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Bull Mastiffs Attack Mother And Children In The Uk


Her Majesty Dogmad
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Here's the link and text:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2281359/Top-Crufts-breeders-dogs-savage-young-girls-walked-home-school-mothers.html

How utterly terrifying, this poor family. Dogs should have been euthanased and she certainly shouldn't be breeding from dogs with such aggressive temperaments. I'm sure some won't agree with me on this but that's my opinion.

A top breeder whose show dogs savaged three young girls was given a suspended jail sentence today.

The girls, aged five to seven, were attacked by two bull mastiffs as they walked home from school with their mothers.

They were shaken like dolls and bitten all over their bodies, a court heard. All needed hospital treatment for their wounds and two required surgery.

Owner Julie Lindley, 53, admitted the dogs, which had escaped from her garden, were dangerously out of control. She destroyed both dogs after the attack, Manchester Minshull Street Court heard.

One, a two-year-old called Theo, had just been named a top UK bull mastiff and had come third at Crufts.

Theo attacked the girls in Bolton after escaping from his pen with another dog on March 22 last year.

Caroline Hamer told the court how the dogs bounded towards them as she walked home with her daughter, Nicola, seven, and her five-year-old friends Matilda Dawning and Charlotte Riggs.

Alison Hayworth, prosecuting said: The dogs pushed them all to the ground and Mrs Hamer quickly got up, however Nicola was still on the pavement with both dogs attacking her, biting her and shaking her like a doll.

Mrs Hamer got the dog off and tried to wedge herself between it and her daughter. A passer-by put the girl, who was covered in blood, in a car.

The dogs then lunged at Matilda. Her mother tried to lift her out of the way but one bit the girls leg and it became a tug of war as both mother and child were pulled into the road.

Julie with Theo who was named a top UK bull mastiff

Lucy Riggs, the mother of Charlotte, watched in horror as the dogs grabbed her daughters arm and pierced her forearm. Motorist Darren Westhead desperately tried to stop the attack by driving into one dog. But it got up again and began snapping once more.

When police found the dogs, Theo had blood in his mouth.

The three mothers told the court their daughters had been terrified and would bear the physical and psychological scars for years, if not for life.

Lindley, from Bolton, who runs breeding company Hyerdunscar Bullmastiffs, admitted being the owner of two dogs dangerously out of control.

Since the incident, two cages have been put into the garden and the fence has been strengthened, the court heard.

Judge Martin Allweis said he accepted that Lindley was full of remorse but the attack had been serious and sustained against three children.

He sentenced her to three months in jail, suspended for 12 months, and ordered her to pay £1,000 costs. She now faces a civil claim for compensation.

Edited by dogmad
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Oh god how awful. Those poor kids. :(

One of the dogs had been named UK bullmastiff of the year?

It clearly says "a top Bullmastiff" - no idea what that might mean but doesn't sound like dog-of-the-year to me.

Sounds all very bizarre - the two which attacked were PTS but she had to re-inforce her kennels & fence, so she has more likely to do this??????

Awful for the children, their mother and the breed.

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Oh god how awful. Those poor kids. :(

One of the dogs had been named UK bullmastiff of the year?

It clearly says "a top Bullmastiff" - no idea what that might mean but doesn't sound like dog-of-the-year to me.

The breeder's website states "UK bullmastiff of the year", hence my use of the term.

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Oh god how awful. Those poor kids. :(

One of the dogs had been named UK bullmastiff of the year?

It clearly says "a top Bullmastiff" - no idea what that might mean but doesn't sound like dog-of-the-year to me.

The breeder's website states "UK bullmastiff of the year", hence my use of the term.

Sorry - haven't been to the breeder's website :o

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Oh god how awful. Those poor kids. :(

One of the dogs had been named UK bullmastiff of the year?

It clearly says "a top Bullmastiff" - no idea what that might mean but doesn't sound like dog-of-the-year to me.

The breeder's website states "UK bullmastiff of the year", hence my use of the term.

Sorry - haven't been to the breeder's website :o

No worries. I still don't understand what it means though.

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A veritable tragedy.

I make two points:

The dogs were unquestionably dangerous as can be seen from the injuries inflicted.

They were ‘shaken like dolls’ and bitten all over their bodies, a court heard. All needed hospital treatment for their wounds and two required surgery. ... Alison Hayworth, prosecuting said: ‘The dogs pushed them all to the ground and Mrs Hamer quickly got up, however Nicola was still on the pavement with both dogs attacking her, biting her and shaking her like a doll. ... The dogs then lunged at Matilda. Her mother tried to lift her out of the way but one bit the girl’s leg and it became ‘a tug of war’ as both mother and child were pulled into the road.

My second point is more nuanced and relates to my own recent introduction to the Dangerous Dog Laws.

Existing laws regarding fencing are not adequate to prevent dog attacks.

Owner Julie Lindley, 53, admitted the dogs, which had escaped from her garden, were dangerously out of control. ... Theo attacked the girls in Bolton after escaping from his pen with another dog on March 22 last year. ... Since the incident, two cages have been put into the garden and the fence has been strengthened, the court heard.

The dogs were not adequately fenced. To prevent such incidents occurring it behooves DO's to securely double-fence their property. Fence laws are an interesting area of law but they are not intended to prevent dog attack. DOs need to go above and beyond basic Council laws.

Contradistinctively, my dogs are now double fenced to keep people away from them.

Regards

Edited by Tralee
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Those poor girls, they will be traumatized. Goodness knows how long it will take for them to get over it. :(

What a horrific and frightening thing to have witnessed.

Thank god, the dogs are dead.

The owner's dogs need to be looked at - isn't this an odd behaviour for BMs? Aren't they bred to pin down but not bite?

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Just one query? Do you know the full story or the person or are you believing the newspaper?

Whatever you think of newspapers aside, the case went to court and evidence was provided. Clearly, enough evidence for the breeder to be given a sentence (albeit a suspended one). I'm not sure you read the article? :confused:

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Just one query? Do you know the full story or the person or are you believing the newspaper?

Oh for God's sake ....

Firstly, to state that a dog is savage, aggressive or any other similar terms ignores the fact that this is a dog who has stood many times for total strangers to approach and open its mouth to inspect, then for them to move to the rear and touch his testicles. Aggression can be a contextual state. If there was agitation by an intruder for example. if that attempted intrusion resulted in a gate latch being disabled and then dogs get out , then they could be in a different state even compared to discovering an unlatched gate with no owner/pack leader around.

To see such dogs playing together and with strangers dogs in a yard and at shows, doesn't mean there will not be a situation such as this tragedy. there may be other situations where that aggression saves the owner and family from such an intrusion. this needs a balanced discussion, not reaction that is even more removed from the incident than the newspaper reports.

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The dogs attacked dragged and pulled down people. Regardless of how they behaved in the ring, they were dangerous not properly contained and out of control causing some people to be seriously attacked, quite simple I would have thought.

Seems straightforward to me.

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1361450312[/url]' post='6130851']
1361443086[/url]' post='6130743']
1361416348[/url]' post='6130328']

Just one query? Do you know the full story or the person or are you believing the newspaper?

Oh for God's sake ....

Firstly, to state that a dog is savage, aggressive or any other similar terms ignores the fact that this is a dog who has stood many times for total strangers to approach and open its mouth to inspect, then for them to move to the rear and touch his testicles. Aggression can be a contextual state. If there was agitation by an intruder for example. if that attempted intrusion resulted in a gate latch being disabled and then dogs get out , then they could be in a different state even compared to discovering an unlatched gate with no owner/pack leader around.

To see such dogs playing together and with strangers dogs in a yard and at shows, doesn't mean there will not be a situation such as this tragedy. there may be other situations where that aggression saves the owner and family from such an intrusion. this needs a balanced discussion, not reaction that is even more removed from the incident than the newspaper reports.

I agree. I think many top show dogs (and ppedigree pet dogs) in breeds with guarding or fighting in their breed histories could potentially end up in the same situation. I. Don't think BSL is the solution, but some measures to breed out aggressive tendencies in dogs for the general public, and regulate ownership for dogs with lethal potential is needed. Hard to do, given how badly governments do with dogs. But it would be good to have greater pressure for selection for temperament, and transparency about dogs whose temperament requires skilled handlers and good fencing.

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