Dog Walking Legalities?

[ShawTee7]

My dog was recently attacked whilst i had him leashed. The attacker was a bull terrier which i beat to a pulp with a stick and then threatened to do the same to its moronic owner. As this pr**k hadnt the sense to keep his dog leashed,in a local park,which was full of pre-school children at the time am i in the wrong?

[sft42]

Assuming that the law in this incident (UK) would be the same if it was two humans involved in the incident then you are allowed to use "reasonable force" to detain or stop an attacker....the problem comes in defining reasonable.

You're much more likely to be in the wrong for threatening the dog owner afterwards with violence.

[natalie_1982]

This isn't really an answer, but here goes.... A few weeks ago in the park by me an old man was walking his little dog (the man got no family, all he got is the dog) and some lads (about 14-17 yrs old) set their alsation on the little dog. It tore it to pieces and the old man had to pick up the bits of his dag and carried her home in his coat. I'm nearly crying now cos it was so sad. But I really think something should be done. If you can't look after an animal and get it to behave for you then you shouldn't have them.

[natalie_1982]

P.S. I don't think you should have beat the bull terrier. You should have beat the owner.

[ShawTee7]

Cheers all. Nat. Believe me if it wasnt for the fact that there was 20 odd witnesses not to mention that i was physically knackered after going at it for longer than i cared to with a mad dog, i would have loved nothing better than to teach this idiot a serious lesson !!

[woofgang]

shawtee ans natalie_1982, if this happened in the UK, and you know who the guy is, you might wish to invoke the dangerous dogs act...but think before you do because a likely outcome is that the dog will be impounded and killed

[andy hughes]

I would agree that you are entitled to use reasonable force to defend your dog - the owner may be in breach of a byelaw by allowing his dog to roam free. Hopefully you did not persist in beating the offending dog beyond the need to stop it attacking your dog. Assaulting the owner brings a whole new set of problems, and should always be avoided.

[natalie_1982]

With the situation on my estate, it wasn't really the dogs fault. It was th kids who were winding it up and set it on the poor little dog. Can't you prosecute the owner? The alsation didn't ask to be "cared" for by those boys.

[tartanwiz]

You were in the right morally and legally. Dogs are supposed to be kept on a leash in a public place.

[savraj_uk]

You should've beat the owner. It's the owner's fault, not the dog's really. A puppy is like a blank canvas, the owner imposes what the dog is like later. My dogs are all friendly because I wanted them to be. If the owner was brutal with his dog when it was a puppy, the dog's outcome is violent. It's like horrible kids are from a bad upbringing.

[ShawTee7]

Im afraid it was the age old scenario of `there not being a policeman around when you need one`. This clown was travelling (illegally) through a public place on a quad bike,one handed, whilst chatting on his phone. The dog,which i know is not to blame,was running alongside. Behind him ran two girls aged approx.5/6. Possibly his daughters. He obviously thought he looked `hard` yet only ended up looking like an idiot. I wondered afterwards what his reaction would be, if on his way home,the dog being fired up with aggression,had attacked one of the girls that were with him. how `hard` he`d have looked down casualty. I agree with all above that its definetly not the dogs fault,unfortunately in the heat of the moment knowing this doesnt prevent the attack.

[Wisebird]

I looked at this question and the answers and came close to tears!!! Why oh why are there such irresponsible dog owners about. And Natalie, I can't stop thinking about what you have written. I love dogs and have kept them for years and none of them have been aggressive. However, I always put my dogs on a leash in public areas. I appreciate that some people do not like dogs and that, however well behaved a dog is, they can be provoked into aggressive behaviour. Unfortunately, the children of these stupid individuals will learn from their parents and they will have the same attitudes.