeed. And my heart goes out to the family.
My feeling is that no responsible dog owner would allow this to happen, 5 very powerful dogs in one household is to be questioned. Leaving them to be looked on by a young girl, possible not well known as she was new to the area (apparently). My feeling is that the dogs have been trained to be aggressive, Staffie's are generally the perfect dog for a small family and will also be protective. All the dogs would have been guarding what they believed to be their home, the owner should never be allowed to keep dogs again. Any responsible dog owner will be aware of the the possible danger of any breed of dog.. they all have the potential to be dangerous

anybody seen in the news about the four dogs that attacked and killed the little girl eating a meat pie?

another example of why people who cant train dogs shouldnt bloody have them.

all it does is make people like ourselves more suseptible to looks/ scorns/ abuse from people who dont know their a**e from their elbow.

As well for myself, a 22 year old guy with a staffie well.....everyone immediately things hes for dog fighting and is a menace to society.

A certificate of passing a gov dog training scheme should be required for ANYBODY purchasing.

god damn it.

Merged with the topic Girl possibly killed by dogs

Yes matey, it is an awful story.

It was discussed here last night
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t34238-girl-possibly-killed-by-dogs

I've moved your topic to the news section.

Very sad but the radio stations are jumping the gun allready tarring the breed, Jeremy vine especially on bbc radio 2 using scare tactics on listeners who are ringing up telling people to get rid of there staffies etc etc! Such a shame these biased uneducated morons can't keep there opinions to themselves !

Hayley wrote:I'd like to know what this "humanely" pts was if it was done by the police?

I just heard they were shot there.

firstly, heartfelt sorrow for the poor girl involved in this tragedy.

with regards to humanely PTS... the new report i saw yesterday spoke to a neighbour who said " i heard nothing until the gunshots from the armed police in the back garden"

what on earth is humane about that.

of course I, or they could be mistaken, but then again if the dogs were hungry and their pack instinct kicked in, they cannot be blamed for their natural behaviour.

How often do you hear of wild animals being slain in groups for behaving the way they are programmed to by nature, WWF would have a field day if it were pandas!

that being said the owner/breeder/poor excuse for a human being shouldnt encourage their pack hunting instincts in a residential situation.

Apologies for any offence caused, im aware this is a sensitive subject, but IMO this is a freak and terrible accident caused by poor training and care of the animals involved, and it seems to me that the response of the authorities was a knee jerk reaction to the horrid circumstance in which it arose.

And there is NOTHING humane about guns! trust me!

all that being said, this could be hearsay, as so much of todays media is, and I apologise for anything that later turns out to be wrong on my account.

Radio 2 in the car, lunchtime discussion. Vet phones in and says she gets bitten by a lot of dogs, but staffs and mastiffs are two of the most gentle breeds she sees. Then she goes on to say that the sort of people who own staffs and mastiffs are generally not the best dog owners. Presenter's attitude was "it's the breed, not the owners". Many people phoning in were just calling for a blanket ban on the breeds.

Preparing myself for increased hostility from the general public now. The media are going to make sure everyone's terrified.

I came home and gave my beautiful dogs loads of hugs and kisses.

The only thing is I have only heard/read them say "maybe Staffordshire Bull Terriers" and "pitbull type". They were very definitive on the Mastiff front.

Photos of the dogs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2299474/Jade-Anderson-death-Atherton-girl-14-eating-MEAT-PIE-4-snarling-dogs-mauled-death.html

Sorry another link, but I've always found the Telegraph to be a bit more valid.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100209277/girl-killed-by-dogs-almost-any-breed-can-kill-but-good-nurture-can-beat-dangerous-nature/

Not forgetting that there's a tragic death at the centre of all of this and that's heartbreaking but at least this Telegraph article seems to be better worded and less "ban the staffies" than the one in the Sun and Daily Mail. I'm just worried now that they will put staffies on the banned breed list I actually felt sick reading through all the comments under the Sky News article about how all staffies should just be banned and destroyed. I know its uneducated people saying these things but really... is that what a lot of people think? I was actually upset reading them so I had to stop I can't wait to get home to give my boy a big hug now.

It would appear that the dogs were shot dead at the scene, one of them was reportedly shot 5 times before it died... I'm not sure this constitutes being put to sleep humainley.

This really scares me, I feel it could be the straw that broke the camels back interms of the government taking action. Whilst I hope its the owners that ledgislation effects, I fear that the easiest target is the breed.

Dan330 wrote:This really scares me, I feel it could be the straw that broke the camels back interms of the government taking action. Whilst I hope its the owners that ledgislation effects, I fear that the easiest target is the breed.

I have read there will be DNA testing done to determine if they are banned breeds. If this is the case it will not come back to the Stafford IMO as from the photo's I've seen only one dog resembles a Stafford and it certaintly isn't a pure Staff. This is the only way it seems the owner can be prosecuted.

Naturally I don't want to see any more horrible press on Staffords or any of us to experience more negative comments.

It's a pity the news stories weren't more to do with the loss of a poor girl's life than all about potential dangerous breeds.

canthavethat wrote:

Tony n Jane wrote:First of all my thoughts are with the family of the girl, such a terrible thing to happen.
Just watched a discussion on Sky News where one of the presenters insisted that 'this would never happen with a Labrador, its always a certain type of breed that does this'
Thanks to the female presenter who also insisted that any dog could do this and its down to owners and training.
No one knows what really happened but i agree that our breed will take another beating over the coming weeks.
Again my sympathy goes out to the victims family

Rubbish. As a child skipping to the post box I was randomly attacked by an unaccompanied black lab in the street. Luckily a passing adult lifted me out of its way. I was petrified of black labs for years.

My point exactly.

Taken from a link within the Telegraph article
http://www.curiosityaroused.com/nature/top-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds-based-on-bite-fatalities/

I would like to think that my two Staffies would never attack a human but they are animals at the end of the day and they will behave as such in particular situations. I don't believe any dog should be trusted 100% especially with a child that may not be able to handle them. And where food is concerned, well, I think mine would kill just to get a piece of pie. I joke but who really knows!

MatLogan wrote:

Hayley wrote:I'd like to know what this "humanely" pts was if it was done by the police?

I just heard they were shot there.

Yes, which is why i want to know whats humane

Hayley wrote:

MatLogan wrote:

Hayley wrote:I'd like to know what this "humanely" pts was if it was done by the police?

I just heard they were shot there.

Yes, which is why i want to know whats humane

Yea def not humane, I was agreeing with you tbh.

A single shot to an animal can be instant and humane, as far as taking a life in any circumstance can be (I know this from hunting rabbits, I only ever take the shot if I know it's a clean one). As for the "only these dogs attack", I was attacked by a border collie web I was ten, and still have the scars on my arm to prove it.

ANY dog, regardless of breed, has the capacity to be dangerous and lethal.

asa-james wrote:A single shot to an animal can be instant and humane, as far as taking a life in any circumstance can be (I know this from hunting rabbits, I only ever take the shot if I know it's a clean one).

ANY dog, regardless of breed, has the capacity to be dangerous and lethal.

This^^^ Humane is the quickest, least painfull and least stressfull way to kill something, a bullett in the head taken from a bedroom window whilst the dogs are oblivious is far more humane than throwing them a poisoned steak. I shouldn't imagine there'll be many tranquiliser guns accessible in this country but I could be wrong. The fact one of them took 5 bulletts probably says more about the coppers ability to use his weapon, I wouldn't put it past the filth to deliver some none fatal shots for their own amusement to be honest.