My dog was attacked this morning - near Goose Green

[Cheese Board]

Just a warning really...

Was out walking my dog this morning in Goose Green. On the way home, I noticed two dogs walking down the middle of Adys Road (junction of Ondine Road) with the presumed owner walking on the pavement. The dogs were a Doberman and Staffordshire Bull Terrier (?), neither on a lead and the Doberman definitely didn't have a collar.

As dogs do, they say hello which then turned into a growl so I pulled my dog away. As we were walked off, the Doberman ran after us (not in a playful way) and the owner tried to restrain it (e.g. hugging it as the dog had no collar). This happened a couple of times as the Doberman kept on breaking loose and was trying to attack my dog as we were walking away. The owner didn't say anything throughout all of this and the other dog - Staffie - didn't seem to be a problem, it was just running around.

On returning home, I've discovered that my dog has three gashes on its behind. We're unsure if they are scratches or bites but it must have been whilst we were walking away and the Doberman was attacking from behind. The injuries are deep enough to draw blood, but not so deep for blood to be running out.

Descriptions

Presumed owner: Black male, long dreads wrapped on his head in head wrap, approx 5'9", slim.

Doberman: Black and brown, 2.5-3' tall.

Other dog: Dark colour.

I know Goose Green is loved by dog owners and don't want this to happen to anyone else. I haven't seen the dogs before so please beware if you come across them. Incident happened about 7.45am.

[Sunlover00]

That's awful so sorry to hear that happened. Thanks for the info I often walk my dogs at goose green so will be watching out for them when we're out and about

[Cheese Board]

Sorry, I was just checking dog breeds online to make sure I had the facts correct and it was a Rottweiler not a Doberman.

[Huggers]

it's against by laws for dogs to be off lead in the street. How awful for you. I dread off-lead dogs on the street as my on-lead dog has a right to be not harrassed and would certainly not like any dog to come and 'say hello' while he himself is on the lead.

[Alan Medic]

Just curious, as it's a long time since we had a dog. Is it normal behaviour for some breeds of dogs to attack another?

[Gidget]

Sorry to any Rottie owners out there but I have seen off the lead Rotties attack other dogs including my own. It's nuts to walk around with two dogs off the lead anyway.

[shell]

Oh my god this is terrible..can you let the authorities know ? recently goose green is being used by more and more people who dont bother cleaning up after their dogs.. often big trophy dogs..I guess they also dont bother training or restraining the dogs properly either. I've not seen a dog warden on there for months.

[BecsBex]

Alan, a lot of breeds (Staffies especially) have been given a bad reputation and now people expect them to be aggressive/a risk to people and other dogs on sight, but this comes down to irresponsible owners and nothing more. We had a Staffy cross, Lady, for 15 years (we had to have her put down 2 years ago after fighting off an age-related illness) who we got from the RSPCA as a puppy. She was the most gentle, patient and affectionate dog you'd ever know! Took her to puppy pre-school for basic training but nothing advanced and never had to deal with any behavioural issues; she'd sooner have licked someone to death than attack them (or other dogs).

I walk my dog at Dulwich Park and there are lots of different dog breeds there, including German Shepherds, Dobermans and Staffies... we've never had a problem! All lovely, good-natured dogs. Long story short: it's about the OWNER, not the breed of dog. If you give your dog basic training and bring them up to be loving then that's the pet you'll end up with, regardless of breed.

Rant over :)

Btw Cheese Board, I don't mean to disregard your experience at all. Thanks for letting us know so we can keep an eye out when walking our own dogs. Just makes me angry that owners like the one you met today keep perpetuating this problem with certain breeds. Idiots. x

[Alan Medic]

Thanks BB. I suspected as much. I only ever knew friendly dogs when I was growing up. In fact they had lives of their own. In the area of the small town I came from each dog was known as his dog name and the family surname. So we had the likes of Ringo Quinn, Judy Kilemade, Rusty Brannigan etc. They wandered as they chose to and our fellow, Spot, if he was out late and the back door was closed would go around to the other side of the house and jump up on the garden seat and tap at the sitting room window so we could let him in.

[landellsrd]

It's never ok to have a Rottie off the lead. They are unstable dogs who often have questionable breeding. Staffies are by nature lovely dogs (by nuture is another matter) but Rottweilers are most definitely a dangerous breed. If you see one, on or off a lead I reccomend giving it a wide berth. They are particularly dangerous around children. You can never trust a Rottie. I dont even care that that sounds so immutable, I feel so strongly about that breed.

[Gidget]

You should edit your original post to reflect that it was a Rottie.

[bonniebird]

Not all Rotties are unstable landellsrd, my friends Rottie is absolutely wonderfull, with everyone, I have never seen or heard of her doing anything wrong. When I lived at home years ago, we had a Rottie bitch across the road from mum and dads and the local kids used to knock for her to come out to play, she was a fantastic dog, wish I could remember her name! Chloe I think :) Its sometimes due to there upbringing, these 2 I know have been walked, socialised and treated nicely by there owners, please don't judge them all to be unstable.

[kamila]

landellsrd Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's never ok to have a Rottie off the lead. They

> are unstable dogs who often have questionable

> breeding. Staffies are by nature lovely dogs (by

> nuture is another matter) but Rottweilers are most

> definitely a dangerous breed. If you see one, on

> or off a lead I reccomend giving it a wide berth.

> They are particularly dangerous around children.

> You can never trust a Rottie. I dont even care

> that that sounds so immutable, I feel so strongly

> about that breed.

Did you have some bad experience with Rotties? If not - why would you write those things? Rotties can be great family pets so can be most breeds!

[first mate]

Bottom line, had the rottie been on a lead, as it should have, there would not have been a problem.

Every time someone walks a dog offlead on the streets, even if it is the most well behaved and placid dog in the world, they add to the problem by example. Most dogs also hate to be approached on the lead by a dog that is off. It is good practice to stop your dog doing this, whether on the street or in the park.

[Cheese Board]

Just to update,

I have emailed Southwark council regarding this issue but the (non emergency) police couldnt do anything for dog on dog attacks.

I never mind dogs saying 'hello' to each other, even a bit of growling I would just put down to dogs being dogs and usually we'd walk on. Unfortunately this time we were being chased and things got more serious than a growl

I agree that its often to do with the owners of the dogs rather than the dogs themselves.

I disagree though that off-lead is a bad thing, as it depends on how well behaved/controlled the dog is. I admit that late at night when there's very few people around I sometimes walk our dog off-lead the whole way to goose green and home. But im certain that I can get him to stop before crossing roads, he never strays further that a metre of two from us and we can put him on lead if we see any situations where we would need him to be under close control.

[Saffron]

I think the laws for dog-on-dog attacks are (or will) undergo review, due to the increasing number of serious attacks on guide/helper dogs. New advice has alreayd been given to magistrates to help deal with these types of attcks. Hopefully this will apply to pets as well. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19596201

[first mate]

CB,

Even the most well behaved and biddable dog can have an off day. I am passionate about the offlead issue as I think it is a simple measure that could make those who dislike dogs feel more confortable walking around, it would help people with problem dogs feel more confident too and it might make the life of the status dog owner a little more difficult in that they would not so easily get away with trotting their dog offlead around the streets.

I have known of a quite a few dogs and people that have been badly scared or attacked by dogs offlead. For the owner who has the perfectly behaved dog that will always come to heel no matter what, that is great and full marks to them, but is it such a big ask to get them to comply with onlead bylaws, with a view to setting an example to those whose dogs are not so reliable, but who still insist on them being offlead everywhere?

[RuthN]

Oh my goodness, i do not own a dog as i'm pretty terrified of them and if i had seen two biggish dogs, regardless of breed, walking down the middle of a road not on a lead i would have FREAKED OUT! I find the arrogance of some dog owners unbelievable. I am trying to bring my son up without a fear of dogs but we often go to goose green for a play/run around as it's so close to our house and we cut through on the way to the play ground. If this dog is attacking other dogs - are children safe. This is disgusting!

[the-e-dealer]

"My dogs safe his bark is worse than his bite don't worry that he's off his lead."

[RuthN]

Exactly! I do not even want to be barked at by a dog... let alone bitten!

I'm not anti-dog, I was in Regents Park on Friday morning and saw a woman with four dogs, off lead, walking in a perfect line side by side next to her. She seems to have absolute control over those dogs and their behavour was impeccable. I wasn't at all anxious walking past those dogs!

[Huggers]

dogs have plenty of off-lead time in the park, but as others have said, a cat, fox or other stimulus can make any dog forget his manners and make him a danger to himself, traffic or others. My dog does not like being 'investigated' by other canines when on-lead and if this had happened to him it would have turned into a big fight! I do find it very arrogant of people with dogs off lead on the street- they are almost always the dogs that poo without it being picked up by owners too.

[DJKillaQueen]

I personally don't think breed matters. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the owner to make sure their dog is under control and properly socialised. If they can't manage that then they shouldn't have a dog. I would favour the reintroduction of dog licensing along with compulsary chipping. Irresponsible owners won't bother with any of that which will make taking action easier for the authorities I think.

[uncleglen]

Whatever they do I hope it isn't going to cost me anything because dogs in town are more trouble than they are worth by a large margin!

[bonniebird]

Mine ain't any trouble to no one :) I ask for nothing off of anyone and they are a massive part of my life, in town.

[first mate]

BB,

Indeed. The comfort that pet dogs give to folk is enormous, in particular the elderly. The amount of strangers who will simply stop and chat when you have a dog out with you is always striking. So have to disagree with the OP, with responsible ownership dogs are almost always worth it and actually have an important role to play in the lives of many.