If someone’s four collies or golden retrievers are at large and maul and kill someone they should be (the owner) held accountable. And I don’t think a dog wakes up one morning and becomes a killer, regardless of the breed (baring some weird health issue). The owners know when a dog has the potential to bite, much less kill or seriously injure someone.
Bottom line, leash laws, dogs need to be under owners control regardless of breed, owners need to be held accountable, and before they hurt someone, regardless of breed. Most pit bulls never bite anyone.
And no, I have golden retrievers, in case that was your next question, but even if you killed all pit bulls tomorrow, there would be another breed to take their place. The idiots who like to own some big bad dog would get a cane corso or mastiff or something, breed the nastiest thing they could find and suddenly we would be hearing an outcry about that breed. If we could ban stupid people it would help.
Oh, and prayers for the family of the poor woman. What an awful way to die.
I own a large and/or (in this case AND) aggressive breed of dog; a Bull Mastiff.
She and her mom broke out of my brothers yard when I was visiting him last month and were running loose.
She does have a prior history of aggression against small dogs and (if they get in her way) the people who own them.
I try really hard not to have an unreasonable expectation of gentleness from her - and for the unsecured facility I blame my brother and his unreasonable expectations.
But other than that I was 4/4 of my own criteria!!!!!
And if those two hunted down and were violent to a person and/or a dog - I would think criminal charges and legal liability would be fully justified.
It isn't the breed. It is the type of person who thinks having four big mean dogs in a yard not sufficient to hold them, four big mean dogs who once loose would be on the prowl for blood - is a really cool thing and nothing to be worried about.
With four of them I suspect that the dogs NEVER got out and about unless they broke out. When the only avenue for fun and excitement is breaking out - guess what is mission #1 for the dog?
Excellent post.
I went through this in the 70s with my Dobermanns.
Thankfully, they’ve pretty much fallen off the radar as the “punk’s choice” breed.
Mastiffs and all their “spin offs” seem to be the “in
thing”, now.
[and that includes Rotts who were bred from Mastiff stock]