I've just seen the most upsetting news.  Looking at photos, there was a lot of blood, and at least 2 officers will need skin grafts.  The dog was later shot.  Owned by a 20 year old.  Grrrrrrrrrr!

Just seen this , horrific for the officers and sad for the dog but it is obvious that there could have been no other outcome.
When will the government do something about dog ownership and stop idiots like this owning what, through poor ownership and possibly training, amounts to a killing machine.
Aileen

Sadly I should think that this dog reacted entirely the way it's owner, a criminal, wanted it to - as a weapon against the police.

I've just seen a video of it and it lOoks like the owner was encouraging the dog, a very sickening sight seeing the poor officers trying to stand on walls out of its way.

I've just watched the video too.  What on earth is going on there?  The police looked as though they were stood still whilst the guy in the garden is using a large stick to smack the dog and the garden fence..... what the?

eta nope, just watched again, and the dog has hold of the police officer already, but the owner is still beating the living whatsit out of the dog... and staying behind his own fence - wonder why!  Coward.

No he wasn't the owner - he was the neighbour - he had tried to get the policeman safely behind his gate but the dog just wouldn't let go.

I bet a lot of people will react just like OH did - 'they should get rid of all those sort of dogs!'  

Oh, beg pardon, thought it was the owner :)

Thanks ceejay

i cant find a video of this anywhere? just found it. cant bleave the other police did not step in and help, this poor cop was being atacked and they just moved away. could they not have all run in and pined it down?

Must agree, I've had to watch a couple of times as I'm slightly perplexed as to how casual one police officer seemed; just casually strolling over to pick up his colleagues hat and wander to the other side of the road...

Though of course, that footage is from a mobile phone and probably doesn't show the whole incident.

Awful... it's my nephews 'beat' too...

Until you are confronted with this situation you just don't know how you'll react, they were all bitten those officers to some degree, so the one you saw backing off quite possibly had already been bitten and backed off.

I wish all the officers a speedy recovery as best that they can, what a horrific ordeal! :-(

I don't want to disagree with you suejaw, but I'm kind of going to just a little bit... :)

I have been in situations similar to this - more than once... separating two fighting dogs on more than one occasion & a dog trying to attack me.

I would disagree that the other police officer was backing off.. it looked like he was sauntering across the road.

That's why I said though, we obviously (as in most cases) don't know the whole story, we've only seen what the mobile phone footage shows (which very possibly wasn't the whole incident), and I've taken on my perception of that.

As I said, awful, awful thing to happen and I too hope the police officers involved recover well.

I don't even want to look at the footage.
Hope the policemen attacked make a speedy recovery.
What's to stop the little scumbag who owned the dog getting another once he's out of jail ?...it just goes on and on, and how many other little wannabe hoods will watch that footage and decide they'd like a dog just like that one ?.

That's the scariest thing - the young wannabe hardmen out there who will actually find the footage of police suffering in the dog attack amusing. It'll boost the numbers of idiots wanting these dogs as a status symbol.

Just watched it again. Horrific :(

We only see a few seconds of an attack which must have lasted for a great deal longer. All 5 policemen were bitten - 2 kept in overnight. That suggests the others were trying to fight off the dog at different times.

And we do see a neighbour trying to help ineffectually by beating the dog.

As trying to pull a dog off someone when they are locked in a bite can actually greatly increase the damage done by the bite, the police may have been advised to wait until someone arrived and shot it.

This isn't aimed at anyone in particular, just thinking aloud, but don't the police carry pepper spray anymore? Just wondering if this would have helped. Reason I ask is i remember reading not long ago that bailiffs etc did use this on out of control dogs in properties, not necessarily when needed.

Either way it's horrific. And well as feeling incredibly sorry for the police i cant help but feel horrible and so sorry for that dog and the terrible and cruel life it must have lived for it to respond in this way. Poor poor animal.

Man Charged

I can't find it either, found some other nasty stuff on youtube but not sure where to find this, though it sounds nasty. :-(

I followed this story yesterday,sadly these dogs fall into the wrong hands and are used as weapons by the unsaviourary people that own them.Distressing for the officers,and scary.Having had 18 months of treatment including plastic surgery,nerve grafts and a severed artery,12 days in hospital and 5 general anaesthetics I understand how  dangerous a out of control dog can be.

i found it on youtube just seen it criminals who own dogs like this need to be jailed not banned from owning dogs
its not the dogs fault its the owners fault he owns it and should be in control of his dog
he has obviously trained it to attack
although the police backing off is terrible if my mate was being attacked i wouldnt be backing off i would be trying to help him

If the police had used a tazer on the dog, would it also have affected the person whose arm/leg was in the dogs mouth?

Just to amend my previous post - 3 of the police are still in hospital, not 2

>If the police had used a tazer on the dog, would it also have affected the person whose arm/leg

Ali,

Yes.... and No! If you were to detain someone and they are tazered as you were holding their arm behind their back say, then you wouldn't... but if your hand was on their chest then yes. As long as you are not in physical contact in the area of the body between the two barbs on the person then you are 'safe' (But if you have had tazer training... you don't want to run the risk, I felt physically sick when I did it!)

>Pepper spray

Officers carry CS and it does not have the same affect on canines as it does on Humans.

Ditto HG's comments re Tazer and Spray, like some humans it can also not work on dogs, and in general doesn't deter them in any way!

> the police backing off is terrible if my mate was being attacked i wouldnt be backing off i would be trying to help him

As a (proud) member of the MPS can I please beseech people (not just aimed at the poster I have quoted, others have also voiced this) not to be critical of the Officers actions when it is based on a 30 second 'snippet' of video.

You are watching segments of an event that lasted considerably longer than the 'clips' you are judging and you are also watching these clips out of the sequence of how the events transpired.

The incident started with the dog attacking one Officer's thigh at which point his colleagues did assist and were in turn injured... What *you* (universal 'you') may interpret as 'terrible' especially without knowing prior events... Is very far from the truth and very evident when you have in your possession all the facts and the sequence of events.

That may well be true that they did help but as you can see on the clip the police officers walking away and jumping on walls trying to get out of the way
Why not use the battons flick sticks what tou call them
All im sayin is if a dog was holding on to my mates or colleges arm or leg and I had also been biten I wouldnt be trying to get out of the way
Ive been in a scenario where 2 dogs were fighting and bit my arm and the other 1 bit my mother in law and I managed to get the 1 of me and then go and get the other 1 of her
So dnt give me we dnt know the whole story as we might not but what we can see is no 1 helping that officer in that whole clip

It is a incredibly short clip. As 3 officers are still in hospital you can hardly say no one tried to help him.

Why not use the battons flick sticks what tou call them

An aggressive dog that is biting will only become MORE angry if in pain, so more likely to keep holding on.

Oh for goodness sakes, I've just watched that again, only can see 3 officers which mean another 2 have been involved at another point. Who is to say that those other officers weren't injured? That clip is only a matter of a few seconds, it's not the whole incident so I'm sorry I won't have that.
Splitting 2 dogs up fighting who then but you is very very different to a what I would describe as a mailing savage dog. The more you batter at a dog who is already out of control the worse the behaviour is likely to be, the injuries sustained are horrific and it could of been so much worse.

Stop criticising the officers, they did what they did as they felt it right at the time. It's not an easy job and for an unknown dog to you to turn like that?

> Stop criticising the officers, they did what they did as they felt it right at the time. It's not an easy job and for an unknown dog to you to turn like that?

I totally agree Sue.

I am used to dogs but having witnessed a few small scraps between hyped up dogs at agility training I know I wouldn't particularly want to step in if a real fight ensued  but we are talking about people who may have no idea about dogs. They are policemen not dog experts - as most of Joe Public is not an expert on dogs -why would it be assumed that the poor officers involved would know how to deal with a dog that is mauling them? I am sure they would all be aware of the dangers they may face from aggressive dogs but dealing with it on the street, in a real life situation is a far different proposition and not one that you could "practise all eventualities" in a training scenario.

This awful incident, and some of the views on how the other police present at the scene should have reacted, just highlights for me the very real dangers of being a member of the modern day police service and how  very easy it is to criticise the actions of police personnel when they react in a way that others might deem not appropriate. The officers involved are all human beings and being a police officer doesn't exclude one from feeling fear, pain and helplessness  when one of their colleagues is being mauled right in front of them.

I have a huge respect for the police force and the role they play in helping to keep the public safe but also realise they are human and can react as any other human might do if put into the same situation.

> An aggressive dog that is biting will only become MORE angry if in pain

Many of the 'Weapon dogs' that get seized have historic fractures... they are used to taking a beating because this is how they are trained by their owners - Which means hitting these dogs does not subdue them but spurs them on further, furthers the intensity of the attack and therefore injury incurred.

Remember the officers also have a duty of care to the public, the area was not cordoned, at any point any member of the public could have walked down that street and into the path of that dog, especially if all officers were involved in a failed take down of the dog, which what had happened in the first instance ~ They are of no use to the public who were all in close proximity if they (officers) all become grieviously injured.

It's easy to pass comment and/or judgement from the comfort of the armchair, all I'm saying is it is foolhardy to do so when not in possession of the facts but in that instance *you* (universal you) only make yourself look stupid - It is also unfair and that's what I take issue with.

It is horrific.

But some of us are 20 and own dogs very responsibly... ;)

its the dogs i feel sorry for , the idiots who train dogs like this should be severley punished !!
that poor dog had no chance with a owner like that imo the laws regards to "pitbull type" dogs needs aserious review as alot of crosses can look like a pitbull according to the current guidelines, imo dna testing (at the owners cost )  to verify breed should be compulsary instead of inoccent dogs being destroyed for nothing 

and as for those poor policemen what can i say :(

yet more bad press for the breed and this will be turned on staffs as usual :(..... bring in the licence i say make it compulsary for training classes microchip ect us responsible owners would be more than happy to do this !

and the irresponsible owners will just carry on as usual ......

there must be something that can be done it breaks my heart to see inncoent dogs destroyed because of the minority , im currently sat cuddling my 7 yo staff who i trust 110% with my kids and with my life ,i have had her since she was 5 weeks old she has been with me through 3 children , 1 of them prem ! and each time she has been beyond perfect i cannot immagine life without her

>there must be something that can be done it breaks my heart to see inncoent dogs destroyed because of the minority

This dog was not innocent, regardless of how it was raised/owned by it still inflicted a sustained attack on those officers. I have seen a longer video which included the moment the dog was shot dead, I do believe that this was the safest and kindest end for this dog (rather than being restrained, either kept in kennels pending a destruction order or a one way trip to the vets).

Some of the comments (not here but across other forums and the internet) have amazed me, I think sometimes it is forgotten that police officers are human too- mainly regarding the fact the dog was shot, as I have said elsewhere, if this were one of mine I would shoot it myself (if possible).

> Some of the comments (not here but across other forums and the internet) have amazed me,

Yes, me too - I have only just seen the video footage and it's very powerful stuff - in my mind there is NO defence for this dog. Those images will stay in my mind for a very long time.

IMHO this is exactly what the owner in his imagination "hoped" its dog might do in such a situation and there is no excuse for it. Otherwise he would have trained it well, taught it bite inhibition, and made sure it was fit to live in its environment.

PS: To those of you with Staffs, have you seen the footage? This dog is clearly not a Staff; it is tall (perhaps 22"+) athletic, long in body and legs...

Whilst I fully appreciate that the video is out of context and does not show the full story - it has to be said that the aggressive and confrontational behaviour used by police (and granted there are good reasons for that approach) when raiding properties is absolutely guaranteed to wind any dog in that property up, regardless of whether it has been trained to be aggressive or not.

IF it is true that the officers should have been aware and prepared for a dog in the property then i am afraid it does reflect badly on the force in question.

I do say this with the greatest of respect, I have close friends who are police officers, I know theirs is a difficult job indeed, and dogs like this just should not exist (ie, dogs trained to be agressive and kept for that purpose, not 'breeds' in particular) - but equally I tinkt he training officers get on how to react and behave around such dogs IS very VERY lacking and often what they do get makes matters worse. I think that really does have to change.

I have read this was a pitbull x dobermann cross, which is a fairly staggering idea in itself.  I have also read that the dog ran out an attacked a passing cyclist (on his bike at the time), leaving permanent injuries and that it has also attacked other people passing by. Overall, it does sound as though the dog was dangerous and uncontrollable.

>PS: To those of you with Staffs, have you seen the footage? This dog is clearly not a Staff; it is tall (perhaps 22"+) athletic, long in body and legs...>

From the short amount of fuzzy footage I've watched, I'd hazard a guess and say the dog wasn't a pedigree Stafford, no.

> This dog was not innocent,>

Have to agree here.

That dog was not right....