The police are looking for a couple of dogs as a complaint has been made and the dogs are charged with being dangerous dogs. The dogs are well known to their locality and have attacked a number of other dogs and a couple of people. If you knew who these dogs were would you contact the police?

I was asked the above question at my club and I didn't know what to advise.

Well if these dogs are out loose and have attacked dogs and people and I knew who their owners were, I would certainly tip off the authorities. Its heading into the summer now with all the children out enjoying the weather and they should be safe without dogs like that on the rampage. If they are out like that, their owners care very little for them and I would have little sympathy for them.

Yes.. I would contact the police, even if it meant doing it anonomously..

Well, yes, of course I would. Just because it is a dog that is involved in the law breaking it is an offence to let your dogs run loose in public, dangerous or not.

Yes I would, having had a dog attacked on lead and paralised. The same dog has attacked many others localy and I find it unnerving that I regularly meet it out walking. A difficult one as it's the owners I realy have the problem with and not the dog.

My answer would be...

How would you live with yourself if someone was attacked and possibly killed and you hadn't, what if your own child/dog was attacked and you could have prevented it ?

Crime stoppers is an anonymous way to report things like this ;)

> If you knew who these dogs were would you contact the police?

Yes.

Yes, and for all the reasons mentioned

If you knew who these dogs were would you contact the police?

I don't understand why anyone would hesitate for even a moment to 'out' where the dogs were. Dogs which are dangerous to other dogs and humans why would anyone protect them if the police are looking for them?

I certainly would not protect a dangerous human so a dangerous dog wouldn't even need a second thought. :-)

I'm another that wouldn't hesitate to let the police know the whereabouts of these dogs. If it's true that they've attacked a couple of people then they need taken off the streets as soon as possible.

> If you knew who these dogs were would you contact the police?

Like a shot - I would want them off the street before they injured my dogs, let alone anyone else (human or canine).

M.

Sorry to post twice but like many issues people prehaps do not want to become involved, until it directly effects them. I did report the attack to the police not just because of the attack, but the owners thought it was funny, their own children have been seen kicking the dog repeatedly in public and it happend close to the local play ground and I was certain it would not be the last time (and it wasn't). Dogs will and can fight, and often it can be resolved by the owners in the way they handle the issue at the time, but I would have no concerns in doing it again if the owners consistently showed disregard for others.

>The police are looking for a couple of dogs as a complaint has been made and the dogs are charged with being dangerous dogs

I'm not meaning to be pedantic (I faithfully promise, cross my heart :) ) but aren't the police looking for the owners, not the dogs?  Unless the dogs are being held off-site somewhere - a garage maybe

Presumably the owners are being charged, not the dog...   I'm assuming the process includes making contact with an owner first, or at least allowing one time to come forward.  I have to say I'm not terribly familiar with the legal process in this regard.

Either way though - yes.  I'd report the owner and the dogs if I could be sure I had the right information.  If I was unsure of my facts I'd still attempt to add useful information and report my concerns

yes without a doubt

> I'm not meaning to be pedantic (I faithfully promise, cross my heart :-) ) but aren't the police looking for the owners, not the dogs?  Unless the dogs are being held off-site somewhere

As I understand it the dogs have been reported to the police and the police do not know who the owners are as the attack happened in the local park. I do know who the dogs are as they had a warning from the local council who told them to take the dogs to a training club, but I can't remember the name of the owners and I don't where they live otherwise I'd let the police know myself.

I told the club member that if he felt that he could report them then he really should but to remember he would have to think about how he would feel if he did so. I also told him I would not hestate to report them to the police as they have attacked other dogs including an elderly dog and a couple of puppies. I did hear the GSD had bitten a person too and knocked a child to the ground apparently as other club members have told me of these dogs antics. I was told that the people had another dog before which was bad tempered and ended up being pts.

Speak to the local dog warden about it. They often know more about local dogs, and have the power to intervene and liaise with the police.

Good idea I had not thought of the dog warden! Doh!

The sad thing is the newf is only a year old and has learnt his bad behaviour from the GSD by all accounts. :-(

It is all very well talking about dangerous dogs, but do we actually know what we are talking about ? I doubt it.

We often see eye catching news items about a dog savaging a child, youth, adult or even another dog, but the news writer never states the whole story, only the result. In many of these cases the hidden agenda is that the person had been teasing, maltreating, hitting or otherwise aggravating the animal. In the case of another dog, that it attacked first. Hence just like I would without any hesitation, the reacted in defense the only natural way it could.

For inherently savage dogs, just like people - no comment, self explanatory.

If our Police paid as much attention to tracking down and arresting criminals and other social misfits as they do searching for and persecuting animals, then perhaps our violent and lawless society would become more acceptable to live in.

I have often read "Two youths were killed in an accident on ..bla..bla..bla road, etc." What the media do not say is that they were actually car thieves, commonly known by their more sociably acceptable name of Joyriders.

John Bull

If our Police paid as much attention to tracking down and arresting criminals and other social misfits as they do searching for and persecuting animals, then perhaps our violent and lawless society would become more acceptable to live in.

The police have to investigate all crimes - they don't get to pick and choose and whom would you class as a social misfit? Anyone who doesn't fit your interpretation of "normal"?

I get really fed up with people knocking the police - yet who do they call when they need help - the very same people they moan about :-(

Hello Harley,

Well spoken, I love your confidence, makes me feel real good. Of course we call the Police when some problem requires it, God help us they are all we have got and what happens ?
Many times NOTHING and at others, they come round two days later, usually a school girl with a note pad - big yawn here.

If we relied on the Police for our personal safety or that of our family and property, we would end up in Intensive Care or be the star player in a funeral service, our family would be violated or injured and our property vandalised beyond recognition or burgled to a clean-out.

ALLO-ALLO

John Bull

I'm with you Harley, the police do not make laws they just have to react if they are broken or reported as such. The government make laws often in response to public opinion stirred up by the papers and media.

I am sorry that my very true examples innocently given diverted the conversation towards our pillars of law and order, God Bless them.

It is OFF TOPIC so we must kill it here or the Moderator will.

John Bull

Quite.