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Everyone should be able to go to parks, public footpaths etc without fear of being attacked by a dog. There is a dog attack in the news almost every day. Cyclists, joggers, horse riders, farm animals and other dogs are all being attacked, as well as people just going about their business. Muzzling and keeping dogs on leads is the only way the public can feel safe. Our open spaces are in jeopardy of being controlled by dogs and irresponsible owners. The government needs to make an urgent review of the law and inflict stringent penalties against offenders.How often do you see dogs stray off public rights of way onto crops(which they use as a toilet) which then go into our food chain? The attack on this guide dog sickens me.

- Alison, Stafford

No, not all dogs need to be muzzled. It's the owners fault. End of.

Would you muzzle you kid if they bit someone? No!

Genuine yearly animal licences, with real checks into the potential owner. Thats what should be done.

Any sort of violent behaviour by the potential owner or other logical stuff should stop them having pets they can abuse. A dog with a violent owner will only know violence. Dogs are not born violent, thats fact.

- Richard Page, Birmingham, UK

that guy may aswell have been walking about with a loaded gun you could see that he new that his dog was running to attack not say hi and smell other dogs butt, it should have been muzzled and on a harness as would be easier to control. if that was a child it would be dead or disfigured. bring back dog licence

- Jay, london(cricklewood)

so when will the dangerous dog laws apply?? Before more children and animals get seriously hurt!

- Alison, Switzerland

I too am a dog owner and support the comments left by others, namely that this is the fault of the owner.

Dogs are not born with an uncontrolled urge or desire to savage other dogs; in 99% of cases, this is simply a response to the way it has been treated. Dogs are sociable creatures who enjoy meeting other dogs (hence their sometimes embarrassing habit of sniffing each others 'bits' as this helps identify their gender, age etc).

I would imagine this 'pitbull' has been abused and mistreated since it was born and, as a result, is used to being 'on the defensive' when faced with an unfamiliar situation, be that another dog or fireworks. Imagine a child who was kicked every day of it's life, didn't know when or if it would be fed and was regularly hit for no reason at all: how would you expect that child to react if you approached and put your hand out? The child's expectation is that you are going to hit it as that is all it has experienced. In addition, the type of owner whose dog behaves like this 'pitbull' often entice their dogs to attack other dogs and people as a way of making themselves look 'hard'. These people are bullies and cowards. Please think about this when you condemn the dog. You may recall that the boyfriend who tortured Baby P to death was known for his torture of animals. A despicable,immoral creature who deserves to hang.

My heart goes out to the lab and its owner: I hope this terrible experience does not stop you enjoying your walks together.

- Judy, London, UK

- Tc, London Uk

"After all they are part of English history and we should preserve them"

Yes and so was Bear baiting and cock fighting you muppet

- Dc, London

The answer is simple enough
BRING BACK YEARLY DOG LICENCES

- Stuart Balfour, london

I have pitbull type (not of my own choice) but after reading some of the comments... i totally agree with some comment about dogs need to be muzzled in public if they are known to be dog aggression.. "dog aggression" is a dog who doesn't like other dogs. But if it was Human aggression then they should be put down.. The real pitbull terrier aren't meant to be aggressive to human. So those of you who says that bulldog types should be banned - you should be ashame for saying this. Who give a damn if it was pitbull or whatever type it is but we should be focus on "any dog breed that can't be controlled" NOT "PITBULL, PITBULL, PITBULL" After all they are part of English history and we should preserve them but seek another way which is - look at the owners instead of the dog, then look at the dog's behaviour last. My dog doesn't and won't attack other dogs because she knows i wouldn't accept it and i don't let her off the lead in public at all, not because i don't trust her but because i don't trust other dogs. AND i have the responisbility to keep her on lead in public and ensure she and the public are safe. unfortunatly for that dog who attacked the guide dog... The owner should have known to keep him in control otherwise he is not the right owner for that dog.

- Tc, London Uk

They surely must have got him by now.Jail him and destroy the mutt.

- Tony, Essex

its hard to say this dog or that dog should be muzzled, really they should all be muzzled. jack russells are responsible for most dog bites, yet has anyone complained about them? probably because the owners are mostley middle class. And why aren't owners responsible for the dogs they own. we are all responsible for everything else.

- Sam, london

I'm so glad Neela is ok, when I saw the article on London Tonight I was so upset I had to find out if she was alright. I hope she makes a swift recovery and is not left traumatised in any way. The CCTV footage is really clear so hopefully someone will pass on the info needed to convict this idiot owner.

- Belinda Emberson, Gravesend, Kent

Lets also muzzle teenage yobs and have them curfewed, a friend of mine fostered over 300 dogs over many years, ironically the dogs they've had most problems with are Labradors, Golden Retrievers Jack Russells, Yorkies, Chihuahua's and Cavaliers. All dogs can bite, it is down to their owners to keep them on a lead or harness, if the aforesaid breeds bite someone or another dog it probably will not make the local paper, but if a Staffy, another bull breed, Rottweiller, or German Shephard bite it often makes News at Ten. What we need is a national subsidised neutering scheme,(people have to pay vastly inflated, unadvertised vet rip off fees), a national mandatory micro chipping of all pets, and affordable pet licencing scheme, one that does not cost its owners silly money like £2,000 that i see constantly banded about. £20 or £30 a pet would be fine, free if your animal is neutered and microchipped, we need strong punishments for uncommited owners like this pitbull in your article. There are over 7,000,000 dogs in this country with 95% of owners being responsible, this hapless government should do something positive for animals and their responsible owners, genuinely penalising idiots like the one above, if necessary retraining his dog to rehome it.There are to many greedy numbskulls breeding dogs without a licence for quick easy money, our pounds and rescues are over run and decent dogs get 7 days to be rehomed before we destroy them, HOW ABOUT ANIMALS IN NEED ON TV ONCE A YEAR

- Sarah Ackland-Snow, Sevenoaks Surrey

Shoot the dog, lock up the owner. Simple.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

This is entirely the fault of the dog's owner. All dog's are animals and need to be properly trained and kept under control by their owners.

- H. O'Dell, Hertford, Hertfordshire

People beware the kneejerk reaction. That's how we ended up with the failed awful Dangerous Dogs Act. I beleive there is no such thing as a bad dog just a bad owner. As a good owner my Greys wouldn't hurt anyone - as I keep them on a lead in public and ensure they don't. If I thought they would I would use their wire racing muzzles. They don't like them, I don't like them but as a responsible owner you have to have them. BTW the muzzles cost me £1.50 each, so really cheap.
This awful incident is 100% the fault of the pitbull owner for failing to properly control his dog.
You can always spot them. Short legs, short hair aggressive....the dogs will be like that too.
Oh and I noticed he didn't pick up the poo. I always carry three or four poo bags. Scoop de poop! Leave nothing behind except footprints.

- Ethan, UK - drizzly grey bankrupt place off the EU coast

The majority of dogs, irrespective of breed are friendly and would not attack a human or another dog. You will always get a type of dog that these low forms of life (that's the humans) own and treat really cruelly and then they have a vicious dangerous dog that should not be let anywhere near the public. Don't keep blaming the dog, blame the owner! I had a huge Alsatian, I trained him perfectly, he loved everyone and never, ever, got into a fight with another dog. To say all dogs should be muzzled is a stupid knee jerk reaction. It would help if they brought back dogs licences, but there again, just like buying insurance for your car, only the responsible owners would bother.

- Sue, Orpington, Kent

You can clearly see the owner of the pit bull dog trying his best to control his dog and at one stage trying to kick it off but all in vain.
An ACT of Parliament is needed to make dog owners muzzle dogs in all public areas now.
It's bad enough being another dog but what if it were a child?.

- John L., Scarborough N.Yorkshire,England. U.K.

I rescue Border Collies. I take on the ones with aggression problems & teach them to trust again. Don't blame the animal. It's the owners. By brutalizing them they teach the dog to become aggressive.

The only way to stop this happening is to License dogs.
Dogs found without a Micro Chip should be removed from their owners.
All dogs must be neutered. If you wish to breed you obtain the necessary permit.

- Vanessa Morris, Richmond Surrey

Find this dog and put him down and send this scum man in prison. That is the message that should be sent. The law is too lenient for these people.

- Doudoupa, london

I thought London Transport had banned people drinking in the subways. A reward should be offered for the capture of the dog and the owner. Put this dog down and send the owner to prison for a few years to deter others. All dogs should be muzzeled and on a lead. All dog owners should have a license and all bulldogs and the like should be banned, sadly, the people who own them cannot look after themselves let alone an animal like a pit bull. All dog owners should be forced by law to go to dog training sessions in their local community, so all dogs are well trained. Her guide dog should be given a medal at the next annual medal awards for brave pets.

- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark

Having a chocolate labrador myself, i find this incident very upsetting and hard to come to terms with. Labradors are such loving and loyal dogs. I am so glad to read that Neela is back to work. I hope the guy and the dog that attacked Neela are found and appropriate action taken against them both.

- Lynette, Nottingham

Ashley, St Albans - "muzzled and kept on a lead" - and that's just the owners!

- Pam, East Kent UK

hope you and the dog recover i am ashamed this happened to you and your dog
now we need law to take these dogs off the streets so this sad incident will not happen again
Let's get the plastic police checking people with dogs who resemble a danger dog to ask for there name address then follow up and if your dog is legal you have nothing to worry about.

- Terry Chambers, London

Typical kneejerk reaction.

The people who don't care about the damage done are still the ones who won't use muzzles. A bit like insurance being law but the people who don't care out it don't have it.

- Claire, Stone,UK

Totally agree - here all dogs have to be on a lead and muzzled in underground or on other public transport etc. However, not all dog owners abide by the law.

- Peter, Vienna, Austria

Muzzled and kept on a lead in all public areas!

- Ashley Smithson, st albans

Maybe the time has come for all dogs to be muzzled in public areas.

- Shallotman, Basildon

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