Dog fight

I have had my staffi x for just over weeks. He has been an angel in the house. Outside a few hairy moments but realised soon I could trust him. He had various dogs bound over to him and annoy him and he just ignored them. Today out walking and there is a bloke with 2 bull mastiffs. The dogs circle each other and I call mine back (he normally comes flying back to me) but it all kicks off. It was so fast. His two dogs were attacking mine and mine really went for it with one of them. He latched on. There was blood everywhere. He was booting him to get him off. Nothing I did worked. The other dog then attacked mine from the side obviously trying to help his buddy. It was absolutely horrific and I have never witnessed anything like it before. Seeing the other side to my beautiful dog I felt I had no choice to take him back as having seen this I feel I could never trust him out and am now scared of him to be around my daughters. The rescue place have said its 50/50 = the bloke is harrassing me saying I have to pay his vets bills, I have dangerous dog and saying my dog bit him... how he could know which dog bit him I don't know but he stuck his hands in there. So I now wait to be arrested for having a dangerous dog, for being sued for damages and worst of all the rescue centre said he will probably be put to sleep. If I didn't have kids I think i would kill myself I am so devastated. My dog had puncture wounds all over his head which I have photos of. Please help....

Please please don't beat yourself up about this. Dogs fighting has always happened and is not specific to any one breed it is what can happen if things get out of hand.

Were the other dogs on a lead ?

You are highly unlikely to be arrested for having a dangerous dog, the rescue centre would never have let you home him if he was deemed as being dangerous.

Being sued for damages is also unlikely, the other person put their hands in a dangerous place, you didn't make him do that.

When the rescue centre says 50/50 what did they mean ? Being PTS ?

Whilst this was a horrific thing to witness, I doubt there was much you could do once the confrontation started and there were 2 against one. Staffs are by nature of breed very good fighters which is why we all need to watch the body language and make sure these situations can't occur.

I'm so sorry you've had to experience this.

Hi Ian - firstly you are amazing with the great support. I did put another post on here about my dog when I first got him but set up this new account as my old one has pics on and I don't know... just got paranoid.

Anyway, no his two dogs were off the lead. He phoned me tonight and said I had to pay his vets fees now. Having spoken to the rescue by this point they said it was 50/50 dogs to blame, ie. not my boys fault but all at fault. So I said to this guy no sorry not accepting it and he went nuts. Started accusing me of having dangerous dog out of control, yet his two were just the same and left puncture wounds all over mine.

So rescue said 50-50 re blame on dogs. I said to them please please dont put him to sleep right now let me see if I can sort something. They said they will wait. What the hell can I do?

I adore that boy but was totally and utterly shocked. His eyes glazed over and nothing I did made the slightest bit of difference.

dog fights are very scary mias fended off a few dogs i never let the fights escalate usually the other dog attacks it is a horrific thing to witness mia is still great with my stepson and also my niece and nephew

Thanks for clearing that up.

The centre are correct, both owners are at fault as all dogs were "technically" not under control. You are not solely to blame.

Ask him if he is willing to pay Your vet bills. Bet he will say no. He cannot say your dog was the instigator, how would he react if two people were bearing down on him, I bet he wouldn't have just rolled over.

With regard to having your boy back, personally I would. As you said, he is a fantastic boy and what happened was very unfortunate but it doesn't make him vicious. You've seen what can happen and now know what to look for so you can avoid it ever happening again. Give yourself a day or two and see how you feel, ultimately it is your choice though.

Sounds like it just got out of control. signs were given by all the dogs but missed. Not your fault and not the other owners fault but I don't think you should pay all the vet bills as all the dogs were fighting it's just one of those things I'm afraid. I never let my boy off around dogs he doesn't know because of this type of situation. Staffies will fight if provoked.

Can I just stress something just because your dog had a fight today doesn't mean he will fight again necessarily not if you take caution around dogs you don't know I.e put him on a lead when you se another dog approaching, avoid dogs you don't like the look of, keep him out of situations that could be a negative experience. You could attend training classes with him to see him around other dogs again in a controlled environment and build your confidence up in him again. Trust me I've been there and it's not pleasant I can totally understand but at the end of the day he is a dog and dogs will fight given the chance so be cautious. Don't give up on him though he was only acting on instinct as difficult as that is for us humans to understand

Also I do need to stress that dog aggression is not the same as human aggression it's completely different.

It was a shock for you I'm sure but if really doesn't mean your dog is bad.

Sorry I need to correct myself. I said dogs will fight given the chance that's not true! They usually do everything they can not to fight. What I meant to say is they will fight if there's no other way and if the other dogs were giving off bad vibes he may have felt threatened and reacted.

i'm sorry this has happened but please dont think it will affect the way he is with your children,one incident will not get you arrested,dogs will fight,my girl got attacked a couple of years ago,thank god it was my husband walking her not me,when i took her to the vets after to get her sorted out he asked if i reported it and i said i couldnt as i couldnt bare to be responsible for the dog to be pts and he told me one attack would only go on record not the dog pts,you might have the police round thou,his dogs were off lead so yes 50/50.

I think the other owner saw me as a vulnerable woman on my own and took the piss. He was telling me it was lucky it happened with him as he used to be a dog behaviourist etc and he wouldn't like to think what would have happened if it was anyone else. To be honest I am with him on that. I was useless, I was unable to do a thing. I was screaming and shouting at him and trying to boot him off [please don't berate me on that I would never hurt a dog but it had gone on so long at this point and i thought he was going to kill the other dog].

I absolutely and totally did not recognise my boy when this happened. He looked possessed

I asked the rescue what would happen with him now and they said he will most probably be put to sleep

By the way, I am quite limited walk wise so most places we go there are plenty of dogs. Until now not been a problem. HE has had plenty of dogs belt over to him and rouse him but he is more interested in his ball/stick.

I hung up on the other dog owner earlier when he started being nasty but I am worried he will go to police and report my dog. He knows it has gone back to rescue and will probably be put to sleep. What the ffffff does he want!!! I could report him for having 2 dangerously out of control dogs but what good will that do?

Don't be bullied by the other owner.

You've asked for a few days grace before anything happens to your boy. Use the time to think.

All great advice above, I too am out with my boy on my own most of the time and do have eyes in the back of my head aware of other dogs approaching. Not to say my boy is dog aggresive but always pop him on lead as its for his own protection. Plese consider keeping him as said above it isnt concrete that this will hppen again just be aware and keep him on lead way before another dog approaches. Dont blme yourself please these things do happen xx

Just want to add its never a good idea to let a solo dog run into a group of dogs as the two dogs were a pack and that puts the solo dog on high alert in the first place

Also I very much doubt the guy was a behaviourist because he would have instinctively known he was witnessing a possible dog fight or at the very least he would have picked up in signals.

I hope you don't give up on your dog after this one incident I hope you use this as a learning curve and attend training classes with him. Training classes are as much for us as they are for the dogs

hia how are you feeling today

Bit of a sleepless night and eyes puffed up like balloons still!! However much I love that dog I am utterly shocked at what I saw yesterday. His eyes glazed over and seemed to go red and I didn't recognise him. I know that I cannot have him back. He pulls me so badly on the lead that my shoulder is currently killing me. I know this could be corrected with training but he would also have to be muzzled. On walks he just wants his stick or ball so what fun would that be for him. Plus I think I would get a lot of grief locally for keeping him as there were other dog walkers down there who saw it. I am personally not strong enough (and I mean mentally here, to deal with it). I contacted an organisation that deal with dangerous dogs and the new laws today, they mainly help when police seize a dog they think may have pit bull. I am hoping they can give me some help to stop him being put to sleep, but is that the right thing to do? I feel totally out of my depth.

I am kind of wondering what today will bring. Am expecting the police to turn up on one hand, but he knows damn well he had 3 dogs off the lead (only two were involved in it though) and if he reports me for dangerous dog I am clearly going to report his 2. I hung up on him when he started getting nasty on the phone. I do not want him phoning me anymore so I had thought about texting him and asking his email address and then emailing and saying that I have taken advice and all the dogs were off leads, both his and my dog were injured and therefore it is joint liability. His dog came off worse but he has his dogs where as mine is likely to be put to sleep. I will say that as far as I am concerned his dogs were dangerously out of control and when it was all over and I went to have a look at his dog's ear (he held my dog so I could go and have a look) both his dogs went to go for me and scared the sh.. out of me. Therefore if he wants to take it any further I suggest it is dealt with via the police. What do you think?

I just want him to leave me alone (I am a single parent and he knows what road I live on) and I want to focus on seeing if I can do anything to help my dog. I did speak to the police last night about his harrassing me and swearing at me, they said it was a 15 min wait to report a crime or I could do it on=line. I then didn't do it as thought would prefer they were not involved.

no wonder you did'nt get much sleep you must be so upset with it all.i was'nt there when my girl was attacked but like you my hubby was shocked by it,the noises were awful and although the other dog started sash gave as good back and it was a male staffy that attacked her,we cant tell you what to do but i can say that just because this has happened there are many ways you can insure it wont happen again if you kept him,i realize that you hav'nt had him long and this is enough to put you off ever having another dog again,but it can be put right,we are all here if you need help

I'm sorry but have you read any of the advice above? You keep saying dangerous dog your dog is not dangerous he needs you to keep him out of situations like that. You also say he pulls on the lead and you know he needs training. Why don't you train him then?

I'm sorry but your dog is going to be put down basically for no reason at all and I am so sad that another dog has been let down because of human ignorance.

Debs = thanks for your nasty comments, that is really what I needed right now. Karma will soon follow for you.

If you bothered to listen to what I have written I am referring to dangerous dogs legislation which would have applied to all 3 dogs in the situation.

Whatever way you want to tell yourself any dog can be dangerous and those dogs yesterday were. You can blame me if you feel better for it. I tried to give a dog a second chance. The place I rescued from didn't even know if I had owned another dog, let alone experience with bull breeds, and said I could take him for home trial. They never even did a home check I was just allowed to take him.

Anyway, you carry on with your spiteful comments if it makes you feel goo, I will just ignore them. I am too busy trying to stop the dog getting put to sleep. I notice you offer no advice on that... just hurtfulness. Well done you.

I'm not trying to be nasty I tried to give you advice above but I feel like you didn't really read it or listen. I wasn't calling your dog dangerous I am saying the complete opposite. I've been in your situation and I understand how shocking it is but what I can't understand is why you would give the dog back to the rescue. Your dog was just reacting to a situation that you and the other owner were not controlling the only way he knew how. With a bit of dog training the risk of that would be more or less eliminated. Not to say it definitely wouldn't happen again as nothing is certain but the risk would be limited because you would know what to look for and you would see the signs.

I'm sorry you felt I was being nasty it wasn't my intention but at the end of the day you did say you knew he needed training and you weren't prepared to do it.

At the end of the day we are talking about a dog's life and I can't sit back and tell you you did the right thing by handing him back when I feel you didn't. He did what any other dog would have done in that situation it's up to us to keep our dogs out of situations like that.

I apologise if I hurt your feelings.

We all understand what you are going through as most of us have experienced these situations. At the end of the day we are here for the welfare of Staffys who are at the forefront of bad press. So we will speak with honesty and try to ensure that another of this poor misread breed is saved from potential death. Please consider all your options before you make a final desicion.

Having read through this thread several times now I can tell how upset you are over what has happened. I'm positive that Debs didn't want to upset you further over something that was quiet horrific for all involved, but, like all of us here we are passionate about our breed (& dogs in general) and hate the thought of the fella being PTS through no real fault of his own

Now let's turn to the facts. This guy is trying to bully you into paying the vet bills, simple as that.

He had three off lead dogs, there is no way he could control all 3 else they would have had to have had excellent recall and this would never have occurred. Quiet cleary they did not have great recall.

Your fella cannot be classed as dangerous in my view as he was defending himself. He did not go for the other owner.

As you say earlier, there is no way of knowing which dog bit him and more fool him for putting his hand into where 3 sets of teeth are going hell for leather.

As for the Police, maybe they will pop round to get your side of the story but would hope that they see sense and realise this for what it was, a dog fight. I can't imagine it going any further with them.

It reads as though you wouldn't feel comfortable having him back now having seen what happened. The thoughts of others seeing you with the dog that got into the fight would present me personally with the greatest challenge to prove that Staffs are not this dangerous breed, however, I do respect your decision.

Let's now turn to your poor fella that has equally been through a horrific experience. He will be hurt and very sore and I'm sure wondering why he isn't home with you. Have you been back in touch with the recue centre and explained fully what happened ? I would hope that they will see the same as me and realise that although he was an eager fella on the lead, he does make a great family pet and worthy of the chance to live a happy life.

In no way am I blaming you for not having him back or feeling the way you do. I just hope the little fella gets a fair chance at a happy life.

agree so much with Ian,please let us know how things go

I have come on here to say that I have had absolutely amazing advice and support from DDA who are working with me to stop 'my' dog being put to sleep. I am currently awaiting a call back from a solicitor as recommended by them. And you know what they drummed into me more than anything, it is NOT MY FAULT. I will not take this dog back as I am clearly not the right owner for him. He was so wired after it and lunging that the man told me to keep my kids well away til he had calmed down. If you want to judge me for putting myself and my son in front of a dog that I have owned for a few weeks, and you see me in the wrong then YOU are just the sort of staffy owners that assist in giving the dogs a bad name. Shame on you.

Perhaps if you have someone else new come onto your delightful forum to ask advice you might choose NOT to attack and blame them but instead refer them to the DDA where they will get proper advice and support. And sorry clearly this is aimed at the minority of people on here, and those that have been helpful and understanding I really do thank you.

I will not be coming back on here as I am absolutely ripped to pieces by what has happened and my focus is solely to stop them destroying him, and I do not wish to take any more insults or blame from people on here.

Good luck all and please do consider what I have said and if someone else comes on in my position HELP THEM - DONT JUDGE..... after all that is what you are wanting..... people not TO JUDGE STAFFIES... yet you just judging me

I am off now as I can barely see the screen for the tears. Nice one.

Very sorry to hear you feel some have judged you, only you know the right thing to do for yourself. People I am sure were concerned about the dog being pts as you were/re yourself, so surely you can see that point.

Just to also add this is a forum which means a public meeting place for open discussion, where views may be aired and debated. Good luck in your future and we would appreciate if you could let us know how the dog is doing.

xx

I'm glad DDA Watch are helping you and I hope your dog finds a new home. Nobody said it was your fault in fact all of us said it wasn't your fault and you shouldn't pay all the vet bills. All of us are worried for your dog that's all.

Anyway best of luck in the future.

I'm confused as why the rescue centre would suggest the dog may be PTS, unless they believe it bit the other bloke which is unproven and even if it did happen, not significant given the circumstances. And if the rescue centre really did say the blame was 50:50 on the dogs they are wrong: The blame is zero on the dogs, 50:50 on the owners.

A dog faced with two huge aggressive dogs might well become fearful and attack, that's how some dogs are. And unlike humans they don't do 'fair play', there's no, "Stay down," or "Have you had enough?" The ferocity of the fight in this case tells you little about the dog's character other than it reacts when it feels its own safety is threatened.

It's a shame the dog has to be returned but in this case I think it's the right decision. I don't mean to offend the OP, although I know I will, but speaking plainly some people are not suited to ownership of certain dog breeds. It's easy to own a dog when it sits nicely and walks nicely and plays nicely but dogs will behave like dogs and its a test of ownership how effectively bad situations are mitigated against and, if they do occur, how they are handled. Unfortunately, letting your newly acquired rescue dog run around off-lead without having undergone any significant training then whisking him back to the centre when he gets into trouble is not the way to go.

It's great that the OP is working to do the best for the dog now it's back at the rescue centre, however. There was no need for her to do this so it's a kind gesture and I hope it works out.

The thoughts of everyone that has responded to this thread are gratefully appreciated.

We all hope that everything resolves itself for the OP and the dog concerned. In order to make sure there are no derogatory posts this thread is now locked.