Bull Terrier 'Bites Head Off Harmless Pet' ( UK )

Sky News ^ | Jul 8, 2013

[george76]

Police have seized a Staffordshire bull terrier which allegedly bit the head off a family pet dog in a vicious attack.

Gemma Antell claimed her pet Pomeranian, Elvis, was decapitated outside the home of her mother-in-law in Warrington on Saturday after the larger dog entered the front garden, dragging its handler behind it.

After the attack on Elvis, a member of the public took a picture of the Staffordshire bull terrier and the woman holding its leash, whose arm was covered in blood.

Gemma posted the picture onto Twitter in an attempt to identify the owner.

"The dog literally ripped his head off," Ms Antell said in a post on Facebook. "It ripped Elvis in half. It is my son's birthday and my kids are in tears and my whole family are traumatised.

"The worst part of this is the dog 'owners' witnessed the attack and just walked off saying it was not their fault.

"Two poor children witnessed the attack as well as my mother-in-law and passers-by. I have added (to Facebook) the two photos of the incident as well as photos of poor Elvis who is obviously a tiny harmless family pet.

"The next time this happens it might not be a family pet it could be a local child

[cripplecreek]

[Hardraade]

When a staff meets a rat, bad things may happen...

[Joe 6-pack]

Impossible. The UK banned vicious breeds in 1991.

[cripplecreek]

Its what terriers do.

[pallis]

Sorry to hear it. Earlier today my little wide-glide, pit bull mix got into a squabble with the chihuahua over some food. He ran down the hallway with her chasing after him, and for an hour or so he was in hiding. They’ve made up now, and are stretched out together on their rug.

[X-spurt]

That’s what Pits are bred for. Only holderites and meth-trash want them to bite people.

[Hot Tabasco]

Guess it’s finally official, Elvis is indeed dead........

[yank in the UK]

It’s only the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier that are banned. The English Staffordshire bull terrier are legal, and a favorite of drunken council estate yobs

[cripplecreek]

They love em in China

[Viennacon]

“The next time this happens it might not be a family pet it could be a local child”

And you know what? The scumbag owners would walk away and shrug just the same.

[Joe 6-pack]

"It’s only the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier that are banned. The English Staffordshire bull terrier are legal, and a favorite of drunken council estate yobs"

Not sure about the UK law, but where they've tried this in the US the powers that be really don't know the difference, and the dogs get generically lumped together. The headline of this article suggests the UK doesn't do much better, and I'm guessing their breed banners aren't any brighter than ours.

[yank in the UK]

Most people don’t realise that the name “Pit bull” applies to 3 different breeds, with the English Staffordshire bull terrier being a miniature of the other two.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Most people don’t realise that the name “Pit bull” applies to 3 different breeds, with the English Staffordshire bull terrier being a miniature of the other two."

It depends on who decides to ban "pit bulls"...

"With the knowledge that pit bull ordinances target dogs that simply look like pit bulls, the obviously leads to the question: WHO is charged with identification of a "pit bull" in cities that have enacted breed specific ordinances. What special criteria do they have? What is their area of expertise that entitles them to condemn your dog?

In many cities, the determination as to whether a dog is or is not a "pit bull" is made by a police chief, police officers and/or animal control officials. In other words, the people charged with enforcing these ordinances are not experts in breed identification. The mere fact that animal control officers come in daily contact with various breeds in the course of their job, does not mean they can properly identify all those breeds. In fact, many veterinarians - who also come in daily contact with a variety of breeds on a daily basis - have stated there is no way to positively identify a "pit bull."

To emphasize the incredible potential for arbitrary enforcement of these laws, Tom Skeldon, an Ohio dog warden, testified in a court of law that "there is really no way to tell if a dog is or is not a pit bull, and the determination is made by animal control officers' subjective judgment." To add to the irony of this statement, Mr. Skeldon was testifying as an "expert" on behalf of the city defending its ban on pit bulls

Among the many problems associated with breed specific legislation and its enforcement against pit bulls are the issues associated with identification. "Pit bull" is not a breed, but rather a generic term used to describe the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. However, the physical traits and characteristics shared by "pit bulls" are also shared by approximately twenty-five (25) other breeds that are not typically classified as bully breed dogs. Obviously, this causes great difficulty in identification and allows for discriminatory and subjective actions by animal control officers."

[yank in the UK]

I just thought of something, American Pit bull terriers and American staffys are barred from Britain because some of them are aggressive and sometimes they attack, yet they don’t kill near as many people on a daily basis as the Muslims, yet they invite them in by the plane load. Is this irony or am I mistaken?

[Pearls Before Swine]

“Four legs good, two legs better.”

[Joe 6-pack]

Dogs are, in some regards, like firearms in that the protection and security they offer makes people less dependent on government. Similarly, the threat moslems pose to the populace as a whole makes the defenseless more reliant on protection (or at least the perception thereof) from government.

While I don't necessarily think there's some grand conspiracy hatched in a smoke filled room to ban dogs and import terrorists, both efforts are simply a natural extension and outgrowth of progressive liberal thinking.

[yank in the UK]

It’s not hard to distinguish the difference between the 3 breeds, except for when they’ve been crossbreed with another breed. An AKC, or BKC pedigree is easy to identify and differentiate

[Joe 6-pack]

"It’s not hard to distinguish the difference between the 3 breed..."

Unless you're the media or an animal enforcement officer...

Dog attacks that were identified incorrectly

[yank in the UK]

“Dogs are, in some regards, like firearms in that the protection and security”

That’s what these council estate yobs do with these English Staffordshires, they use them as a weapon. Some nutter was driving around here recently, stopping his car, opening the door and siccing his staffy on pedestrians.