Dog attack

I feel sorry for this man.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/man-hospital-after-two-american-7809846

Poor man.

Awful - poor man.

And one dog shot, the other one will, I daresay, be pts as well.

Oh dear.

That is a tragic story.

I detest fireworks!

When I was little, I used to love the colours of fireworks, although I didn't particularly like the noise of them. I didn't understand back then how dangerous they could be for animals.

Also, something that a lot of people don't think about, they can be very upsetting for humans as well. War veterans, for example. I hate 'destroying' people's fun, but to me it just isn't worth the brief entertainment if it means frightening/traumatising somebody - human, dog, cat or any other animal.

Lazer shows are just as awesome and don't come with explosions ... well, depending on the soundtrack

This is the very reason I never leave mine when its a fireworks night. Our friends come here with their dogs,"new yrs, xmas," etc.... we all sit, watch & comfort them all together as we have fireworks a few times every year without fail across the road from my house in the park.

Luckily, Demps has never had a problem with fireworks. Our old Stafford, Bandit, was terrified of them, though.

Personally, I find the fireworks theory a bit suspect and I'll leave that subject aside if I may, as any dog I have ever known who was frightened of fireworks (I had one myself) has not attacked their beloved owner (unless anyone else can advise me differently).

Whatever set them off, it is significant that no amount of intervention from other people - being hit with spades, golf clubs and cars - stopped these dogs from attacking that one person. And I feel desperately sorry for him, his arm was so badly mauled that it has now been amputated.

Whatever the reason was, much as I enjoyed fireworks as a child but wish they could be restricted to only 2 nights a year, I find it hard to believe that they caused this horrific attack. Sorry

I'm with you on that Lynda!
Mine go off their nut with fireworks, thunder or gun shots. Barking & jumping for the sky, running to find where the sound came from. They go off at the perceived threat. Never do they go off at me. & even if others are with them they will both run around you to try & find it.

I think there is more to this story than has been told.

Thing is like I said elsewhere ambulls do not do anything at half mast. If they attack something anything, they do it with full force whether they were spooked or not the amount of damage caused is very typical of what an ambull can do.

Like I said there if Chance suddenly spooked and went for me there's not much I or Martin could do about it, so yes I do believe the firework story, what you've got to consider is both were on lead and unable to run away and it may have started as a fight between both dogs and he's tried to split them up, and they have turned on him.

ella wrote:what you've got to consider is both were on lead and unable to run away and it may have started as a fight between both dogs and he's tried to split them up, and they have turned on him.

That's my theory as well. Sometimes if one dog spooks the other(s) will attack it as well. There is more to the story but it's tragic.

I have to agree with Ella on this one. I don't know much about Ambulls, but I have heard (probably from you, Ella) that they're 'all or nothing' dogs.

Eleanor wrote:I have to agree with Ella on this one. I don't know much about Ambulls, but I have heard (probably from you, Ella) that they're 'all or nothing' dogs.

Absolutely this! Too many people (I don't mean those here) see ambulls as oversized staffs, including some owners who get one on a whim, and they are about as far from one as a breed can get!

They are not for a novice owner who hasn't done any research, which I believe is why so many get dumped, and why so many attacks recently have been by them, as they do not take kindly all the pack leader crap, and physical punishment. It's a sure fire way t get bitten by one, badly.

Eleanor wrote:I have to agree with Ella on this one. I don't know much about Ambulls, but I have heard (probably from you, Ella) that they're 'all or nothing' dogs.

Absolutely this! Too many people (I don't mean those here) see ambulls as oversized staffs, including some owners who get one on a whim, and they are about as far from one as a breed can get!

They are not for a novice owner who hasn't done any research, which I believe is why so many get dumped, and why so many attacks recently have been by them, as they do not take kindly all the pack leader crap, and physical punishment. It's a sure fire way t get bitten by one, badly.

Being realistic, I wouldn't get one. I absolutely love the breed and think they're lovely dogs, but I know I that it wouldn't be a good match for me. I don't have the right sort of personality for one.

It probably doesn't help that you get the 'film craze' people, who see a dog breed in a film and just assume that it will behave like that particular dog, and then go out and buy one. I wonder how many people flocked out to buy Ambulls after Homeward Bound came out on film.

Oops double post!

I think you need a strong personality to really bond with one, and I wish more people would read up on them, really read up, they aren't for the faint hearted

I think I'll stick to admiring the ones I see in the street - and Chance, of course!

Wish people would read up before getting ANY dog.

Me too. Although I'm not saying that the victim of the attack was ignorant, a lot of people are!

Trained & socialised dogs will NOT attack their owner! Period! Want me to state case in point again? Being bitten in a furry is different to being attacked by your dogs.

Sorry, I have to disagree with that.

Dogs are dogs, no matter how much you train them. Every dog has its limit and the right (or wrong) level of fear can make all training fly out of the window. Training can't beat pure, unadulterated fear. Most dogs go through their lives with no instances of biting, but sometimes there are cases when something as simple to us as fireworks can turn a dog into a polar opposite of its usual self.