Wednesday 6 November 2013

Are dogs really dangerous or is it just the owners

Health Warning: This post is based on my own personal experience of dogs. I am not a qualified dog behaviorist. I am however, a dog owner with common sense.

The story of little Lexi killed by her family's dog is of course tragic. At this moment in time I cannot comprehend the heartache and torment her mother must be going through and for that my heart goes out to Lexi's family.

However as I read more and more facts about yet another dog attack I am more and more concerned about the growing ignorance and downright stupidity displayed by many dog owners and rescue centres/kennels. The facts as I know them from reading many news sources are:


  • The dog was previously a stray, re-homed in the last couple of months by Orchard Kennels and Cattery, in Barrow-upon-Soar. 
  • The kennels apparently told the family the dog was safe around children
  • The dog was known to have displayed questionable behaviour in the past,
  • It was a relatively large bulldog - I say relatively as according to the photos Lexi was tiny and in comparison the dog looks absolutely huge 
  • It was not classed as a dangerous dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act
  • The property Lexi and her mother lived in was a one-bed apartment where the tenancy agreement banned the keeping of dogs

First of all, what were the staff at the kennels in question thinking when they said the dog is safe with children? I don't care how "soft as butter" your dog is, no dog (mine included) is safe to be left unattended around children. All it takes is for a child to pull the animal's tail, look at it the wrong way or do something to startle the animal and you have a situation on your hands. Children are just as unpredictable as animals in their behaviour and to leave both alone together is a recipe for disaster. Additionally this dog had issues - issues that no doubt would have been overcome in time had it been given the chance, but after being re-homed only 2 months ago those issues would still be there. 

Secondly... what home checks were done by the kennels? By the sounds of things none. What the actual F***??????? What irresponsible idiot decided a relatively large dog was safe to be re-homed in a property that sounds barely big enough to swing a cat and that's even before I get into the subject of dogs being prohibited at that property? 

All this being said, the family should have displayed some common sense. Knowing your dog potentially has behaviour issues then leaving it unattended with your child is in my mind the height of stupidity. Knowing your tenancy agreement bans dogs, and adopting one anyway is in breach of contract. I could go on, but I think I have made my point.

Now I bet you are wondering, what do I know about this? Well, my oldest dog, Lilly, was a dog with issues when we re-homed her from a rescue 3 years ago. The rescue in question made us fully aware of this and worked with us to help her settle in. They also did a very thorough home check to ensure that the home was suitable for her and we were told we had to do things before we could re-home her.

Lilly had come from a very loving home but unfortunately had been attacked by another dog and as such quite rightly hated all dogs meaning her previous owners couldn't keep her with their other dogs. In the year following us adopting her, Lilly's survival instinct was very strong and as such there were minor altercations with other dogs because in her mind she attacked before she could be attacked. I should point out here that not once did she harm a human being. By building her trust in us those altercations have become less and less and we have now been able to rescue a puppy to keep her company. We have stayed in touch with people from the rescue we got her from so everyone has been able to see her amazing progress from what the media would call a "dangerous dog" to a placid soft as butter type. All that being said, I am still on my guard with with her and our puppy and would NEVER leave my future children and my dogs together unattended. As I said at the beginning, I am a dog owner with common sense.

In very stark terms another animal is dead because of questionable human behaviour and yet again the old argument about dangerous dogs raises its ugly head. I completely agree there must be protection when animals attack but the Dangerous Dogs Act is an absolute joke and in reality protects no one. Instead it promotes witch-hunt behaviour for certain dog breeds, allowing dangerous humans to get away with what can only be described as murder. 

How about focusing on the owners and other humans involved in these cases: no animal is born dangerous but they can learn to be that way due to the way they are treated.  In my view the kennels in question should be prosecuted for this attack but instead all that is heard is yet another attack by a dangerous dog. 

RIP to both souls lost

Monday 4 November 2013

FMS 2013 Gift Exchange

Morning Campers... so I opened my inbox this morning and what should be there? They next installment of this years FMS Gift Exchange. I've never done anything like this before but really looking forward to it. It appeals to the stalker in me ;)

Thursday 24 October 2013

The Numbers Game

After a 2 year gap since my last blog - mostly spent with my head in textbooks, I'm back with more than the majority of the alphabet after my name in academic speak, 3 and a half years of marriage under my belt, 4 extra legs in my house, but with 2 legs missing by their absence and carrying more than 7 stone in weight more than I should. 
  
So for those of you who don't know me, the gap in blog post proceedings has been largely due to completing my Masters degree - the MBA. I thought I could manage both but bearing in mind my ability to procrastinate with things I have to do, things I don't have to do were never going to get a look in. As usual I was disappointed with the result as I often have been in my life. I know many on my course and those that did complete would have been happy with the Merit I received, but unfortunately my own high standards don't agree. I am solely to blame - running away from my learning disorder didn't help, neither did my procrastination or the significant change in career which finally took me away from HR into the giddy world of "Operations Management". I should have known better - I know full well had I not spent too much time on a social life the first time round in the late 90s I would be the proud owner of at least a 2:1, rather than the 2:2 I did receive.

Anyway, this blog is not about self flagilation. Its about numbers...

The additional 4 legs in our household are that of a puppy. A rescued staffy cross by the name of Gnasher. My Facebook and Twitter friends are fortunate enough (here's hoping that's how they feel?) to receive regular updates as to his antics. Lilly - our adult staffy cross and also a rescue - brought life into our home, but Gnasher has brought in much laughter. It was a happy home anyway, but having a puppy bound around your house chasing nothing but his tail cannot do anything but bring a smile to your face. Lilly, the staffy who adores people but hates other dogs, loves Gnasher as her own. This is a surprise in itself, but a happy one, although I have my doubts when the noises they make play fighting sound like a re-enactment from The Exorcist.

Which brings me to the 2 legs and the source of the only real unhappiness in my life... It looks like my thyroid and weight are conspiring against me in such a way that after 2 years of seriously trying, I am still not pregnant. As each month goes by we go through the excitement and hope only for that to come crashing down around us. What makes this harder is that I was the girl who was never getting married and never having kids. Why do I need a piece of paper to tell the world I love someone...? I found out within seconds (I'm not exaggerating!) of meeting my now husband, that actually it doesn't quite work like that! Neither does spending a lifetime of saying "why would anyone bring kids into this shitty world" as this invariably turns into your luck running out when you do decide to take on that piece of paper and the potential of having that little bundle of joy. 

The next step is the quacks, and this is where the extra 7 stones comes in. While I am that overweight, all a doctor will say is "lose weight". So that's what I'm doing. I have good days and bad... in fact this year has been one long bad day in terms of diet. This week has been good though; the prospect of not having kids hasn't been a carrot before this week, but for some reason now it is and its driving me towards that weight loss. Even the prospect of my Saturdays off plan is over-shadowed by the potential patter of tiny feet.

So... wish me luck. I'm going to need it to maintain the willpower on the bad days when those hopes are dashed again. For those that are interested there may be updates, or I may keep that pain locked up and talk instead about how crappy the government and the weather is... who knows?