I don't agree with lifting the BSL, while we dont have a big influx on these banned breeds they are here and being bred, esp Pitball types but given the green light they would be here in numbers and in the wrong hands which is highly likely to be the case we'd have worse incidents than this and what's gone before. Keep what we have and tighten up further with the deed too, which lets be honest in a public place does happen, but doesn't always make the news.
Some form of legislation needs to be put in place to cover in private places, like homes to protect visitors. Trespassers would be a totally separate entity, so clear guidelines need to be looked at and IMO soon.

>> Unless their name is Cujo. ;-)

Hah! got me. I didn't see that film :P

>> while we dont have a big influx on these banned breeds they are here and being bred, esp Pitbull types

Are you sure about that? I was seeing pitbulls in London before the ban came in, and when living in inner London 20 years ago... and after that I met some whose owners swore they were legal imports, and showed me pedigrees and reg papers, all fake of course. They really are here in numbers, many many, and some innocent crossbreeds caught in the crossfire as well.

We concentrate on Pits but there are Dogos around, a man in Grimsby was prosecuted last year, he owned 8 including a couple of cropped ear imports he brought in and had bred 3 or more litters before he was caught.

I did wonder if the white American Bulldog in the latest case might have been a Dogo, but it seems to be a badly bred AmBull. And that's another thing, when non recognised breeds are being churned out by BYBs, there's nowhere you can go to buy a good one, even if you bust your gut trying.

There's case for the KC taking on new breeds more readily, if only to be able to guide puppy buyers to breeders that are doing it right and not going to the BYBs.

> Any breeds has the potential to attack & kill another person from a yorkie

Methinks it would be virtually impossible for a Yorkie to kill me.  Breed standard is up to 7lbs so I believe I could hurt one that attacked me.

Looks like DEFRA are going to get a change in the law to cover private land now.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21954533

A yorkie would need a decent set of teeth first, I'm sure though it has thr potential to perhaps do damage to a very very small child but the fact is its highly unlikely.

What I'm saying here yes there are banned breeds in this country, but since the ban was imposed the influx of these breeds wasn't the same, you remove these breeds from a banned list and the numbers will increase. Pits will always be here, those in inner cities saying they have them now might well do or they are a type which has been created. To give a green light to people really isn't helpful. Please do not twist my words.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Some good points there Brainless and Carrington.  However many people will think like my husband straight away that Staffords should be banned.  I spent a good part of tea time arguing with him.  They are dangerous dogs he said and no-one should keep them.  Only a small number of dog loving people like myself would say anything different!

actually I've been really pleased see the vast majority in a facebook thread about this (something like 7 thousand comments so far) are on the deed not breed side of things. as a bullmastiff owner I found that quite soothing...

I 100% agree with this. I was brought up in a house filled with 'dangerous breeds' at one point we had a staff, a German shepherd, a Rottweiler and a Dobermann all living together and all rescues. Never a murmur out of the lot of them unless there wasn't enough room on the sofa ;). Anywho, back to my original point the only dog I have ever seen attack was an 8 month old yellow Labrador who actually took a chunk out of a child's lip. Now if that had been a staff, a rottie or mastiff there would have been a media storm but because it was a Lab it was brushed off as 'over-exuberance' and both parties went their separate ways. I had to scrape my jaw off the floor!

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I am a very proud owner of a bullmastiff and admit therefore biased but..it really annoys me when idiots on the tv etc pass sweeping statements of all "bull breeds "should be banned.....

couldn't agree more and isn't it scary when people start on about banning your breed?

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This is the dog, pic from Daily Mail website where they're calling it a Bull Mastiff! Yeah, right.<br />[url=http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/27/article-2299474-18F00D27000005DC-926_634x556.jpg" rel="nofollow]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/27/article-2299474-18F00D27000005DC-926_634x556.jpg[/url]

<img width="20" height="10" title="Quote selected text" class="qButton" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif" />

what in the hell?? that does look like a dogo. It looks nothing like a bully! you don't get white bullies for a start! this is really upsetting and alarming me :(

Why can't we just leave the bsl alone, no need to add to it with a knee jerk reaction, the deed is being punished and those dogs were killed in this incident. In a public place the deed is dealt with if reported.
I can't ever see gsd's and Rotts being added to it as Police and Military use them. BM's don't often make the news either.. And at this time until Police confirm we don't know what breeds they were for sure, either purebred or crosses.. It's this speculation which doesn't do anyone one or dog any good.

Any powerful or guarding breed needs to be bred correctly and placed into the right homes, which I know we all agree on as the damage they could cause in comparison to a smaller less guardy breed when not trained etc aren't implemented correctly can be devestating. Pack mentality also kicks in too so having more than one is even more imperative the owner knows what they are doing.

If people want mastiffs there are many types they can legally have on this country, no need to allow for the lifting of those in the banned breeds...
I don't know what the answe is on this at all... Education is clearly falling on deaf ears with some :-(

You gotta love the integrity of the daily fail :(

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I am just dreading the day my breed kills somebody, as I am sure will happen eventually what with all the irresponsible breeding and selling going on at the moment. It has already happened abroad. :-( I think any big breed that doesn't look cute and innocent will be fair game in the media as the next one to call for a ban of.

that's how it goes though isn't it? 70's it was GSD's, 80's Rotties, 90's pits (banned), 2000 forward staffs and now it is moving on to bullmastiffs. I've expected this for a while and the media will just keep working through. I wouldn't mind if the reporting was accurate but it is mostly rubbish. poor kid should never have been left in this situation.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">You have to admit there is a significant different though. Had this poor girl been attacked by 4 Jack Russells, chances are very good she'd still be alive. That's why people don't call for smaller breeds to be banned when something happens.

none the less they could seriously maim someone- the problem is there are no accurate figures about bites and attacks as if you only have a minor injury you might not seek treatment and so there is no record or report. this skews the figures making it seem that there are a higher number of serious attacks by large breeds than minor ones by small breeds

none the less they could seriously maim someone- the problem is there are no accurate figures about bites and attacks as if you only have a minor injury you might not seek treatment and so there is no record or report. this skews the figures making it seem that there are a higher number of serious attacks by large breeds than minor ones by small breeds

I can well believe there are larger numbers of small breeds biting people -but it doesn't matter how you put it, a small breed will NOT be able to kill a teenager or adult and that is a major difference.

So very sad! Poor girl & her family I feel for them ((( prayers-hugs)))

When are they going to realize that banning a breed does nothing- they need to start tougher laws on
irresponsible people- they are who makes the breed/dog into what it is!

All dogs/breeds are lovely and any dog/breed can be turned into a time bomb once it falls in the wrong humans
hands!

So very sad :-(

One of my dogs is a GR - the most biddable dog, a joy to live with, friendly to all and sundry BUT he is the only dog I have ever owned who has caught and killed squirrels and will chase rabbits and foxes if he puts one up on a walk and has come very, very close to catching a fox too. The first time he caught one I was with my daughter who burst into tears and said she couldn't believe our lovely, soft lad had actually done that. It was a good reminder that at the end of the day he is a dog and given the wrong set of circumstances he is quite capable of killing. I trust him implicitly around people but would  never leave him alone with children or people he didn't know as that would be plain irresponsible.

He is very relaxed around my baby grandaughter but never, ever left alone with her - most times the dogs go behind the dog gates when she comes unless there is someone with her at all times. My new rescue dog has only ever met her from behind the gates with her in my arms as although he seems to be brilliant with children he hasn't been with me long enough for me to know how he would react in varying situations.

When are they going to realize that banning a breed does nothing-

Not sure I agree with that, no facts but I have the distinct feeling that it has enhances the breeds concerned and has also spawned an increase in the look alike and wish they were over priced cross breeds and mongrels. Badly bred animals with worse manners.

The law does cover irresponsible owners, regardless of breed if it attacks a human in a public place. We have a big problem esp in the inner cities with status dogs, which comprise of many types of bull breeds, and they are crossing many breeds to achieve a Pitbull type.. Powerful mean looking dogs is what twy want and don't put any training in. Now if these dogs step out of line and are reported they are dealt with, same goes for say a Goldie if it did the same thing. Nothing is done if not reported.
Even if its banned, if the authorities take hold they don't always destroy, know of cases when the dog has been assessed, if no concerns then its returned with strict stipulations, often neutering and muzzling in a public place...

>My new rescue dog has only ever met her from behind the gates with her in my arms as although he seems to be brilliant with children he hasn't been with me long enough for me to know how he would react in varying situations

But that is because you are a responsible owner. 

Jsw: Need to remember to read my post before posting haha was thinking a small baby or infant. Just reading some of the comments on fb and various news articles & some people with bigger breeds saying they trust their dogs 100% around children. Sorry to say I still to this day don't our 6 yo is very affectionate and is very relaxed and goes at a slow pace but she still remains clumsy as are the most of the breed, due to this fact she is always supervised around all visitors regardless of age.

As to say there are less attacks by smaller breeds dogs biting other dogs or people may not show a full picture as they can often go unreported (not to say this isn't the case in larger breeds though). Just going on from my own experience in my local area a woman has 1 yorkie x JRT & 2 shih tzu's to date the yorkie x has bitten or gone to bite 7 people from young children to grown men. The owner brushes this off as her being "protective" or not liking people inside the house or garden I.e postmen, builders, distant family members or friends

The more I read about this whole event it saddens me that people simply see dogs as a money making machine....and have little thought for the poor female other than cash.....

As I said a little while back a Pomeranian savagely killed a baby here in the USA ....and everyone said it was a freak accident but as soon as its a "larger"breed then they are "devil dogs "who should be banned....

My bullmastiff today was in a completely new environment ...we took him to work as it was Good Friday and for the first time in over 14 months our dog walker wanted a day off....so he came to work with us.....

New people he is fine with but new noises etc and smells of a factory and machinery .....we wondered how he would be....he was such a dream and took it all in his stride.....

A colleague came in with a new born ....he sat so close to this little baby girl and watched every move we all sat eating and my boy surrounded by food just sat with his paw on the base of the car seat on the floor and watched her.....so sweet....almost guarding....and we don't have children so is not used to this situation.... I was so proud....

I am under no illusion that the sheer power of my dog at nearly 12 stone could easily kill an adult let alone a baby but.....it's the environment and family they are with that makes the difference.....I too was appalled when I heard some stupid woman on TV saying certain breeds have a DNA trait for aggression and violence.....utter Bul#sh1t

We are off to the beach here in Texas tomorrow so will be interested to find out what he thinks of the sea.....

Happy Easter all.....

Addendum to my post.....I was also sat on the floor very close by...watching every move, twitch of the ear and mannerism that we know about Boscoe.....even though he is calm I also  believe in watching every move....as much as they are our pets and we adore them....they are animals....

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><br />I can well believe there are larger numbers of small breeds biting people -but it doesn't matter how you put it, a small breed will NOT be able to kill a teenager or adult and that is a major difference.

oh absolutely, but there are a lot of people round with serious injuries from smaller dogs as well. Doesn't make good headlines though.

in the case of BSD's you are probably ok for a while yet. I thought ridges of dogues might be the next 'status' breeds for a bit but numbers seem to have dropped down again.

As ever, misguided and foolish people ruining it for everyone.

> in the case of BSD's you are probably ok for a while yet.

Sadly not. I won't post on here what I've seen on the free ads, but there is good reason to be wary, I'll happily give details privately.