Huskies Maul Dog Owner's Jack Russell To Death In Savage Attack

[Mum to Emma]

I would have no sympathy at all for the attackers and would ask for them to be destroyed. Nice, lovely dogs are destroyed every day in this country in pounds that have never commited such acts of aggression. Why on earth keep dogs that pose a threat to other people's safety? Dogs do escape from yards but most don't ever behave like this. Poor woman and poor jack russell.

I totally agree. It doesn't matter who let the dogs out. Unless the owners can guarantee that they will be enclosed 27/4 in the house or in a fully enclosed dog-run and only allowed off the property wearing muzzles, they should be PTS. With this one incident they have proven that they are a danger to other animals and are not suited to an urban environment (and indeed a rural environment where a neighbour would be entitled to shoot the dogs if they threatened livestock).

[Kirislin]

I saw photos of the dogs in question and I think they are malamutes not huskies. I feel very sorry for the woman and her poor little dog Joysie.

Edited January 3, 2011 by Kirislin

[geo]

I would have no sympathy at all for the attackers and would ask for them to be destroyed. Nice, lovely dogs are destroyed every day in this country in pounds that have never commited such acts of aggression. Why on earth keep dogs that pose a threat to other people's safety? Dogs do escape from yards but most don't ever behave like this. Poor woman and poor jack russell.

I totally agree. It doesn't matter who let the dogs out. Unless the owners can guarantee that they will be enclosed 27/4 in the house or in a fully enclosed dog-run and only allowed off the property wearing muzzles, they should be PTS. With this one incident they have proven that they are a danger to other animals and are not suited to an urban environment (and indeed a rural environment where a neighbour would be entitled to shoot the dogs if they threatened livestock).

I think every situation has to be dealt with individually and sadly there is no clear cut way to address these incidents. The owners may well be very responsible people and to have their dogs let out by someone else is NOT their fault. We live in an area of lots of roaming dogs and dingoes, and if many of the dogs in the area were let out of their yards could pose a threat to other dogs, especially if their is 2 of them. My friends dogs were let out by school kids walking by!!

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

[Loving my Oldies]

A very sad incident for everyone involved. I really do hope that the huskies aren't PTS (assuming of course that since they were accidentally released by council that they have never attacked before).

It isn't "sad" . "Sad" is when a loved family pet grows old and dies; "sad" is when your loved pet gets an incurable disease and dies.

This is horrific, ghastly, traumatic, life changing, terrifying.

Would some of you just think about, and not just say the words, what Joysie and her owner went through. Just think of yourself walking through a park with a little dog and having that dog wrenched out of your arms by two very very large dogs intent on nothing more than killing.

Picture the horror, the fear. Don't just type words onto the screen.

I would have no sympathy at all for the attackers and would ask for them to be destroyed. Nice, lovely dogs are destroyed every day in this country in pounds that have never commited such acts of aggression. Why on earth keep dogs that pose a threat to other people's safety? Dogs do escape from yards but most don't ever behave like this. Poor woman and poor jack russell.

I totally agree. It doesn't matter who let the dogs out. Unless the owners can guarantee that they will be enclosed 27/4 in the house or in a fully enclosed dog-run and only allowed off the property wearing muzzles, they should be PTS. With this one incident they have proven that they are a danger to other animals and are not suited to an urban environment (and indeed a rural environment where a neighbour would be entitled to shoot the dogs if they threatened livestock).

I totally agree too.

I think every situation has to be dealt with individually and sadly there is no clear cut way to address these incidents. The owners may well be very responsible people and to have their dogs let out by someone else is NOT their fault. We live in an area of lots of roaming dogs and dingoes, and if many of the dogs in the area were let out of their yards could pose a threat to other dogs, especially if their is 2 of them. My friends dogs were let out by school kids walking by!!

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

I don't necessarily agree that all dogs are capable of doing something like this.

I was thinking about this thread through last night and being totally honest, if I owned dogs who had done this, I don't think I could live with them or what they had done.

[Linda K]

Also saw the news report where they were identified as malamutes, not huskies, and showed what the council had done to the fence which allowed the dogs to escape - imagine that would then come down to how long ago was it the council did that - if they had done it for instance last week, and it had been like that for many days, it would be different to if it had been done 1/2 hour prior. I feel for the poor woman and her JRT but I do also feel for the dogs that got out through no fault of their own. Will be interesting to see how the council handles this, as this is my council.

[SilverHaze]

An unfortuante incident all round. Sadly some larger dogs see smaller dogs as prey - such is life. They are dogs. They aren't doing anything wrong in this behaviour. Small dogs see smaller animals (rodents etc) as prey, and we don't see anyone howling about this.

But for a fence damaged by the council, this incident would not have happened, and all dogs would still be living their lives as normal. The owners had obviously believed their dogs were adequately contained and safe. They obviously were able to exercise and live with these dogs without issues or danger to anyone else prior to this.

We all care for our dogs with their safety as their highest priority - but who can forsee a fence being damaged and permitting your dogs to escape? And who can predict what their dogs will do if left to their own devices in the big wide world?

[Hairy Maclary]

A very sad incident for everyone involved. I really do hope that the huskies aren't PTS (assuming of course that since they were accidentally released by council that they have never attacked before).

It isn't "sad" . "Sad" is when a loved family pet grows old and dies; "sad" is when your loved pet gets an incurable disease and dies.

This is horrific, ghastly, traumatic, life changing, terrifying.

Would some of you just think about, and not just say the words, what Joysie and her owner went through. Just think of yourself walking through a park with a little dog and having that dog wrenched out of your arms by two very very large dogs intent on nothing more than killing.

Picture the horror, the fear. Don't just type words onto the screen.

It's a small dog owners worst nightmare. What that lady and her dog went through is just unspeakable horror. "Sad" definitely doesn't even come close.

[Winterpaws]

I know I have said it before but I really hope people start suing asses for this sort of attack.

I am the last person on earth to suggest going legal but maybe if people have to start paying with $$$$$$$$ (rather than the dogs life) then the message might get through and ownership of a dog might be taken more seriously.

I know there will always be the dog who is an escape artist but there are so many irresponsible owners out there. It's about time they started learning in a way that will make then listen

[megan_]

I would have no sympathy at all for the attackers and would ask for them to be destroyed. Nice, lovely dogs are destroyed every day in this country in pounds that have never commited such acts of aggression. Why on earth keep dogs that pose a threat to other people's safety? Dogs do escape from yards but most don't ever behave like this. Poor woman and poor jack russell.

I totally agree. It doesn't matter who let the dogs out. Unless the owners can guarantee that they will be enclosed 27/4 in the house or in a fully enclosed dog-run and only allowed off the property wearing muzzles, they should be PTS. With this one incident they have proven that they are a danger to other animals and are not suited to an urban environment (and indeed a rural environment where a neighbour would be entitled to shoot the dogs if they threatened livestock).

I think every situation has to be dealt with individually and sadly there is no clear cut way to address these incidents. The owners may well be very responsible people and to have their dogs let out by someone else is NOT their fault. We live in an area of lots of roaming dogs and dingoes, and if many of the dogs in the area were let out of their yards could pose a threat to other dogs, especially if their is 2 of them. My friends dogs were let out by school kids walking by!!

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

If you have a large dog with a high prey drive, then they need to be kept securely - that means high, high fences with locked gates. If that isn't enough, then secure dog runs with concrete floors etc. If school kids could let your friends dogs out, then they weren't very secure in the first place.

I own a dog with issues. That means that I need to be 10000% more responsible than the average dog owner. All walks need to be planned ahead. My dog gets securely crated before anyone comes into the house. I have a two-gated front door so she can't accidentally get out etc. And she is a mini schnauzer who couldn't do much damage if she tried.

If people want to own dogs that can do a lot of damage then the need to step up to the plate.

People seem to think that PTS is all about fault and punishment. Sorry to say it but some dogs just aren't cut out to live in suburbia with many people, dogs, cats etc living in close proximity. It isn't always about fault but the safety of the community. A kid could have been hurt if they had been walking their JRT and tried to save it.

I agrew Wineterpaws - if an offleash dog ever attacks mine then I will make sure that the owners spend a lot of money and time on lawyers - even though I have a low chance of getting any $ out of it.

Edited January 4, 2011 by megan_

[Mum to Emma]

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

"All breeds" maybe, but certainly not all dogs. And definitely not in the circumstances that this woman faced. This morning I heard more of an interview with her given yesterday on radio, and she said that she didn't see or hear the dogs coming as they approached silently from behind. She turned when her dog became aware of them and found that they were right behind, standing separately one either side of her and her dog. Clearly they were stalking with the intention to attack. It must have been terrifying. These dogs weren't provoked in any way, nor were the woman and her JR on their territory. Indeed, their house was 2km away. These dogs are a menace and a danger and should be PTS.

[huski]

"All breeds" maybe, but certainly not all dogs. And definitely not in the circumstances that this woman faced. This morning I heard more of an interview with her given yesterday on radio, and she said that she didn't see or hear the dogs coming as they approached silently from behind. She turned when her dog became aware of them and found that they were right behind, standing separately one either side of her and her dog. Clearly they were stalking with the intention to attack. It must have been terrifying. These dogs weren't provoked in any way, nor were the woman and her JR on their territory. Indeed, their house was 2km away. These dogs are a menace and a danger and should be PTS.

I've seen my dog do the same thing to birds and other small wildlife catching his prey eye when we've been out walking, had he been allowed, he certainly would have chased and grabbed these animals. I'm not saying that in this instance with the JRT it was a prey driven attack, but if it was, prey drive is hardly unusual behaviour. IF they saw the dog as a prey item, then just seeing it moving around would have triggered ("provoked") them and it would have had nothing to do with territoriality. I'm not saying that excuses their behaviour but that it's not as rare or unexplainable as you seem to think it is.

[Loving my Oldies]

An unfortuante incident all round.

Read my post about "sad". Saying it is "an unfortunate incident" is even worse and seems to show a total inability to comprehend or sympathise let alone empathise with what the woman and Joysie went through.

I am completely at a loss to understand how some people just downplay Iand even blame) what the victims went through and try by whatever means to excuse the attacks.

"All breeds" maybe, but certainly not all dogs. And definitely not in the circumstances that this woman faced. This morning I heard more of an interview with her given yesterday on radio, and she said that she didn't see or hear the dogs coming as they approached silently from behind. She turned when her dog became aware of them and found that they were right behind, standing separately one either side of her and her dog. Clearly they were stalking with the intention to attack. It must have been terrifying. These dogs weren't provoked in any way, nor were the woman and her JR on their territory. Indeed, their house was 2km away. These dogs are a menace and a danger and should be PTS.

I totally agree with you, Mum to Emma.

Cannot the people who say that "dogs will be dogs" cannot get this ???

[SilverHaze]

An unfortuante incident all round.

Read my post about "sad". Saying it is "an unfortunate incident" is even worse and seems to show a total inability to comprehend or sympathise let alone empathise with what the woman and Joysie went through.

I can probably understand and empathise alot more than many people. I personally have picked up a small dog who had its insides torn open by a pack of dogs at a park - i know exactly how you feel at the time, and the horror of what has happened.

Did i blame the dogs in that instant - actually no - i blamed the ower who had "created" the situation - from putting the dogs in that place and time, to the lack of training and discipline in the past that had created such a pack mentality.

That didn't change the horror of what had happened to that little dog, and to say that i was happy to see that little fella survive and still be able to be friendly to my dogs is an understatment.

In this situation i don't see how the owners can be blamed if in fact what was a secure fence containing the dogs was damaged without their knowledge. That no previous incidences seem to have surfaced involving these dogs seems to suggest that their owners managed their dogs responsibly.

People always look to blame in situations such as this, but sometimes its just bad luck and a horrible set of circumstances that come together in a horrible event.

Edited January 4, 2011 by SilverHaze

[Andisa]

Everyone knows that fences can be damaged and it is up to the dog owner to house their dogs according to it needs. Naturally the placid calm docile dog does not need to be housed the same as a security dog - but I just wish more owners would take a serious look at what they are living with and house them accordingly.

[TrinaJ]

Everyone knows that fences can be damaged and it is up to the dog owner to house their dogs according to it needs. Naturally the placid calm docile dog does not need to be housed the same as a security dog - but I just wish more owners would take a serious look at what they are living with and house them accordingly.

I agree Lisa, mum and I were saying the exact same thing yesterday. Sad for everyone involved, esp the poor lady who lost her precious JRT. It doesn't matter what breed of dog you own you MUST house them accordingly. If the fence is broken, falling down etc, crate them til it can be fixed, board them til it can be fixed or get temporary fencing installed in the interum - its NOT that hard! Unfortuntely these two escaped from a place with unsecure fencing and their pray drive kicked in for whatever reason, doesn't necessarily mean that they would have done the same thing to a person or a child. A very sad situation all around.

[Diva]

I understand all the arguments about this being a prey driven attack.

But to me, the fact that the dogs stalked and attacked in that manner a dog that was being walked on lead with a person is still very disturbing - if the smaller dog had been loose I would have no trouble understanding the prey side, but I expect even high prey dogs to respect people enough not to 'hunt' a dog on lead.

The owners may not be responsible for the dogs getting out, but something is seriously astray in how those dogs regard people imho.

[bernym]

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

I disagree. I do not believe that ALL dogs are capable of this sort of aggression. There is always going to be the likelihood that a dog will escape and end up roaming. People and their dogs should be able to safely walk the streets without fear of being attacked by a dog, regardless of where the dog is from, or how it got there. Our dogs have escaped many times and haven't attacked any dogs or people. We have always accepted responsibility for their escape and apologised to the people who have 'caught' them, but as they are nice dogs who are friendly to people and dogs, we have yet to meet anyone who was upset at us. Some would say we are irresponsible for having them escape more than once. I would rather the irresponsibility of forgetting to shut a gate occasionally and a friendly dog get out then the trying to avoid responsibility when a third party accidentally lets out dogs that go and kill another. If the dogs are that unpredictable then they probably should be dead. Human murderers don't get a 'first time free' escape from jail - why should a dog?

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I've just remembered what I did a few years ago when my little foxy was attacked by three larger dogs - a kelpie cross, a border collie cross and a Bernese Mountain dog. The BC cross knocked him out of my arms, he ran but the kelpie cross then got him in his mouth - I ran towards him screaming my lungs out and flailing my arms - we were in long grass and thank God the kelpie cross dropped him in surprise. It was a natural reaction from me.

The owners of the 3 dogs involved stood there and told me they "had their eyes closed". Very helpful.

[geo]

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

I disagree. I do not believe that ALL dogs are capable of this sort of aggression. There is always going to be the likelihood that a dog will escape and end up roaming. People and their dogs should be able to safely walk the streets without fear of being attacked by a dog, regardless of where the dog is from, or how it got there. Our dogs have escaped many times and haven't attacked any dogs or people. We have always accepted responsibility for their escape and apologised to the people who have 'caught' them, but as they are nice dogs who are friendly to people and dogs, we have yet to meet anyone who was upset at us. Some would say we are irresponsible for having them escape more than once. I would rather the irresponsibility of forgetting to shut a gate occasionally and a friendly dog get out then the trying to avoid responsibility when a third party accidentally lets out dogs that go and kill another. If the dogs are that unpredictable then they probably should be dead. Human murderers don't get a 'first time free' escape from jail - why should a dog?

Look in a perfect world you may be right, If my 2 escaped they would love to play with people but people may be scared so that is the dogs fault.. if they saw a large dog off lead they would no doubt run upto it and have a sniff, but can anyone be 100% i think not.

What about wildlife do you include this in your thinking? as I can assure you many people with dogs on this forum may have had their beloved pet kill a lizard, snake or bird.. does that mean they are unsafe pets and be PTS?

Maybe they were predictable and the owners knew this and housed them correctly.. i'm not entirely sure but the story read as though they didn't know the fence was damaged, if they did then yes shame on them.

[Baileys mum]

"Such acts of aggression" are sadly what all dogs are capable of even nice family pets, when people understand that every one will be safer.

A very sad situation.

I disagree. I do not believe that ALL dogs are capable of this sort of aggression. There is always going to be the likelihood that a dog will escape and end up roaming. People and their dogs should be able to safely walk the streets without fear of being attacked by a dog, regardless of where the dog is from, or how it got there. Our dogs have escaped many times and haven't attacked any dogs or people. We have always accepted responsibility for their escape and apologised to the people who have 'caught' them, but as they are nice dogs who are friendly to people and dogs, we have yet to meet anyone who was upset at us. Some would say we are irresponsible for having them escape more than once. I would rather the irresponsibility of forgetting to shut a gate occasionally and a friendly dog get out then the trying to avoid responsibility when a third party accidentally lets out dogs that go and kill another. If the dogs are that unpredictable then they probably should be dead. Human murderers don't get a 'first time free' escape from jail - why should a dog?

Look in a perfect world you may be right, If my 2 escaped they would love to play with people but people may be scared so that is the dogs fault.. if they saw a large dog off lead they would no doubt run upto it and have a sniff, but can anyone be 100% i think not.

What about wildlife do you include this in your thinking? as I can assure you many people with dogs on this forum may have had their beloved pet kill a lizard, snake or bird.. does that mean they are unsafe pets and be PTS?

Maybe they were predictable and the owners knew this and housed them correctly.. i'm not entirely sure but the story read as though they didn't know the fence was damaged, if they did then yes shame on them.

I agree Geo, my dogs love people & other dogs & if they ever got out all they would want to do is play with them, however when it comes to small wild life then their prey drive certainly takes over. I have witnessed my dogs attack & kill birds & lizards aswell as rodents,& while I certainly don't encourage it, I do understand that they are terriers with high prey drive & I certainly don't consider them unsafe pets or that they should be PTS.

I think this case is absolutely horrible & devastating, & I feel so sorry for the owner of the JRT , as an owner of small dogs myself this would be my absolute nightmare & is one of the reasons I rarely take my dogs for a walk out of our 40 acre property.

I too pobably would of screamed my head of if this happened to one of my dogs.

Do I think the owners are to blame & that they should be charged? It would all depend on how long they knew the fence was broken (if the fence was broken just before they got out, then I wouldn't blame the owners, if the owners had of had reasonable time to know about the fence, then I would blame them as they should of had the dogs locked up or restrained until the fence was fixed )

Without really knowing anthing really about the dogs other than this attack I really can't make a judgement on whether they should be PTS, it would really depend on their history & whether they have a history of getting out & attacking in the past.

Just a devastating situation for everyone involved.

RIP little JRT.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Baileys mum