UGH! Imagine being killed by your own dogs!

[Kbell]

Reading the updates to the story is sad... The whole thing is very sad...

I agree I think sometimes people's hearts lead instead of their heads. Rescuing a dog or raising a pup is a wonderful thing to do but you have to be able to control them. You have to keep them out of scenarios where they could hurt themselves & others.

My X's dog was a very unfriendly large lab. He constantly put that dog in situations where he should not have. Consequently the dog bit a few people. I 100% blame my X because every one of the scenarios where it happened could have been prevented. The dog was also left home alone for VERY long periods of time. He had the dog before we met. I am an animal lover, but I could not love his dog. He was mean, unfriendly, aggressive towards kids, other dogs, and just scary. He was a rescue so his history was unknown. My X also made no efforts to help his dog be a better dog. I grew up with a lab and was so sad that he was partially to blame for his dogs horrible temperament. He would get defensive & angry when I suggested he was partially to blame for his dogs behavior and he should correct his dog. There were no consequences, no intervention, no training sessions, basically nothing to help guide this dog. The dog was the boss.

This is partially why I took extra long deciding my fiance & I should have a dog. I wanted a plan in place to give her the best chance at a happy life with no extended periods of isolation, plenty of interaction with humans large & small, animals large & small, the right training which is never ending, and exercise. It is not easy and I think some just see a cute dog or puppy who needs a home and forget how much work it can be especially with larger breeds. The larger & stronger your dog is the better trained they should be.

 

[Missy]

Yes so sad. And once again it’s because of being mistreated by their human owners. All these dogs who behaved badly were doing so because they were neglected and/or abused. Even the most beloved calm gentle breeds can be made to be aggressive if treated badly. Just like abused children who are treated badly and neglected. Their future might not be bright and they might resort to criminal behavior. There is only so much abuse and neglect a living being can take. A tragedy all around. sad

My heart goes out to victims. Human and animal.

Just like every adult shouldn’t have children not is everyone a responsible and loving pet person. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

 

[Matata]

Local law enforcement report today stated that the dogs had undergone a change in their living arrangements. The woman they killed no longer lived with her father but the dogs were staying at his house. They went from being indoor dogs to being left outside in an enclosure.

 

[Maria D]

How incredibly tragic

I'm not at all experienced with dogs, so I could be completely wrong, but I would think that dogs that size shouldn't have been strictly indoor dogs either? Unless by "indoors" they mean that the dogs lived indoors but were still taken out regularly. I'm thinking of an indoor cat (cats, I know) that never goes outside.

I didn't look up the article and yet still can't stop imagining the horror. Poor girl and poor dogs too.

 

[AGBF]

How incredibly tragic

I'm not at all experienced with dogs, so I could be completely wrong, but I would think that dogs that size shouldn't have been strictly indoor dogs either? Unless by "indoors" they mean that the dogs lived indoors but were still taken out regularly.

Large dogs can be indoor dogs. Even Giant Breed dogs can be indoor dogs. It depends on the breed. Also: Pit Bulls are not actually that big. But, yes, dogs have to go out regularly.

 

[TooPatient]

How incredibly tragic

I'm not at all experienced with dogs, so I could be completely wrong, but I would think that dogs that size shouldn't have been strictly indoor dogs either? Unless by "indoors" they mean that the dogs lived indoors but were still taken out regularly. I'm thinking of an indoor cat (cats, I know) that never goes outside.

I didn't look up the article and yet still can't stop imagining the horror. Poor girl and poor dogs too.

Our dogs are "indoor" dogs. Everyone I know uses this to mean that they sleep inside and are in with the family much of the time. For us, that means I run the dogs in the backyard for 20 minutes in he morning before they have breakfast and snuggles (or play with indoor toys). They go out again for a good run midday (how long depends on the weather and how long they want to be out). Then another run when we get home from work. Dinner and then lots of snuggling/brushing/playing inside with us. Short outside again before bed. They also get to go for walks and visit a training place with sheep for them to herd.

"Outdoor" dog usually means they spend most or all of their time outside alone.

 

[AGBF]

Our dogs are "indoor" dogs. Everyone I know uses this to mean that they sleep inside and are in with the family much of the time. For us, that means I run the dogs in the backyard for 20 minutes in he morning before they have breakfast and snuggles (or play with indoor toys). They go out again for a good run midday (how long depends on the weather and how long they want to be out). Then another run when we get home from work. Dinner and then lots of snuggling/brushing/playing inside with us. Short outside again before bed. They also get to go for walks and visit a training place with sheep for them to herd.

"Outdoor" dog usually means they spend most or all of their time outside alone.

Excellent explanation. My Newfie was definitely an indoor dog, but one of my friends (an outdoorsy kind of guy who likes the cold) once called him, "an outdoorsman". That is because, when he was younger, he wanted to spend much of his time outdoors when it was cold. He refused to come in the first few nights after we brought him home (and it was 17 degrees outside). He would let the snow fall on him and bury him. He would get covered in briars and sticks if he went on a walk. But he loved being with his family and when he wasn't outdoors he followed one of us into a room to have company. He also loved to be cuddled and leaned (which is what Giant breed dogs do) when he wanted petting. No one tried to keep him outdoors!

AGBF

 

[Gussie]

I am a complete dog person! Love them! And I have never in my life been afraid of dogs. A few years ago I was feeding my neighbors lab while they were out of town. He was a large field lab and was "different" than most labs I have known. He had an aggressive tendency that I was aware of but not afraid of. My neighbors are doggie gaga and treat all of their pets like children so it wasn't mistreated. And they raised him from a pup. Anyway, long story short - he literally cornered me between the fence and the wall of the house, viciously bit my leg twice. Serious wound and ripped my $200 jeans! But seriously, I was absolutely petrified. It took all I had to remain calm enough to get away. I know for a fact the owners treated that dog very well so I am not convinced that there are not dogs that for whatever reason are just aggressive by nature. About a year later he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I am convinced that caused his behavior.

 

[lyra]

Good point @ceg . There can be physiological reasons behind sudden aggression. But to have it in 2 dogs at once seems unlikely. We had a fox terrier who got dementia. We had to put her down after she started repeatedly attacking the other smaller dogs. She attacked us too, and she did bite hard. It was sad to see her become unrecognizable. She was 13.

I don't believe any dogs should be "outside" dogs. They are pack animals and should be with their humans, and being treated with respect. Dogs need leadership. They need correcting from a confident person. It looks like these dogs went from having all that structure, which dogs require and respect, to being left on their own with no rules or structure. That may have become traumatic for them. (One or both). Aggression can follow trauma. It would be overwhelming with just one, but two on one would be and obviously was catastrophic.