Dangerous Dogs, ITV

[PLG]

why some, if not all of the cases shown were not being dealt with by the RSPCA rather than a dog warden employed by the local council?

Cos neighbours complain to the council when the dogs are pissing them off (by barking- the Akita; smelling of wee- the 10 pups; or attacking their own dogs - the Staffs). They report to the RSPCA or the council if they perceive cruelty.

[Bamburi]

Right, geniuses, how would you have dealt with those situations?

The Akita- yep less shouting and squealing would have been a good thing. However, I don't think I would have brought a barking, house guarding, >50kg dog of unknown temperament and of a breed originally bred for fighting out of there on anything other than a pole. If it went down and had to be dragged - so be it. Better a dog chokes for 30 seconds than risk losing control in that narrow passageway and being put in hospital (again) or letting it slip the noose and escape down the street. The dog *might* have eventually come round after a couple of hours of being spoken to gently, but the wardens don't look like they have hours to spare. Plus, if it doesn't work, you still have to drag it out on a pole and you've wasted two hours.

The Ridgeback - how do you suggest he entice it out of the kennel? Loose? The space behind looked open and he was on his own. Again, she may have come round after half an hour or so. Or not. Looks to me like the warden's job is to get the dogs out of the houses, into the pound kennels, and thence to the shelter for assessment and rehab or euthanasia as quickly, and safely (for the general public and themselves) as possible. It's not their job to start retraining the dogs from the moment they roll up, and they have to assume that each dog could be the one that launches for their jugular.


Easy for us in the peanut gallery to sit back and criticise - we're not the ones out there doing the job day after day dealing with dozens of aggressive dogs from the nippy to the murderous, and being abused by the dregs of humanity.

couldnt agree more

[Judy]

Even if that is what has to be done is it right that it should be televised and turned into sensationalist claptrap? Equally is it right to employ someone who freely admits, on film, to kicking a dog in the head because she lost her temper with it? Should that have been shown on TV?
As I said in my original post, my Cockers would react in the same way as that Akita type dog given similar circumstances. Poor program badly presented.

[Bamburi]

does anything have to be televised and turned in to sensationalist clap trap ? because thats what most of the real time tv stuff is ......they have managed to get us talking for 3 pages and got a lot of people to watch so they achieved their goal , probably not right but do they care ? I doubt that very much
all they care about is making money

[dogwalker]

I watched it, I thought that if someone had been given a lot of training, the time and the money to spend on the dogs, a police escort so that they felt safe from the dregs of humanity, and full protective clothing then they could have dealt with the dogs a lot better - but in the real world I'm surprised they didn't go around with a police marksman and put the dogs down instantly and saved a lot of trouble, but having written that I find myself thinking that the marksman could also have dealt effectively with a lot of the humans responsible for creating these dangerous dogs! In the real world the people dealing with these dangerous dogs are hero's, sure there not doing things right in an ideal situation but they are doing a job week in week out that I wouldn't tackle. The criminals are the people creating these dangerous dogs!

[pontbeck]

I wouldn't have labeled any of those dogs dangerous, distressed, yes but dangerous ,no. Having said that I wouldn't have liked the job of removing them from the various properties. The program was very sensationalist in it's approach and I'm sure those filming would have liked to have seen the warden attacked and bitten. I was most distressed with the emaciated dog that was showing every bone in it's frame. How can anyone live with a dog and keep it in that condition ?

[Stacia]

It was good to televise it, as it brought to the attention the way this problem was being solved, which was unprofessional and cruel. It is now up to the public who saw the programme and were upset by it to do something constructive and bring it to the attention of the RSPCA. Though having seen them deal with dogs on TV they are not much better in their handling techniques.

[funkychicken]

A lot of criticism here, but I would like to ask how many of you have actually ever dealt with an aggressive dog in those sorts of situations. I have (I am a veterinary nurse and occasionally we get kennel guarders, aggressive dogs that even the owners cant handle to get a muzzle on, or dogs that have been collected by the dog warden) and I can tell you now, that with a dog like the Akita or Ridgebacks the dog catcher is the only option if you don't want to get bitten. Yes it looks rough, but a dog that has gotten itself so worked up is never going to let you put a lead on or come with you willingly. Ok, with the Akita there should have been less shouting as that wasn't helping, and I have to questions whether someone that has been badly bitten and is clearly still nervous of aggressive dogs should be working as a dog warden, but there wasn't really any other way that they could have gotten that dog out of the house. Once a dog feels it is cornered or threatened they do not back down. I also think its unfair to criticise someone for kicking a dog in the head when it had been hanging off of her arm. In that situation you will do anything to get the dog as far away from you as possible. The only thing that really concerned me is why wasn't the Shih Tzu taken to a vet before getting the dog warden round as it clearly had injuries that needed treatment, and the dog warden could have visited the dog at the surgery to take picture for evidence. The people in the program seemed to genuinely care about the dogs, they weren't trying to hurt them as seems to have been suggested. Suspect the next episode is going to annoy me though with dogs being seized simply for what they look like.

[Stacia]

I was a veterinary nurse and once or twice we did have to use the dog catcher, but it was done quietly so that the dog didn't feel threatened and became calmer.

[Bruneval3]

A lot of criticism here, but I would like to ask how many of you have actually ever dealt with an aggressive dog in those sorts of situations. I have (I am a veterinary nurse and occasionally we get kennel guarders, aggressive dogs that even the owners cant handle to get a muzzle on, or dogs that have been collected by the dog warden) and I can tell you now, that with a dog like the Akita or Ridgebacks the dog catcher is the only option if you don't want to get bitten. Yes it looks rough, but a dog that has gotten itself so worked up is never going to let you put a lead on or come with you willingly. Ok, with the Akita there should have been less shouting as that wasn't helping, and I have to questions whether someone that has been badly bitten and is clearly still nervous of aggressive dogs should be working as a dog warden, but there wasn't really any other way that they could have gotten that dog out of the house. Once a dog feels it is cornered or threatened they do not back down. I also think its unfair to criticise someone for kicking a dog in the head when it had been hanging off of her arm. In that situation you will do anything to get the dog as far away from you as possible. The only thing that really concerned me is why wasn't the Shih Tzu taken to a vet before getting the dog warden round as it clearly had injuries that needed treatment, and the dog warden could have visited the dog at the surgery to take picture for evidence. The people in the program seemed to genuinely care about the dogs, they weren't trying to hurt them as seems to have been suggested. Suspect the next episode is going to annoy me though with dogs being seized simply for what they look like.

I stand by my earlier post, having dealt with a lot of so called aggressive/dangerous Dogs, there is no way any of the Dogs in the programme was aggressive or dangerous! I have had to use the catcher several times, on aggressive and dangerous animals, the Dog warden had not got a clue how to use the "restraint" correctly or more importantly safely.

I have had to use a shield on a few occasions to assist Veterniary Surgeons when PTS Dangerous Dogs, this was done without screaming or causing unnecessary alarm to the animal.

I am aware of "kennel guarders" but I have never come across this until they have been resident for some time and when certain animals are known to be subject to this, they are moved on regular intervals to prevent this.

Watch any seasoned "Dog Savvy" person and you will see that on most occasions they will open a kennel door and walk away calling the animal.

My experience comes from working as an RSPCA Centre Manager, Prison and Police Dog Handler, so I think I can honestly say that I have dealt with a fair share of Animals, I have suffered more injuries from bites from Cats, Rats, Rabbits etc.

The people filmed were incompetent at least, end of!