Vicious Dog Attack at Landsdowne Valley Park

ianmalone

I just want to warn all dog walkers in the Crumlin, Drimnagh & Inchicore areas. While my girlfriend and I were walking our dogs on their leads this morning at approximately 11am in Landsdowne Valley Park (across the Blackhorse Luas Stop) three dangerous-breed dogs attacked our 11month old Maltese pup. These dogs were with their owners but were not on a lead or muzzled as is required by law for these breeds. The owners were unable to control their dogs. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the emergency vets in UCD our dog had to be put to sleep this afternoon.

Two of the dogs were identical, tan / light brown in colour wearing black leather harnesses with sliver studs. These dogs were similar to Staffordshire/Pit Bull type dogs but taller. The third dog was light brown and white in colour and we think was a young Japanese Akita dog or pup. The owners were two men in their twenties wearing tracksuits. The men with the dogs were later seen on the Crumlin Road. If anyone has any information please contact Sundrive Road Garda Station.

If you walk your dogs or children in this area please be careful these animals are dangerous and not controlled by their owners.

CrackisWhack

They could have been American Pit Bull terriers?


Dreadful thing to happen.

ISDW

You poor people, having to witness your dog going through that, and then you poor dog being killed. Hope you are taking care of yourselves tonight.

You say you were walking your dogs, how is your other dog, or dogs?

Awful thing to have to go through.

barbiegirl

So sorry op, your poor puppy :-( the idiot owners should be arrested :-(

Sundew

Ianmalone: So sorry to hear about your dog
The last time I was in the vets in Kilmainham there was a small dog in getting surgery after been ripped apart by a dog which was not being controlled by it's owner in the same vicinity!

Would be worth putting this warning on the Dublin forum as well!

ianmalone

Thanks for the comments. It was awlful to witness. We had two pups walking with us, two brothers. Luckily other pup wasn't injured but he's missing his buddy right now.....

ianmalone

Hi Sundew, I posted the same message on the Dublin City Forum. We have e-mailed the DSPCA and in the process of contacting local vets. Unfortunately there's very little else we can do but warn people.

seanybiker

Aww that's so sad. The other poor fella seen his brother getting killed hope your alright

purity

I'm so sorry what dreadful news, Why aren't these vicious dogs muzzled. I blame the owners fully a dogs behaviour stems from it's upbringing.
Your poor pup had a dreadful death and if I was in that situation I would be traumatised. I hope these b**tards are caught and the dogs are taken away

Shanao

ianmalone wrote: »

I just want to warn all dog walkers in the Crumlin, Drimnagh & Inchicore areas. While my girlfriend and I were walking our dogs on their leads this morning at approximately 11am in Landsdowne Valley Park (across the Blackhorse Luas Stop) three dangerous-breed dogs attacked our 11month old Maltese pup. These dogs were with their owners but were not on a lead or muzzled as is required by law for these breeds. The owners were unable to control their dogs. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the emergency vets in UCD our dog had to be put to sleep this afternoon.

Two of the dogs were identical, tan / light brown in colour wearing black leather harnesses with sliver studs. These dogs were similar to Staffordshire/Pit Bull type dogs but taller. The third dog was light brown and white in colour and we think was a young Japanese Akita dog or pup. The owners were two men in their twenties wearing tracksuits. The men with the dogs were later seen on the Crumlin Road. If anyone has any information please contact Sundrive Road Garda Station.

If you walk your dogs or children in this area please be careful these animals are dangerous and not controlled by their owners.

The exact same thing happened to my cousins dog last year, a maltese as well who was mangled by the nextdoor neighbors collie. A horrible thing to happen, and unfortunately, he couldn't be saved either. Very sorry for your loss OP, but there aren't any dangerous breeds in Ireland, only dangerous owners. My own dog was attacked by a staffy x a few months ago, but I managed to pull it off before any damage was done. I didnt blame the dog though, only the idiot owners who let their eight year old son out with the dog who didn't even have a leash or collar on.
Contact your local dog warden as well- if these were RBs then they should by law have been muzzled. A law that (though I hate it) should be enforced for these kinds of idiots.

Clare Bear

So sorry to hear that OP, that's horrific Poor little guy. I hope those men are caught, I'm sure it's not the first time those dogs have done something like that. Take care of yourselves, can't imagine how you're feeling right now.

ianmalone

I agree 100% Shanao. Dogs behaviour is a reflection of the owner and its upbringing. But unfortunately when these dogs lash out alot of damage is done, to be on the safe side they should always be muzzled.

Whispered

OP I'm so sorry to hear this story. It's a horrific thing to happen. I hope the guys in question are found.

ianmalone wrote: »

But unfortunately when these dogs lash out alot of damage is done, to be on the safe side they should always be muzzled.

Unfortunately had it been a lab or saint Bernard attacking your dog, it would have sustained the same damage. Please don't let this put you off certain breeds, or fear certain breeds. It was 100% down to the owners involved, unfortunately these dogs often attract the wrong type of owner. And it's always the dogs who pay. The dogs you met today are obviously a danger and should be muzzled, before they do more damage to other dogs and the name of their breed.

With regards to your other poor fella, dogs are amazing resilient, and he may not have any long term effects from this incident at all. But he could develop a fear of larger dogs. Do you have any friends with bigger dogs who you can socialise your little fella with?

How did the owners react? Were they shocked/ apologetic/ worried?

Bullseye1

There needs to be better enforcement of the muzzle law. These scumbags in tracksuits and their use of pits for intimidation is getting beyond a joke. It gives responsible owners of the breed a bad name.

Sorry to hear about your story. It must have been awful to witness.

ianmalone

I agree its not the type or breed of dog at fault. I have a friend with a staff bull and is the friendliest dog you could meet. The owners are at fault. I asked for their names but they refused to give details and walked off. We wanted to get the pup to the vet ASAP so we had to leave.

Bullseye1

What was their reaction to the attack?

tayto lover

Very sorry for you OP. This kind of thing should not happen and i hope these people and their dogs are tracked down by the Gardai and dealt with in the courts.

Whispered

ianmalone wrote: »

I asked for their names but they refused to give details and walked off. We wanted to get the pup to the vet ASAP so we had to leave.

This makes me so fecking angry. The cheek of them. Did they act shocked or anything?

OP there is nothing more I can say, I'm so so sorry and I hope you get some sort of closure.

ellaguz

So incredibly sad and shocked about this. The owners must be found and prosecuted and those dogs should be muzzled. Unfortunately once they have attacked once, there is a huge likelihood they could do it again. They are obviously dangerous. My heart goes out to you both, and I hope you are both ok.

Marcus_Crassus

I am so sorry to hear about this.

Wow, this is seriously despicable, and distresses me somewhat. I hope you catch the people/dogs responsible. Unbelievable.

been-mad-4-yrs

sorry to hear that about your dog, I can only say if that was me and they went for my dog I would have kicked the heart and soul of all of the C*nts there... despise that ****e

df1985

Very sorry to hear OP, terrible thing to happen. My lab was attacked when he was a pup by a staffordshire bull terrier-same story, no muzzle and owners had no control. these vicious breeds are a fashion accessory for a few wannabe hard men, who have no idea how to control their animals or dont even care.

Groom!

I am so sorry for your loss. I hope your other little dog is ok and that you and your girlfriend are ok too.

To witness that is nothing less than to be traumatised, so just take care of yourselves and each other.

You poor things. Justice will be done and they will be caught. They must be local. I reckon the guards will take this extremely seriously.

Rochester

ellaguz wrote: »

So incredibly sad and shocked about this. The owners must be found and prosecuted and those dogs should be muzzled. Unfortunately once they have attacked once, there is a huge likelihood they could do it again. They are obviously dangerous. My heart goes out to you both, and I hope you are both ok.

My thoughts exactly.

saunders

Just wanted to offer my sympathies on the loss of your dog. Truly awful thing to happen. Can't express in works what I would like to see done to the owners. Take care.

easyeason3

Irresponsible owners like that give restricted breeds a bad name. I can only assume they see it as some kind of 'status' thing to own a restricted breed & probably take pride in the fact that the dog is vicious.
Anyone I know who has a restricted breed has taken the time to train their dogs properly to curb aggression & generally don't let them off the lead in a busy area.

I'm really sorry you had to experience this OP.

pH

easyeason3 wrote: »

Irresponsible owners like that give restricted breeds a bad name.

And yet I'm 100% sure that even with these "Irresponsible owners" if they'd been out with their 3 cavalier spaniels off lead today, his dog would be alive and well this evening.

I had the same (not fatal) experience on the canal with a pair of Staffies a few years back, they tore a huge gash in the back leg of my spaniel and also did a fair bit of damage to neck and ears. At the end of the day "tracksuit man" knew we could do nothing to him, we had to get our bleeding dog to a vet, so a vicious an unprovoked dog attack went unpunished.

It's well known that the Gardai hardly even consider dog on dog violence a crime (they're not much more interested in dog on human), at some stage something has to be done about this type of thing, if there's no way of stopping these dogs being in the wrong hands then maybe the time has come for a total ban.

ianmalone

Thank you all. We're all doing OK. I think our other puppy will be spoiled from now on. Just have to try and find these people to stop it happening it again.

ISDW

I don't think this thread is the place for the same old RB argument. The OP has witnessed his beloved dog being killed today, breed is irrelevant. Can we please just respect his feelings in this thread and not turn it into an argument.

Shanao

ianmalone wrote: »

Thank you all. We're all doing OK. I think our other puppy will be spoiled from now on. Just have to try and find these people to stop it happening it again.

Op, I really, really hope you can catch these bastards. And I hope your other pup is alright, hopefully he wont be too fearful after this.

Bullseye1

It would not surprise me if these scumbags were out blooding their dogs. They sound like the type. I not only pity your poor unfortunate dog but those three dogs and the life they probably live.

280special

Sorry to hear about the loss of your pup. These fools must be prosecuted, as much as the loss of a pet is bad who is to say that the next time it wont be a child?

Does anyone know if it is still the case that if you have a complaint about a dog you must hand it in writing to the owner before anything else can be done ?...We were told this a few years ago when we had a thug living near us who didnt control his dogs and wouldnt do anything about their attacking people walking down the road.

easyeason3

pH wrote: »

And yet I'm 100% sure that even with these "Irresponsible owners" if they'd been out with their 3 cavalier spaniels off lead today, his dog would be alive and well this evening.

I had the same (not fatal) experience on the canal with a pair of Staffies a few years back, they tore a huge gash in the back leg of my spaniel and also did a fair bit of damage to neck and ears. At the end of the day "tracksuit man" knew we could do nothing to him, we had to get our bleeding dog to a vet, so a vicious an unprovoked dog attack went unpunished.

It's well known that the Gardai hardly even consider dog on dog violence a crime (they're not much more interested in dog on human), at some stage something has to be done about this type of thing, if there's no way of stopping these dogs being in the wrong hands then maybe the time has come for a total ban.

Well it's quite obvious that a Rottie or a Staffy will do more damage than a King Charles. But a dog that shows aggression & isn't properly trained will do damage regardless of size.
I know of a Jack Russell that would tear my lab x apart given half the chance because the JR is extremely vicious & my guy is a complete push over.

Certain breeds will of course be more vicious than others but there's plenty of people that own restricted breeds & don't have issues with them. A friend of mine has a German Sheppard & he's the most harmless dog I have ever come across. I know another person that has a Staffy & again she is completely harmless & has never shown the bad traits that they are so famed for in the media.

I see it in my own town. There's complete & utter scumbags that get these dogs purely for their image & encourage the dogs to be vicious.

And I don't believe that the Guards don't consider it a crime. But it can be very hard to prove that the dog is in fact theirs. Who's to say it wasn't a stray that just happened to follow them? Believe me the people the OP described would have a million & one ways to dodge admitting ownership so how can you prosecute them then?

lrushe

This story breaks my heart for 2 reasons:

1. OP I can only imagine the pain you and your girlfriend are going through, I don't have any words that will make much difference to you right now but I hope in time your pain will lessen.
2. This story is just another nail in the coffin of Restricted Breeds, they are already skating on thin ice but incidents such as this will eventually be the straw that breaks the camels back and see an all out ban on the already restricted breeds. Will this effect the idiots who use these dog as a status symbol, no, they will move onto something new, the only ones who will be effected will be those who would never allow our dogs to inflict such an awful tragedy in the first place

TaraR

The bigger the head , stronger the bite! So if you where to ban , you would be banning every dog with a bigger head than a god damn poodle!
:mad:
Banning will do nothing! But make things worse. People need education about how to handle certain breeds. How to handle a circumstance like the OP'S.
How to stop a dog fight if it occurs.
Its not the dogs fault, its how to was brought up. No training, no obidence!
I am very sorry OP about your dog, its a very scary thing to see, and when it happens to you its even worse.

Dyr

TaraR wrote: »

The bigger the head , stronger the bite! So if you where to ban , you would be banning every dog with a bigger head than a god damn poodle!
:mad:

Standard poodle is not a small dog, interestingly the most viscious dog we owned was a poodle. The most placid one was a poodle too.

Bullseye1

What do you do about people who don't care what their dog does like the people in the OP. What do you do about the brigade of scumbags who keep pitbulls to intimidate people and their pets?

It's not just about training and informing people who would take onboard advice and training it's also about removing these dogs from people who have no interest in dogs other than for what damage they can produce. It's the same people who make people's lives a misery.

TaraR

Statsicly a dog with a bigger head , will have a stronger bite. I was just using a poodle as a example of a smaller dog

jandm

So sorry OP to read what happened..... poor pup

Another fine example of irresponsible ownership :mad: Any type of dog can be vicious, some breeds can do more damage due to the power and size of their weapons.

pokertalk

sorry to hear about your dog op hope you will feelbetter soon.its a huge problem we have with this trend of hard man hard dog bull****. unfortunately its perception that has ruined these dogs names as they are commonly used by little scumbags who have no interest in dogs but more of the stigma attached to the breeds that the uneducated public see as a threat

ppink

very sorry to see this OP. It must have been a crazy traumatic day on all of you.:mad:
Any chance cctv in the area you were in?
best of luck finding these scumbags

tesslab

So sorry for you and your family Op. I walk in Brickfield so will ask around for ya and put the warning out.

THE CARE BEAR

AH you poor thing

ianmalone

Thanks Tesslab. I went back to the park today to speak to anyone that might have seen the dogs yesterday or anytime before. I was shock to hear so many people telling me that they see this sort of thing all the time. Alot of these status dogs allow to run free and uncontrolled. My sad story is not a rare occurence.

tesslab

No worries OP. Have said it to the park rangers in Brickfield and asked them to pass on the message to all dog walkers. Am so sorry you had to lose your dog like that.

ianmalone

I just want to thank you all for your messages. There was some great advice in them. My girlfriend has visited some of the free vet clinics in the Drimnagh area to warn pet owners and to try and get some more information to help us catch these guys. These dogs were physically well looked after and I reckon the owner might have used these facilities in the past or future. We have heard reports of them leaving the park by the Drimnagh Road exit near the Bank of Ireland and Elenora Pub. If any forum readers have any information or ideas please let me know, next time it could be a young child attacked.

Pinklady11

I'm so sorry to hear about your poor dog. Here's some information about control of dogs. It might be an idea to report the incident to the dog warden. I really hope these guys get caught and the dogs get taken off them.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/animal_welfare_and_control/control_of_dogs.html

Hope this helps

username123

You could leaflet/stick up posters in the area offering a reward for information leading to the identification of the owners of these dogs? You could use the local Garda station number instead of your own on the posters/leaflets obviously.

Other than that I would post about this incident in every Irish/Dublin forum you can find online - someone from the area is going to have seen these animals (and by that I mean the owners) and you might get a lucky break with a poster online who wouldnt be afraid to anonymously tell you who they are.

Post about it on your FB status and ask everyone to share it and keep sharing it.

ianmalone

Thanks Pinklady for the info. I read the Act and section 22 speaks about the management of dangerous dogs. Not much can be done until I find them. Username123 do you know of any other forums that would be worth writing this up on. I'm new to forums like these. The most obvious one was boards.ie that why i posted this story.

username123

boards would probably be one of the biggest but theres also:

www.politics.ie - they have a culture and community section.

www.neighbours.ie - post in the relevant neighbourhood section - not sure how well used it is but you will definitely be posting in a place where people from the area will see it.

www.thepropertypin.com - not sure if there is a relevant section but its a very well used site and if you could post in a district section it would be useful.
Edit - I just checked out thepropertypin and I cant seem to find a forum that would suit - so maybe nix that suggestion.

www.askaboutmoney.com - quite strict forum rules, but may let you post it as a warning in the non financial section.

If you have no objection I will link to this thread on my FB status and ask people to share.

Whispered

westies4ever wrote: »

I now carry a blackthorn stick when out walking which has a sharpened tip. The next dog who looks side ways at us will get it in the eye as will their owner!!

There is always some idiot who is going to ruin it for the the responsible people who bother to train their dog.

If a dog looks at you you intend on jabbing it and its owner in the eye? I have sympathy for you and the OP but that makes you every bit as bad as someone who can't/ won't control their dog. Ridiculous - and to then go on about being a responsible person!

EDIT: I'm sure the OP had no intention of this thread becoming a place to discuss the harming of other animals - especially after their traumatic experience.