Moronic dog owners

Sherlock

For the fourth time this year I've been out for a walk with my mutt and had him attacked by a dog off its lead. The usual scenario with the owner trying to pull his dog away and me trying to protect my pooch. My dog ended up having his mouth bitten and bleeding. I gave the owner abuse as this is the second time his dog attacked mine and he obviously learned nothing from the past.
I decided enough is enough and rang my wife to give the local garda station a ring to see if they could send a car down to the local park (its about 2 minutes by car). They said its not a matter for them but for the dog warden who I assume doesn't operate on a Sunday night?. Isn't it against the law to have a dog off the lead in a public place and to attack another dog?.

Baffled

99% sure its illegal to have a dog off a leash. I cant understand this either. I have a couple of friends who think its totally acceptable to leave their dog run free in public. Its stupid and very dangerous, thats what it is. My dogs are very friendly and sociable but I wouldnt trust them for a second off the lead.

Jeez, some people need a few lessons in keeping animals!

Nala

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, when not on his own property, a dog must be kept on a leash by a person over 16 years at all times.

My cat is dead because of moronic dog owners. The guy let the dog out to just run around the neighbourhood. Dog ran into my garden and savaged my cat, dislocated her hip and fractured her leg in two places... Despite having had almost €650 worth of vetinary treatment and round-the-clock care from me and my mother, she died 2 weeks later of an infection at the site of the wounds. 11 years I had that cat, since the morning she was born, and she died slowly, painfully, and completely unneccessarily.

John2002

Sherlock wrote:

For the fourth time this year I've been out for a walk with my mutt and had him attacked by a dog off its lead.

Why didn't you boot that dog in the head? If any dog attacks mine when I'm out walking it is likely to get an almighty kick in its head regardless of whether the owner is there or not (my dog is extremely placid and wouldn't really fight back). Savage dogs loose and not controlled by their owners is just not on.

tabatha

if it was a child the dog bit u could be sure the garda would be there. another thing i hate is dog owners who let their dogs poop where ever they want and dont clean it up. my sister is blind in one eye from this and i also has toxacaris as a child.

DonkeyStyle \o/

About 15 years ago, our dog was attacked in the park by an old english sheepdog... a pretty large dog who was actually on his lead at the time (as was ours) but the person walking him was 9 or 10 years old and far too puny to control him physically... the dog must have been twice the weight of this boy.
Question for anyone who knows: in this scenario, to what extent can you legaly go to get the uncontrollable dog away without it being 'cruelty'?

Actually I heard aswell that dogs are more likely to be agressive on the lead than off... interesting stuff.

Sigma Force

The dog warden is the person to complain to, cops can't do much unless you get bitten yourself.
Not that I would like to cause any dog harm but if my dog was attacked like that I would do anything to get the other dog off.
Not enough people are being punished for not controlling their dogs.
How is your pooch doing? It must be pretty traumitising for you and your dog if this is the fourth time, poor pooch won't want to set foot outside the door eventually

Kalina

If people cared about their dogs they would keep them on their leads where they are safe. I keep my elkhound on her lead when we're out cos I know she'd scare people cos she's quite large and has the features of a wolf (though she's completely harmless) and I'd be afraid that she might wander out under a car or something.

Einstein

I do agree that dogs should also be kept on leashes when around others. In saying that, I live down the country, and theres a great field where he can roam around when I bring him for his walk. No other people, no other dogs- its great! If on the off chance someone else turns up, I just put him back on the lead.

D

Gryzor

Nala wrote:

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, when not on his own property, a dog must be kept on a leash by a person over 16 years at all times.

is that in the law??

our cat was killed by a dog that was on a leash, but the kid at the other end of the leash was only about 8....as soon as the dog saw the cat he just pulled the leash out of the kids hand....the cat died in the vets that nite.....the owner dropped down a box of celebrations later that evening :mad:

if u can't control it u shouldn't be waking it..

Alun

For specific breeds dogs considered as 'dangerous', yes, but not for ordinary dogs. That having been said, you're still supposed to have the dog "under effectual control" at all times, which clearly wasn't the case in this instance.

See http://www.oasis.gov.ie/environment/control_of_dogs.html and http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA32Y1986.html for the details.

Sherlock

Guineapigrescue wrote:

The dog warden is the person to complain to, cops can't do much unless you get bitten yourself.
Not that I would like to cause any dog harm but if my dog was attacked like that I would do anything to get the other dog off.
Not enough people are being punished for not controlling their dogs.
How is your pooch doing? It must be pretty traumitising for you and your dog if this is the fourth time, poor pooch won't want to set foot outside the door eventually

Pooch is ok and I'm now bringing a walking stick when we're out. I don't like to do have to do it but the next dog that attacks my springer is going to get a crack on the back, no question about it.

Gryzor

Alun wrote:

For specific breeds dogs considered as 'dangerous', yes, but not for ordinary dogs. That having been said, you're still supposed to have the dog "under effectual control" at all times, which clearly wasn't the case in this instance.

See http://www.oasis.gov.ie/environment/control_of_dogs.html and http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA32Y1986.html for the details.

"Dog not kept under control: On-the-spot fine of 12.70 euro payable to your local authority" thats gonna make people shake in there boots allright :eek:

unless an animal is perceived to be a threat to humans i don't think most people give a shìte.. :rolleyes:

RuggieBear

my mam was attacked by an alsatian, off lead, once...the owner of the dog's excuse was "It's only a puppy"....****ing thing was still big enough to knock her to the ground and it was only because my dad managed to give it a kick and drive it off that my mam wasn't seriously hurt.

Gillo

RuggieBear wrote:

my mam was attacked by an alsatian, off lead, once...the owner of the dog's excuse was "It's only a puppy"....****ing thing was still big enough to knock her to the ground and it was only because my dad managed to give it a kick and drive it off that my mam wasn't seriously hurt.

Sounds like the usual, don't worry he won't harm you as the dog jumps on you, someone recently said that to me, my reply was "yeah, cos next time he come near me I'll have him shot", you should of seen the owners face!!!!

Does anyone know if the dog scarer's (the ones that emit a high pitch noise) actually work?

I live by teh beach and often brign my daughter down, it's constantly full of dogs running, the owner's have leads alright but are a few 100 feets away.

peasant

dog scarers ...pepper spray ...anything like that ....BAAAD Idea

You might just flick the "rage" switch on some dogs, turning it from a nuisance into a real and unstopable biting machine.

Same goes for hitting, kicking, etc.

Make it your point to have a stern talking to with the owner. Point out damage to clothing, scared children, etc. Dog owners need to act more responsibly ...otherwise report them to the dog warden.

Kevin_rc_ie

Yeah my dog falls ito the category of being completely stupid and friendly and has had trouble with other unleashed dogs. as a puppy she would leg it up to people and kinda jump at them. obviously not in a threatening way, but in a doggy way. and as said above, she did kinda scare some kids and stuff. when their parents complained at the time i admit i told to them "____ off" and not be afraid of a harmless dog. but since then, dog goes everywhere on a lead publically.

so point is, aggressive unleashed dogs is inexcusable.
overly friendly unleashed dogs are a nuisance (but i think kids should know not to panic and be afraid etc.)
Therefore dogs should be kept on a lead.

boneless

The Garda are due to investigate only under the Dangerous Dogs act but even then they will try to cop out of their responsibilities. I'm having trouble around my patch with teenage tossers thinking they are the dogs bo##ocks (pun intended) 'cause they own a pitbull or some rottweiller called Satan or such other "hard" name. The sensible dog owners have embarked on a campaign of ringing TD's and local politicians. We've had some sucess. The politicos put pressure on the local Super who in turn puts it on his underlings. You have to keep up the calls though.

Humpty D

If a dog killed my cat, I would kill the dog and kick the crap out of the irresponsible owner (with a weapon if they were bigger) - and I'm not actually a violent person, but I would gladly pay the consequences afterwards.

kevin_rc_ie wrote:

when their parents complained at the time i admit i told to them "____ off" and not be afraid of a harmless dog

You're an as*hole.

dawballz

Alun wrote:

For specific breeds dogs considered as 'dangerous', yes, but not for ordinary dogs. That having been said, you're still supposed to have the dog "under effectual control" at all times, which clearly wasn't the case in this instance.

See http://www.oasis.gov.ie/environment/control_of_dogs.html and http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA32Y1986.html for the details.

That "dangerous" dogs classification is a joke.
My GF's parents have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and he is the most obedient dog I have ever seen. Although he is very strong, he would never try to hurt or bite anyone.
I can even put my entire hand in his mouth and all he does is try to lick it.
I believe any dog can be brought up to be dangerous.

Lex Luthor

dawballz wrote:

I can even put my entire hand in his mouth and all he does is try to lick it.

just you wait...one day a neighbour will be out with the BBQ frying big juicy burgers and the smell will waft up his nostrils as he's licking your hand and....SNAP. BYE BYE HAND.
How stupid are you to put your hand inside a dogs mouth..even one of this breed???

Kevin_rc_ie

Humpty D wrote:

If a dog killed my cat, I would kill the dog and kick the crap out of the irresponsible owner (with a weapon if they were bigger) - and I'm not actually a violent person, but I would gladly pay the consequences afterwards.



You're an as*hole.

lol thank you. and you're a bit of a crazy looper if you'll kill someone cos their dog killed you cat. or you're liar.

bonzai bob

i have to admit, when i had a dog and brought him out he would be let off the lead. But he was a good dog and was in no way aggressive and i never once had a problem with him scaring anyone.

However he was a smallish dog, if/when i get a dog again i think i'll be getting a larger dog and to be honest i'd have to say i will probably let them off their lead, but i'd make sure that it wears a muzzel(SP?), is that the right word? Of course this will only be the case if it was an obediant dog, my aunts dog just runs off when they let it out.

Jumpy

Kevin_rc_ie wrote:

lol thank you. and you're a bit of a crazy looper if you'll kill someone cos their dog killed you cat. or you're liar.

And you apparently cannot read.

MorningStar

Humpty D wrote:

If a dog killed my cat, I would kill the dog and kick the crap out of the irresponsible owner (with a weapon if they were bigger) - and I'm not actually a violent person, but I would gladly pay the consequences afterwards.



You're an as*hole.

What give you the right to let your cat run around the streets? The dog is just following it's nature the same way a cat does when it kills a bird but you don't kill it.

Gryzor

MorningStar wrote:

What give you the right to let your cat run around the streets? The dog is just following it's nature the same way a cat does when it kills a bird but you don't kill it.

last time i checked cats weren't a danger to anyone elses pets or people out on the street...

everyone has the right to have their animals outside, its common decency and respect to others to try and minimise as much as possible the chances of your pet killing another persons pet....

from the Staute book..

9.—(1) The owner or any other person in charge of a dog shall not permit the dog to be in any place other than—

( a ) the premises of the owner, or

( b ) the premises of such other person in charge of the dog, or

( c ) the premises of any other person, with the consent of that person,

unless such owner or such other person in charge of the dog accompanies it and keeps it under effectual control.

Gillo

bonzai bob wrote:

i have to admit, when i had a dog and brought him out he would be let off the lead. But he was a good dog and was in no way aggressive and i never once had a problem with him scaring anyone.

Ah yes, just like every Irish mother says
"My little Johnny would never do that"

MorningStar

Gryzor wrote:

last time i checked cats weren't a danger to anyone elses pets or people out on the street...

Tell that to my the pets I have killed and injured by cats. They also smell a lot when the mark their areas. Cats also disturbing neighbours when they go around shagging at night. Cats are also a risk to pregnant woman and childrens' eyesight due to the deseases they carry. I can get if you aren't a dog person but to ignore you own pets faults and threaten violence makes you are rather limited in your views IMHO. In some cities you aren't allowed let your cat roam.

I don't have a cat but I don't hate them either

Gryzor

MorningStar wrote:

Tell that to my the pets I have killed and injured by cats. They also smell a lot when the mark their areas. Cats also disturbing neighbours when they go around shagging at night. Cats are also a risk to pregnant woman and childrens' eyesight due to the deseases they carry. I can get if you aren't a dog person but to ignore you own pets faults and threaten violence makes you are rather limited in your views IMHO. In some cities you aren't allowed let your cat roam.

I don't have a cat but I don't hate them either

cats, male and female should be neutered and spayed (my female is recovering from her op yesterday, the male will lose the use of his nuts as soon as he's old enough.. :eek: ), this will put a stop to alot of the behaviour you state above. I'd have a dog too if my back garden was big enough , it wouldn't be fair at the moment though. other posters threatened violence, i didn't, its an over-reaction.....the jist of my last post was dogs can do alot more damage than cats, thats just my opinion and experience

eirbiz

My life has been made a misery by people who acquire dogs and then forget about the rights or comfort of others.
In the hope of preventing more misery I have devoted DogS-h-i-tDepot.com to the subject.

lightening

Non "dangerous breeds" shall keep the dog on a sufficiently strong chain or leash, not exceeding two metres in length if a fixed leash, or ten metres if retractable, while in that area, except during the following times when the dog may be unleashed in such areas (but excluding the North Bull Island and any other such area for which a Special Amenity Area Order is made) provided that such dog must still be under the effectual control of the person-in-charge of the dog in accordance with the Control of Dogs Acts, 1986 and 1992:

January & December: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
4.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.

February & November: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
4.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.

March & October: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
5.30 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. (Wintertime)
6.30 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. (Summertime)


April & September: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
7.30 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.

May & June: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
July & August: 8.30 p.m. - 9.30 p.m.

They Must be under control though.

Otherwise you will have to keep it on the lead. People who scream and wave at dog owners as they approach them are nuts, they just arouse the dogs natural curiosity and attract them.

eirbiz

This is the situation that I find myself in as a result of thoughtless ownership.<br />
You can see more at: http://www.dog****depot.com
<br /><br />
This is what I and my family have to listen to every
day in our terraced house.
It's going on now as I edit this.
About a year ago my next door neighbour acquired two pups of a large breed of dog which were immediately let loose in the backyard. This neighbour already had four or five cats which screamed abuse at each other almost every night and they occasionally crapped in my backyard but, since the arrival of the dogs, they did ALL their crapping in my yard. Now, the backyard of this house was like something out of Baghdad to begin with...rubbish and broken household appliances were strewn about on what in summer was grass. As a result of the animals charging about and Winter taking over, the dogs were soon running about in muck which contained their own ****. After being put out of the house about 8am they were left to their own devices until taken back in again around 11pm. During this time they constantly barked and whined as they took turns at trying to mount a four foot high barred gate every time that a child or adult come close...snarling and threatening at the same time. When they weren't occupied at the gate, they were clawing and whining at the back door to be admitted inside...their clawing leaving muck stains all over the bottom part of the door. Of course, when they were in the house they kicked up a terrible din to be allowed out again. They could be heard tearing about in the house knocking over pieces of furniture as they went.
As a result of regular rain, a puddle of water was a constant feature at the foot of the gate and, needless to say, the dogs were constantly prancing about in it. This meant that they always covered in muck and their boisterous activity caused cars parked outside the gate to be splattered with muck also. The muck is still on one wall a year later.
After putting up with months of this racket and after reporting the matter to the Local Authority - in this case the County Council - and reporting to it the ISPCA with no result, I could take no more.
And so, I was forced to apply to the Courts in an effort to have the problem at least curtailed. The Justice/Judge, after hearing my side of the story, ordered the owner to 'abate the nuisance' and, as a result of this, the owner took the half grown animals into the house almost permanently. The dogs, now getting bigger every day, were allowed to again tear about the inside of the small council house making a tremendous noise day and night...barking and whining as usual. And because they weren't allowed out they had to be crapping in the house.
After a period of time two leads were attached to the unfortunately dogs and they then could be heard pulling whatever they were tethered to around the room and the thud of the leads reaching their full extent when the furniture got wedged was like a door banging. At times one of them would get free and endeavour to escape through the opening-out section of the kitchen window unit - about 18 inches by 12 - while squealing it's brains out at the same time...I have videos of this. This window is 10 feet from my kitchen table. At one stage the dog broke off the little foot long small window support in it's struggle as I watched. The now very dirty curtains were also pulled down.
On a couple of occasions the dogs were brought out and the two leads were tied to same anchor point...result...the leads got tangled together to the point where the animals started to chop at each other...barking, snarling and whining as usual.
All this time I photographed and videoed on a regular basis.
On four or five occasions I called the Gardai/Police in the hope that their visit might compel the owner to do something. But nothing was ever done...nothing changed even though I gave the Gardai a copy of the Justice's order. The Gardai took a statement from me and told me that I had to go to the Courts Office to get further advice as to what to do next. I called to the Courts Office told my story and I was told that they would ring me when they knew what the story was. They never called me. I rang again on two occasions and was told that they were working on it. I waited a week before going to the office in person and again was told that they were trying to figure out the next move. I got a phonecall later in the day telling me that I had to take my copy of the order to their offices the next day along with the statement that I made to the Gardai...that's where I am now.
To be continued...

Demonique

Gryzor wrote: »

is that in the law??

our cat was killed by a dog that was on a leash, but the kid at the other end of the leash was only about 8....as soon as the dog saw the cat he just pulled the leash out of the kids hand....the cat died in the vets that nite.....the owner dropped down a box of celebrations later that evening :mad:

if u can't control it u shouldn't be waking it..

Did you go after them for the vet fees?

Gryzor

Demonique wrote: »

Did you go after them for the vet fees?

to be fair to them, they paid the vets fees alright.....it was little comfort at the time though..:(

Nala

My cat was killed by a dog. It ran into our garden where my cat was lying out in the sun, got her in its mouth, pulled her hip out of its socket and fractured her leg in 2 places. We sent her to a specialist for surgery, she had pins put in her legs to hold all the shattered bones together. She was doing great, was eating like a horse, washing herself, really high spirits but took a turn for the worse 2 weeks later. She seemed really sick and had an abcess where the dog bit her, we brought her to the vet on the Saturday, he gave her more antibiotics and said she would be fine but she died in the middle of Sunday night of septecaemia.

We found the owner of the dog- the dog came back a few days later and we caught him. We took photos of it to show it had been out loose. We had been onto the guards and the dog warden and they said to put the dog on a lead and it'll bring you to its house eventually. The people living there (turned out they were the owner's lodgers) knew the dog and let him in. My dad told them he wanted to see the owner. He showed up at our house and denied the dog was his, even though his own lodgers said it was. He tried to tell us he was a responsible dog owner and that "My dog is locked up all the time and would never do a thing like that". When we told him we had photos to show it had been out loose he said "it must have escaped one day" and eventually he admitted he let the dog out every day. He gave us some money towards the bills but not all of it. We told him if we saw the dog again it would be put down, we have not seen it since. To this day it annoys me seeing people walking their dog along main roads, the dog running around annoying people and steppin onto the road, and the owners having its lead in their hand instead of attached to the dogs collar.

MsFifers

eirbiz wrote: »

This is the situation that I find myself in as a result of thoughtless ownership.<br />
You can see more at: http://www.dog****depot.com
<br /><br />
This is what I and my family have to listen to every
day in our terraced house.
It's going on now as I edit this.
About a year ago my next door neighbour acquired two pups of a large breed of dog which were immediately let loose in the backyard. This neighbour already had four or five cats which screamed abuse at each other almost every night and they occasionally crapped in my backyard but, since the arrival of the dogs, they did ALL their crapping in my yard. Now, the backyard of this house was like something out of Baghdad to begin with...rubbish and ...

That is horrific! I too have a noisy dog next door - but nothing on that scale. The poor dogs must be on the verge of cracking up confined like that - maybe they'll turn on their owner one of these days... you can only live in hope!!!

Good luck with your "campaign". I can't believe the ISPCC haven't got involved in anyway - but I guess they are probably under resource pressures and probably have to prioritise the more obvious cases of cruelty.

echosound

Why do people insist on leaving dogs running free? It boggles the mind. I have two small dogs (a westie and a pug) and neither of them are ever let outside of our totally secured back garden without a leash on them, as much for their own safety as for other dogs/cats/children etc.

It doesn't matter how "good" a dog is, or how placid or friendly, all it takes is one scare (a car backfiring, any sudden noise) and the dog could get spooked and take off running into traffic or across fields, or worse, attacking the source of the scare (an innocent overfriendly child running up and startling the dog).

If you live in the country and have fields behind your house that are safe and away from roads (and the farmer doesn't mind) then by all means let the dogs have a run around if they are well trained to heel when commanded, but I cannot understand how anyone in their right mind could bring a dog for a walk in a town/village setting unleashed, with traffic whizzing by and other people or dogs (or cats!) in the vicinity. It doesn't matter how well behaved a dog is, all it takes is one trigger for the dog who's been placid and well-behaved for the past 12 years to turn and get aggressive or to run into traffic causing an accident and getting killed themselves in the process.

To those of you who have lost cats to dogs left roaming, I am sorry. It's heartbreaking to lose a pet in any circumstances, let alone being savaged.

Originally Posted by kevin_rc_ie
when their parents complained at the time i admit i told to them "____ off" and not be afraid of a harmless dog

Harmless in your opinion.


how are kids meant to know what dog is going to bite them and which one won't? I had a jack russell once who looked like the sweetest little harmless thing, but was very territorial and would snarl at anyone who came to pet him, whereas the much bigger and more savage looking staff I had was the friendliest most harmless aul lump and would lick you to death. Neither was allowed out without being on a leash BTW but how are people meant to know when a dog jumps at them whether they have a friendly temperament or not and whether they are going to lick them or going to savage them?

And what give you the right to decide those kids had to come into contact with a dog anyway, I know grown men and women who have a phobia of dogs having been attacked as kids, would you insist they be subjected to your dog jumping on them? Not your call to make. I personally love dogs but I don't impose that view on everyone else, especially those who may a) not be used to dogs or b) have a fear of dogs or c) just have a plain ol dislike to being slobbered on by an dog.

Eirbiz, that sounds like a nightmare to be living beside! good luck with your campaign.

Hellrazer

And the point of dragging up a 2 year old thread is???

Jesus Eirbiz--you really do hate dogs dont you??

lightening

Eirbiz. Why don't you move. Sounds like a hole anyway. I had bad neighbours and I moved, best thing I ever did, your post is more about bad neighbours, not dogs.

iguana

The vast majority of dogs NEED to be exercised off-lead. They NEED a type of exercise that they can't get while on a lead. Without this exercise they become frustrated and potentially aggressive. They also miss out on learning necessary behavioural and socialisation skills if they are not walked off-lead. Not allowing dogs to be walked off lead causes problems, it ceratinly doesn't prevent them.

Of course people need to be able to keep their dogs under control, but the laws as they stand in Ireland are cruel, unnecessary and defeat their purpose.

kashi

I have a German Shepherd, and when I bring him for a walk he is always on the lead. It's mostly because people avoid him like the plague, and I don't want my dog to be blamed for anything. And I guarantee you if he jumped on someone, then the Gardai would be called and I would be made put him down! Now he is a pure and utter slob, but I would never like him to hurt anyone so I'll never take the risk of letting him off the lead, because if he got distracted he might not come back to me. It's not worth the risk. He doesn't like dogs off lead, that get aggressive with him and I don't blame him. In the park I walk him, all dogs are supposed to be on leads. A huge amount of dogs are off the lead, and while the dogs in general are fine, some are rather aggressive. Although I do feel that it's down to the owners. Their dogs are scared of my dog, and so they pick up on it. Of course there are the muppets who don't have the brain cells to know how to care for their dogs.

I don't particularly like the extendable leads, for two reasons. The first one being, it's hard to control the dog, and get him back to your side quickly. The other reason being, I heard a story of a woman who was walking her dog along a busy road in Cork. Her dog got spooked by another dog and ran out under a car. Her dog died, and there was nothing she could do to save him.

EGAR

Just a bit of legal nitpicking from me: Ireland does not have a Dangerous Dogs Act althought the UK has one, we have a *Restricted Breeds Act*.

Wokie

Ah yes moronic dog owners:rolleyes: I love the generalisations that go on here!! Off to Parenting board to query why the moronic parents allow their children out unsupervised to intimidate the elderly and allow their kiddies to run at dogs crying "ahhhhhhh doggy doggy - woof woof" and then wonder why doggy goes ballistic:D