Advice please

[lizzylemon]

i think you would need to be very careful about getting the local papers involved; you could concievably get sued for slander.

I didn't mean do a piece pointing the finger at the dog owners but perhaps a piece on the old gentleman being upset about his cats and how the local population should be 'on guard' with stray(ing) dogs in the village.

A good chat with the journalist about the situation would be enough for them to suss the real issue but without them, the Newspaper or you being sued along the way.

[lindyloo]

no, i didnt think you did, but if the people in question are not very nice and generally have a bad attitude, they might pick up on any innocent comment if they think they can "look hard" or make a quick buck out of it. also , the reporters dont always get the facts straight. hopefully you can get it resolved soon; as someone else suggested get up a petition with a lot of signitures for housing asc. or keep a dairy ( or even a diary!) of each time the dogs cause a nuisance on road or in nieghborhood. as a general rule, animal welfare wont act unless the animals in question do not have acess to drinking water; even when it is obvious that they are starving or mistreated, they ussaully only give a warning. so i think you will get better results from police or housing asc.

[green thing]

We have one near our allotment he walks around with his can of beer bull terrier off the lead running after other dogs and attacking them,he thinks it's funny
last week the dog ran off someone called the police saying a dangerous dog was on the lose the police helicopter was called in and several officers to look for it
it took about an hour before a dog unit found it and returned it to owners.
I think it should of been returned with a very large bill for the owner to pay for all the police resources use
A armed pc said he would of shot if if he found it I said the dog or owner
the officer said if there are anymore incidents the dog will be taken form the owner
the owner has been warned and the dog is now muzzled.
I've been given some cards from the local pco with all the police contact details on to give to people if I see anymore incidents
I'm sure the police will act if there are enough complaints
just get other people to report it as a unmuzzled dangerous dog
video it on your mobile phone..
I was attacked by a dog few years ago when pushing a double buggy through the park
I now carry a walking stick now even though I don't need one
it's amazing how quick dog owners put there dogs on a lead
good luck

[ginger ninger]

How did you get on with the police last night HF, I hope you were able to get something sorted out for your own piece of mind also your cats and other animals safety! I also hope the Elderly gentle man is feeling much better today...such a tragedy and one that could have easly been prevented with a muzzle!

[miffy]

The staffies next door to my mum, got into her garden and she just managed to get her grandchildren into the house and they were head butting her conservatory glass doors to try and get to them, they then ran out onto the street and got a man who had just got out of his car by the leg and mauled his leg. Thank god she got the kids in fast.
Know heat can make some dogs more aggressive but think you are right to be worried. Hope you get it sorted soon.

[kirsty b]

Its such a shame a minority of dogs can give a whole breed a bad reputation isn't it.
My sister has a Staffie and, like many others he is as soft as grease, but a very powerful dog.

[Hilary B]

Most Staffies are great. The problem is rarely the dog, it is the moron who 'owns' it. ANY dog can be a dangerous nuisance if badly brought up, unfortunately Staffies and cross-breds that resemble them have considerable 'moron-appeal' so the ones who shouldn't own ANY dog tend to want these ones. Other (slightly sharper) morons actually breed the worst types for sale to the owning morons.....
I know several normal people who own lovely Staffies (and the occasional Staffie cross).
Cats can be an issue, so can other dogs (they are a TERRIER breed after all) but this still rarely becomes a problem except due to bad owners.