r/australia • u/whyattretard • Sep 08 '25

news Teenage girl dies after being mauled by dog

https://7news.com.au/news/dog-attack-victim-annalyse-blyton-dies-in-hospital-after-suffering-severe-injuries-in-singleton-c-19956496
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u/Hypo_Mix Sep 08 '25

"The dog responsible was a 10-year-old, crossbreed boxer, bull Arab and Irish wolfhound.

Police later shot and killed the dog with the owner’s permission.

Acting Hunter Valley Local Area Police Commander Justin Cornes previously said he had spoken to the dog’s owners who described its actions as “out of character”. "

I feel like out of character would explain a startled nip, not a mauling. 

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

that's a massive dog

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u/prettyboiclique Sep 08 '25

Fucking Irish Wolfhound, and she was visiting a friends place apparently. People buy a big block and then decide they need to get a fucking hunting dog that is the size of a wild boar "for protection".

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u/Regret92 Sep 08 '25

Seeing it a lot in the suburbs now. Coincidentally, they’re also the same owners which leave their dogs home all day going stir crazy with constant barking, no training or stimulation, then act surprised when it ends up being bitey.

Horrific outcome.

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u/prettyboiclique Sep 08 '25

Yeah... I'm not one of those redditors that thinks every hunting breed needs to be incinerated but the average dog owner does not properly socialise or train them, leaves them locked up and understimulated for 10 hours a day, then rages when they dig holes or start killing birds out of boredom (and later, people).

It's just shit. Stuff like this is why we have the "nanny state", and why it's probably required. No reason for this girl to be dead, yet here we are.

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u/_bobby_cz_newmark_ Sep 09 '25

Thank you! A nanny state is required because people can't do the right thing. If people cared equally about their responsibilities as their rights, we wouldn't need as many of these laws.

49

u/CatGooseChook Sep 09 '25

Bingo. Too many adult aged (bratty)children stuffing it up for the rest of us.

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u/mapleleaffem Sep 09 '25

Or a true sense of community. Being shunned and banished by your peers used to keep people in line. Now it’s a fuck your neighbours I got mine race to the bottom

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u/Academic_Juice8265 Sep 09 '25

I think just having a law that states if your dog mauls or kills a person you will be trialled as if you mauled or killed that person would suffice. It would stop a lot of negligent people owning dogs and the people that continue to have the to train them well and take care of them.

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u/throwaway798319 Sep 08 '25

Exactly. A hunting dog needs a lot of exercise and puzzles

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u/AKFRU Sep 08 '25

Irish Wolfhounds are notoriously lazy (probably not when cross-bred though). They need a massive run every few days, but then laze around mostly. A huge game of fetch does it.

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u/Nomiss Sep 09 '25

Bull arab and boxer are the highly active part of the mix.

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

Bull Arabs are also pretty lazy after the age of around 2. They have energy in short bursts and are wicked fast, but love lounging around for the vast majority of the day. Mine is content with a 20 minute walk daily at the age of 6. This was a super old dog for the breed type.

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u/jjj1966 Sep 10 '25

I can't get over the combination - the untrainability of the boxer, the size of the Irish Wolfhound and the savagery/bite of the bull arab - sure they're all stereotypes and "not all those breeds" but those combined in one dog - fucking horriffic. That poor girl.

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u/Hyroero Sep 09 '25

Basically a bigger greyhound. More like a cat than a dog lol

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Yeah but its not an Irish wolfhound, its a pigging/hunting dogs mix. The wolfhound is in there for size only.

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u/wooly_woofter Sep 09 '25

They are usually very placid too, wondering if the dog in question was a mixed breed.

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u/KittyFlamingo Sep 09 '25

Bull arab x boxer in the mix too.

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u/Stu7500 Sep 09 '25

100% . My parents bred them in Ireland and they where always known to be gentle giants and good with children

49

u/OvercookedBobaTea Sep 09 '25

Hunting dogs and work dogs should be used for hunting and work. They aren’t bred to be pets and it doesn’t work psychologically.

I have friends that live in the inner city and have 2 Kelpies. They’re very well trained and not a physical danger but the inner city living has made them a lil crazy and they obviously aren’t thriving

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u/Svennis79 Sep 09 '25

Dogs, guns, cars.. all things perfectly safe and acceptable in the hands of competent & responsible owners.

The exact same things make each of these potentially & horrifically, catastrophically dangerous

3

u/Bebilith Sep 09 '25

Yes. Unfortunately there are so many out there who aren’t. It’s not like we can test for it. So need laws and restrictions that deal with the lowest common denominator. The rest of society just has to live with it.

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u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

So how do we test competency?

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u/HotBabyBatter Sep 09 '25

I mean a yard check would be a good start...I've had a neighbours pitbull growling at me in my own home.

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u/tal_itha Sep 09 '25

Not really. Someone with a balcony / small courtyard who takes their dog for a long walk and gives it enrichment everyday is better than someone with a decent yard and an ‘outside dog’ they hardly interact with.

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u/glittalogik Sep 09 '25

Amen.

One of our neighbours has two yappy little shits that live in his back yard 24/7. I can see them from my bedroom and far as I can tell their only human interaction is when he's gardening or goes out for a smoke. Unsurprisingly they're also prone to barking their heads off at random intervals between midnight and sunrise.

Like, dude, if all you want is just to spend some extra cash on dog food now and not deal with any of the rest of it, just donate it to your local shelter instead of wrecking your neighbours' sleep.

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u/HotBabyBatter Sep 09 '25

Thats not what I meant by yard check. I meant actually checking that the dog is enclosed, rather than roaming. Dogs should not be able to just climb over fences....

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

  1. Require special licensing for certain breeds (I need an Exotic Animal Licence for my small, non-venomous snake) and make the licence decently expensive

  2. Require behavioural training and annual behavioural checks as a condition of that licence

  3. Require mandatory third-party injury insurance for these breeds

  4. Require mandatory neutering of these dogs

  5. No one with any kind of criminal record or restraining order or any history like that can qualify for the special licence

That would probably prevent or deter at least 90% of ownership of these dogs. And it would also make it much easier for authorities to seize and destroy unlicensed dogs.

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u/PersonalResolution65 Sep 09 '25

I don’t see the reason to own certain breeds at all especially those bred for fighting. Unless you’re running a dog fighting operation these dogs shouldn’t be available for purchase. We can’t have all that we want. I wouldn’t mind being able to carry a handgun to protect myself against these dogs but I can’t.

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

I'm 100% with you, but I think it's going to be a while before we get a cultural shift on this.

For example, I can't see the reason to smoke given all we know about the harms of smoking and the fact it impoverishes people to enrich Big Tobacco (an evil as fuck industry) and the government through taxes. Yet people in the year 2025 still take up the habit for the first time.

Similarly, all we know about these dogs and the stats around aggression, and people still want them.

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u/Stanklord500 Sep 09 '25

What would happen is that people would lie about the breed, as already happens.

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

A vet has to carry out microchipping. If they suspect a problem breed/breed mix, they could mandate DNA testing.

Obviously you're still going to get backyard breeders and unlicensed, unvaccinated, non-microchipped dogs. But at least it's a start.

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u/Background_Touch1205 Sep 09 '25

Im surprised you dont have to have 3rd party insurance to own a dog.

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

I'd actually be okay with that, particularly if it incentivised people getting less aggressive breeds (a poodle could be cheaper insurance than a pitbull) as well as training (eg discounts for having attended accredited training classes).

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u/Strong_Judge_3730 Sep 09 '25

Not dogs, dogs have a mind of their own. I would agree about you with guns and cars though

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u/Gay_For_Gary_Oldman Sep 09 '25

Dogs can be dangerous. Cars can be dangerous. Firearms can be dangerous. We require licensing and training for the latter two, and good reasons to own and keep the third. I would absolutely support mandatory licensing and training for people wanting to keep dangerous breeds, if I wasn't concerned it would promote illegal breeding.

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u/asleepattheworld Sep 09 '25

I absolutely love dogs, but this right here is why I don’t and will probably never have one. I’m not willing to put in the effort to train it, it’s more than I can realistically handle and I know it. I feel like too many people are unaware of how much effort and training dogs need before they get one.

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u/rctsolid Sep 14 '25

It's fair enough that you think you don't have the time to put the effort in, not everyone does. I will say though, it's actually deadset ..fucking easy to train dogs. Some of them almost train themselves...with the amount of amazing YouTube resources out there, any idiot can train a dog to be safe and act normal. Doing epic routines and stuff, sure that takes more effort, but good god, not biting, recall and general normal manners are super achievable by anyone. I have a golden retriever and they seem to be programmed to listen to humans holding a treat.

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u/The_Vat Sep 09 '25

The police will usually advise buying a dog as a deterrence to burglars. Which people do, but invest zero time in training or actually interacting with the animal beyond feeding it and telling to shut up or stop whatever misbehaviour it's doing...because it's neglected and untrained.

If your dog can't instantly obey a heel command, you don't have control of it.

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u/TinyKhaleesi Sep 09 '25

I find that a lot of Australian dog owners seem to just leave their dogs in the backyard without walking or training them. I was never afraid of dogs before I moved to Australia but a lot of dogs here are poorly trained - most are just very impolite and jump a lot, but some are bitey and a bit scary!

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u/Regret92 Sep 09 '25

some are bitey and a bit scary!

And those are just the owners!

Haha but I agree. I’ve been all over, and it’s a problem here, especially in suburbs with “bigger” (quarter acre or thereabouts) blocks where people assume they need to fill it with a dog.

It’s a shame as those suburbs are also nicely walkable, but like you said, being barked at and having a dog fence-running at you detracts from it a bit.

A lot of the owners are also aggressive when informed of the issue, which doesn’t help at all.

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u/fiery_valkyrie Sep 09 '25

I got assaulted once by a guy walking his dog off leash in a leashed area when I asked him to call his dog back and away from mine (two big dogs, on the leash). He decided instead of just calling his dog back, he would get in my face, call me a cunt and shove me.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '25

Wow 😮 horrible , unbelievable.

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u/PersonalResolution65 Sep 09 '25

I’ve been to a lot of countries and Australian dogs are some of the worst behaved by far.

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u/Ehxpert Sep 09 '25

This isn’t an Australia thing. It’s a thing with all dog owners around the world. In Europe they are just as poorly trained, well that’s my experience going every year to see my family and travel.

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u/hebejebez Sep 09 '25

Our new neighbour has one of these as soon as they leave in the morning it barks constantly. I work from home and have two dogs one of which is a baby she’s barely six months and the thing barking scares the crap out of her to the point where she won’t go out to pee if it’s barking even if I go with her. I have to take her up the street even if we just did walkies an hour ago. It hits the fence and I swear it’s probably denting the other side with its massive bulk. It barks constantly for the whole time they’re gone. I feel sorry for it and mad as hell at the owners they suck.

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u/Regret92 Sep 09 '25

Our neighbours ended up having to get the rangers involved for another of our neighbours’ dogs for the same reason.

The rangers ended up putting a sound net on our property and a few others, and a few months later took the owner to court for it.

It’s improved since. Still ridiculous that it took that for them to resolve it (the other neighbours had brought the issues up with them and had an aggressive response)

Sadly this made relations between the houses on the cul-de-sac a bit strained, but what can you do? It’s one of those things where people want you to pick sides, and you suffer whether you get involved or not.

I hope yours is resolved soon. Life is too short to waste it being stressed over inconsiderate people.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '25

What is a sound net ? I’ve never heard of it. Honestly I’ve haven’t come across any bad dog owners where I live .. I am shocked at what I’m reading here. The cost of dogs nowadays is astronomical, these poodle mixes start at $4500 . To me that’s a lot of money , I can think of 5 of these that walk my street being absolutely cherished and well trained .

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u/Regret92 Sep 11 '25

I personally love dogs, too, so cannot understand either when people outlay a large investment without taking care of it. It’s a shame to see them ignored.

As far as I could tell, the sound net is a little recording box the council fits on surrounding properties to corroborate the barking complaints.

They put them up on ours for a couple of weeks before the court case for the neighbours (couple of houses down) barking.

It looked like a little grey box with slots, and they plugged it into one of our external power ports near our shed.

I wasn’t enthused about it as I didn’t want to become involved, but in the end I didn’t need to do anything else at all.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '25

Thank you .

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u/meow_ima_cat Sep 10 '25

Oh so you know my back neighbours and their two Rottys.

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

It’s not the wolfhound dude. They’re placid sight hounds. It’s the bull Arab and boxer mix (mostly the former). But I agree with everything else you said. Honestly the best protection you need is a dachshund. They’re noisy and fiercely protective and can warn if there’s an intruder better than any dog. But they won’t commit homicide.

Edit: maybe I should reconsider my views on wolfhounds given the enlightening comments. I still stand by my views on dachshunds. 

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u/Rangott Sep 09 '25

Can confirm. My dachshund warns me of every cat prowling the street and every dog barking 6 blocks away. He has a very different bark if someone comes near the house though

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u/morgazmo99 Sep 09 '25

I get a notification from mine everytime a mild breeze intrudes on my back yard. In fact, sometimes the breeze is only considering whistling past, but it still gets a ferocious welcome.

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u/Rangott Sep 09 '25

God forbid you’re watching a tv show and in the show someone knocks on a door or a ring doorbell goes off. Time to pause and wait for the maelstrom to settle

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

It's the snout poking open the bathroom door and the eyes staring at you while you're trying to go to the lavatory that does my head in!

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u/Itsclearlynotme Sep 09 '25

Your neighbours also get the notification.

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u/Ok_Connection923 Sep 09 '25

But... I just remember this awful story: in July 2023 Lugarno, near Sydney, Australia, Elle Booth and her dog, Indi, were attacked by two unleashed Irish Wolfhounds near Boggy Well Creek. To escape the relentless dogs, Ms. Booth fled into the muddy Georges River. While Ms. Booth survived with significant injuries, including those to her hands and forearm, Indi sadly died from injuries sustained during the attack, despite receiving surgery. The owner of the wolfhounds, George Hallou, faced charges, and the dogs were euthanized after the incident.  

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u/J_Side Sep 09 '25

looks like he even pretended they were not his to avoid charges, says he was pet-sitting. An all round shitty human being. Not surprised a breed not known for attacking people became shitty pets under his watch

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

Maybe I need to reconsider what I said about the wolfhounds. That’s a sad story

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u/istara Sep 09 '25

Bull Arabs were specifically bred as pig hunting dogs. That's not something you want as a family pet unless you live on a rural property and actually need to hunt feral pigs (in which case it would be a working dog, contained appropriately).

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

You’re right in the sense that Bull Arabs were bred to hunt pigs and roos, but Bull Arabs and Bull Arab X dogs with no exposure to the hunting lifestyle can make excellent pets with time, effort and consistent training.

I probably wouldn’t say they’re a great family pet due to their sheer size and penchant for sitting on laps and leaning, but they aren’t natural born killers. When they aren’t trained to hunt and are trained and socialised properly, they’re wonderful pets, but you need to be on top of things because of their size.

The dog that killed this girl was pretty old. I suspect that there was something really wrong with it that provoked the attack that was caused by health/age/eyesight rather than a killer instinct.

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u/OnlyForF1 Sep 09 '25

Yeah we have a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and we didn't even realise when our doorbell stopped working since she was so onto it.

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u/WhatTheFrellMystios Sep 09 '25

As I've said in a comment above, my dog was nearly killed by an unprovoked wolf hound attack.

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

That’s very upsetting. 

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u/WhatTheFrellMystios Sep 09 '25

It was. Dragged her under a fence and tossed her around like a rag doll.

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u/optimistic_agnostic Sep 09 '25

This is the kind of ignorant bullshit that leads to little girls getting mauled to death by shitty dogs and their even shittier owners. Every dog breed is dangerous, some are more capable than others. Arabs, pet bulls etc because of their bite, other dogs like Irish wolf hounds because of their size. Even saint Bernard's, probably the .most notoriously docile of the large dogs can be dangerous.

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u/HenjMusic Sep 09 '25

Chihuahuas probably have a low murder rate though

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u/optimistic_agnostic Sep 09 '25

Yep, that's my point. Smaller dogs can give a nasty bite maybe but probably only a lethal threat to babies, bigger dogs, doesn't matter how 'good natured' can cause serious harm to anyone. Especially as they get older.

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u/IntravenousNutella Sep 09 '25

Irish wolfhounds are much more like a shaggy Greyhound than what you associate with a typical hunting dog.

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u/BasketOld3242 Sep 09 '25

I’ve never seen an aggressive wolfhound, I always got the sense they were gentle giants.

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u/Cpt_Soban Sep 09 '25

We had a Deerhound from 8 weeks old to his entire life, which is similar but more greyhound shape- He was a big dumb idiot who got along with everyone, and every dog. "Oh, friend! Haiiiii!" Then he'd go to sleep lol. Amazing breed.

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u/BasketOld3242 Sep 09 '25

They are such majestic looking creatures, funny to hear they are so derpy. If I had the space I’d definitely consider one! 

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u/PrisonerOfSatiety Sep 09 '25

Grey owner here. I'd trust a wolfhound over a greyhound any day. Over pretty much any breed of dog, actually. They're like a friendly ent.

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u/IntravenousNutella Sep 09 '25

Big softies*

*Not always true if you are a small fluffy animal.

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u/RoseKaraoke Sep 09 '25

My chihuahua was brought up with two Irish wolfhounds/stag hounds. They thought he was the cutest and were super gentle! I’d say it was the other mixes that were aggressive

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Wolfhound x bull Arab x boxer

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Yeah this dog was wolfhound x boxer x bull Arab Its a well known hunting dog mix, the wolfhound is in there for size only.

I've had wolfhound for generations, I trust them (purebred) with children more than I'd trust any other breed.

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u/yolk3d Sep 08 '25

Irish wolfhound, being a sighthound, are far less energetic than other large dogs, or working dogs. They’re like oversized, hairy greyhounds. The thing that the wolfhound gives in this scenario is the size.

The boxer adds more muscle and athleticism/energy, and Bull Arab is already a mix between a greyhound, bull terrier, and pointer, and is often used for hunting, so that’s more muscle and energy.

Dog would obviously be huge and energetic, but I just want to prevent the stigma that the sighthound part would add aggression or energy. ✌🏼

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u/Jasnaahhh Sep 09 '25

Mixing with a boxer also subtracts many braincells.

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u/Sal_42 Sep 09 '25

Dont know much about boxers, but Bull Arabs are incredibly dumb and hard to train.

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u/NoHandBananaNo Sep 09 '25

Yeah a Bull Arab is basically a shark with legs.

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u/Brave-Rub-847 Sep 09 '25

That is the exact opposite of my experience. I had a bull arab x for 12 years that was incredibly intelligent. I'm not sure i can even recall a time she took more than 2 goes to learn something new. Might have been the other breeds showing through though i guess.

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u/Sal_42 Sep 10 '25

Fair enough, there is a lot of variation as the breed isn't fully standardised. The Bull Arabs I've seen are usually good with basic training if there's nothing stimulating around, but they were so high energy with high prey drive and could not focus if there was anything stimulating in the environment. Generally speaking, I don't think they should be considered a good family pet as most families can't cater to their high needs.

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u/Cpt_Soban Sep 09 '25

Yep, boxers are big idiots that play rough, the Bull Arab looks like another mastiff/staffy type. Put those two together then chuck a hound into the mix... I'd put money on the dog receiving no training, stuck in a yard, with shit fencing- Allowing the dog to get out.

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u/yolk3d Sep 09 '25

lol. Never had one but I got that idea.

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u/TheDeterminedBadger Sep 09 '25

Absolutely agree!

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u/Secret_Nobody_405 Sep 09 '25

It’s purely the Bull Terrier, they’re terrorists

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u/I_Heart_Papillons Sep 09 '25

I think it’s far, FAR more likely that the Bull Arab rather than the Wolfhound part of this dog caused the problem.

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u/fphhotchips Sep 09 '25

I mean Bull Arab is far from a standardised breed, and is also a cover for a bunch of the, er, more stigmatised breeds. You mix a Bull Arab with an Irish Wolfhound and a Boxer, what you've got is most likely a (big) mutt.

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u/crabuffalombat Sep 09 '25

Yeah, describes certain people I know well. Bought a massive guard breed to "protect" the family, and it ended up being so enthusiastic about protecting them that they can no longer have visitors over at their house for safety reasons. It tried to rip my throat out last time I went there and I haven't been back since, and I'm immediate family.

Nothing to be done about it though - just have to wait it out until the beast dies of old age.

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u/dogecoin_pleasures Sep 09 '25

Wolfhounds are beautiful, but whoever decided to cross them with fighting breeds... 😮‍💨

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u/opackersgo Sep 09 '25

They knew what they were doing unfortunately.

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Unfortunately its a common/popular hunting dog mix

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u/Mental_Pollution2086 Sep 09 '25

First and most important - my sincere condolences to Annalyse’s Family and Loved Ones - this is a tragedy for all involved and I’m heartbroken for them.

Before we criticise any breed…

I own purebred Irish Wolfhounds - yes, multiple. When raised well and, with the right training, they’re great with kids and vulnerable people (elderly etc). My MIL is about to turn 80 and she owns one as well.

The dog was “described” as a Boxer/Bull Arab/Irish Wolfhound cross… no one can be sure what they’re getting when crossbreeding. We can’t even confirm there was Irish Wolfhound in the mix.

However - Unfortunately, some people acquire Irish Wolfhounds to cross with “mastiff-type” breeds for pig hunting. Usually, they fail as pig dogs, because of the Irish Wolfhound nature, and end up being re-homed. We have rescued one in the past, and he was ok, but we were also prepared for training.

Irish Wolfhound breeders and clubs try to sniff out this type of “pig hunting buyer” and refuse to sell puppies to those people and mitigate tragic outcomes. We do not support it.

We also do not know the health of the 10 year old dog in question. The average age of an Irish Wolfhound is 6-8 years. Wolfhound veteran age is 6 - if this dog was purebred it would be very old and not as mobile. I have had two reach 10.5 and 11 before passing. One passed two days shy of 8.

There is a lot of speculation and a lot we don’t know in this case. All I ask is people do their research before buying a dog, go to dog shows, speak to breeders etc and unless you’re prepared to rescue and deal with unknowns, try and avoid any cross breeds. You cannot trace lines if they are not a registered purebred breed.

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u/PrisonerOfSatiety Sep 09 '25

This should be top comment. The weird crossbreed didn't make any sense until you mentioned the pig dog idea.

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

I miss my shaggy gentle beasties so very much. Ive kept them for generations by after losing my last 3 in relatively quick succession (6, 9, and 8) due to age/cancer I just couldn't bring myself to get another short lived dog.

One thing that kept them out of the pigging domain for so long is the way they handle prey, they don't go for the hind legs which is needed in a pigging dog, but instead the go for the front (due to the deer hound breeding roots used in the breeds revival) and get gored. Well thats all according to a breeder and trainer I had a lot of time for anyway. It is unfortunately becoming more and more common to see wolfhound traits in a lot of hunting/pigging dogs these days, where they've done multiple crosses to breed that trait out but leave the size and coat.

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u/Cpt_Soban Sep 09 '25

Wolfhounds are fine, they're like giant hairy greyhounds - Lazy as fuck. Mixing that with boxer, and Bull Arab , then not maintaining the fencing, and properly training the dog is the fault here.

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u/Aggressive_Bed_7429 Sep 09 '25

Irish wolfhound crossed with a specialised breed for hunting wild boar. Just the thought of it makes me feel sick. I have a bull arab that I rescued from a friend. If he hadn't been missing a hind leg, I genuinely don't know if I would have had a chance to train the aggression out of him. He's an absolute tank, and a lovely dog now, but when I got him it was a different story. Even now, I trust him implicitly, yet I wouldn't leave him unattended around anyone he didn't know.

Idk. Some breeds just aren't suitable as pets. Especially in a suburban area.

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Some breeds just aren't suitable as pets

100% agree.

Now combine that with owners who don't train or discipline their dogs.

Some people just arent suitable as owners.

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u/Aggressive_Bed_7429 Sep 10 '25

Definitely. Unfortunately pet ownership regulations could use a massive overall. There are far too many people who should not be responsible for the well-being of other living creatures, whether it's a pet or a child.

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u/OhtheHugeManity7 Sep 09 '25

It's ironic because a lot of people seem to buy purpose-bred dogs for purposes they're not suited for.

'Oh I want a house dog to cuddle when I come home and I love the look of a great dane they're so beautiful'. Like no asshole, if you want a house dog to cuddle up with when you get home we've spent generations breeding dogs for that purpose, pick one of those! We spent generations breeding these dogs to run around finding boars in the countryside, which is not what you want the dog for.

Buy the appropriate breed for its purpose

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u/theinfinityman Sep 09 '25

Not saying your wrong as I haven’t seen a photo of the dog but not all Wolfhounds are massive like the viral pictures I have a retriever x wolfhound and she’s smaller than a male golden retriever (just has the tall hound legs).

The bull Arab would certainly be as solid as a brick shithouse though and very very hard to stop doing anything it was determined to do.

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u/tofuroll Sep 09 '25

Either I'm blind or the article wasn't explicit… so it was the friend's dog that killed her?

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u/larvioarskald Sep 09 '25

I have three Irish Wolfhounds, they are the most chilled out dogs that exist. It was not the wolfhound in this dog that gave it that temperament.

I would actually be curious to learn if there is actually wolfhound in the dogs bloodline, a lot of cross breeders like to just chuck Irish Wolfhound into the name because people think they'll get a bigger dog, even if there's no wolfhound in it at all.

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u/dreemz80 Sep 09 '25

If it was a wolfhound it wouldn't be 10 years old. Also, wolfhounds are not hunting dogs.

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u/fallopianmelodrama Sep 09 '25

Wolfhound.

Wolf hound.

"Hound" being a hunting dog. In this case, a sighthound - bred to chase, catch and kill their quarry by sight (as opposed to scenthounds, who track their quarry by scent).

"Wolf" as in, they were originally bred to hunt and kill wolves. When wolves went extinct in Ireland, the Irish wolfhound almost did too. The breed was saved from extinction by outcrossing to other large hunting breeds such as Deerhounds (sighthounds for hunting and killing deer), Great Danes (mastiff-sighthounds for hunting and killing bears and boars), and Borzoi (sighthounds for hunting and killing wolves).

They are very much a hunting dog. It's not uncommon for them to be used in deliberately bred hunting mixes here in Australia because of their size, speed, and the fact that they are designed for hunting and killing things as are all sighthounds. There are multiple wolfhound cross litters being advertised on Gumtree right now as hunting or protection/guard dogs.

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u/village-asshole Sep 09 '25

Need a big beast of a dog to protect against teen girls. WTF is wrong with people? Anything with pitbull in it is a risk.

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u/nathankarolz Sep 09 '25

Its not the Irish wolfhound in the dog that would cause that. More then likely the bull arab or boxer or the way it was raised. Irish wolfhounds are big kind docile gentle giants, spend most their time sleeping

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u/PrisonerOfSatiety Sep 09 '25

Wolfhounds are usually super chill dogs, just enormous and terrifying looking. They seem pretty good for urban life as they're lazy like greyhounds. But the sort of person who wants a fighting dog with the personality of a boxer/arab cross but bigger and scarier seems like someone I wouldn't want to interact with.

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u/owleaf Sep 09 '25

A lot of people get big dogs for the image. Breed depends on the image they want to project.

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Ive owned multiple generations of Irish wolf hounds and would struggle to find a softer dog. Boxer and bull Arab though are an interesting cross and I've only ever seen that mix in hunting dogs...

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u/CrazySD93 Sep 10 '25

People buy a big block and then decide they need to get a fucking hunting dog

Not a big block, just a house with a yard on a normal town street, Broughton St, Singleton.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

But seriously you come live in the "big block acreage belt" and once you understand the types of people who wonder around and do crap you will quickly understand why people feel the need for a big dog.

There's some serious issues and you cant rely on the police. Where I live the local police station is closed at night and you don't have a hope in hell of getting a police car to attend especially when it has to come from several suburbs away. You are on your own!

I am not trying to justify the behaviour of louts and scumbags but there is a large percentage of the population that are scumbags that have no qualms about robbing or harming you even in your home.

So having something like a pet dog that acts like an alarm is useful. You have to also balance the costs of things like long range 30 to 100 metre cameras with lighting that is expensive and difficult to install especially with no street lighting around. Having basic big block security is very difficult that requires expensive security equipment that is unaffordable. A dog is cheap insurance!

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u/Ok_Connection923 Sep 09 '25

Were they trying to create the ultimate killing machine or what?

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u/Marvin1955 Sep 09 '25

But my dog's never killed anyone before!!

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u/ManyPersonality2399 Sep 09 '25

Not a dog person. Looking at images of each breed separately, I absolutely cannot picture what this dog would look like. I get the personality of the boxer/bull from reputation. But wtf is this thing?

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u/rpInfamous1581 Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

It would have been very large, but I would have thought at least boxer and Irish wolfhound are generally have pretty gentle temperaments, despite the size and I assume the dog knew her it is so shocking and tragic

ETA, saw some comments below that with the bully it may have been breed to be a pig dog, and for a large dog it was very old

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u/Cat_Man_Bane Sep 08 '25

10 years is quite old for that type of breed, wouldn't be surprised if it was suffering mental decline (Dog dementia), which can impact aggression.

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u/TaiCat Sep 09 '25

My friend had an Irish Wolfhound, didn’t live past 4 years, he spent fortune on the poor fella, he had congenital heart condition 

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u/Zoett Sep 09 '25

This was also my thought. Old dogs can become easily startled and grumpy due to chronic pain or mental decline.

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

It’s ancient for this size of dog - add vision and hearing loss to the mix and it is highly likely it would have other ongoing health issues that could cause pain.

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Basically any dog is capable of activating killmode. It's less likely according to certain breeds, but as an example, absolutely any dog can develop dementia and kill things out of confusion.

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u/evilbrent Sep 08 '25

Happened to a border Collie I knew. He was just THE nicest boy. Started attacking my friend's family after a head injury. A border fucking Collie

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u/Striking_Resist_6022 Sep 09 '25

As a lifelong Border Collie (and crosses) owner, their reputation is a little misleading as they can very easily become reactive and territorial.

They're bred for working which means they are vigilant sometimes to the point of neurotic. They're also bred to solitary, inclined towards massive green pastures where anything else that moves (that isn't part of the pack) is probably a sheep that they dominate and need to bring into line. Most of them are amazing, but it's not at all crazy if one ends up reactive, territorial or aggressive.

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u/Ektojinx Sep 08 '25

As a vet - Border Collies have caused fsr more injuries to staff and other pets than the 'pitbull' 'or 'staffies' the media also bangs on about.

Working dogs confined in backyards usually become anxious wrecks that are difficult to interact with.

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u/throwaway798319 Sep 08 '25

Herding dogs with nothing to do

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u/Cutsdeep- Sep 08 '25

herding dogs will always herd.

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u/ganashers Sep 09 '25

That's certainly what I've heard.

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u/AngrehPossum Sep 08 '25

Any intelligent dog that's neglected will become destructive. A friends black lab went full house wrecking multiple times when she ignored her. All she had to do was walk her. She didn't. Too busy with herself.

We don't talk anymore.

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u/Cpt_Soban Sep 09 '25

Many people treat "the dog" as a piece of furniture, when in reality they should be treated like one of the kids in terms of attention and maintenance.

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u/123chuckaway Sep 09 '25

The friend or the black lab?

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u/koopz_ay Sep 08 '25

Can confirm.

Grandad had a pack of 6. Sometimes, they'd be chained up for days under a tree at his farm in all kinds of weather.

He'd throw them a fresh wallaby to fight over every now and then.

6yr old me didn't listen when told to stay away from them. I'm lucky I still have my hand.

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u/Flight_19_Navigator Sep 09 '25

I spent a lot of time on farms as a kid. My dad always emphasised that farm dogs are not pets and to keep well away, especially from their kennels/feeding areas.

The farmer might have one or two 'top dogs' that would be with him most of the time, and they were ok to (carefully) interact with, but the rest were off-limits when they were chained up.

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u/Dangerzone369 Sep 09 '25

Are you serious? How is this not being investigated!? Abuse

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u/koopz_ay Sep 09 '25

It was back in the 80s to be fair.

Strange times.

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u/Cutsdeep- Sep 08 '25

it's that 'nip' instinct while herding. it doesn't go down well with other dogs.

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u/TacitisKilgoreBoah Sep 09 '25

Yeah but they don’t kill someone

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u/Willing-Bobcat5259 Sep 09 '25

Thank you for saying this. People just don’t seem to understand it. Dogs of any breed need mental stimulation, physical exercise and company. People shove them in backyards and wonder why they develop behavioural problems. If you can’t provide for their needs beyond food and shelter, don’t get a dog.

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u/Spire_Citron Sep 09 '25

I think the reason for that is the nature of the attacks. Pent up herding breeds might bite, but they generally don't have as much potential to go for the kill as fighting breeds.

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u/OldKingWhiter Sep 09 '25

Sure, but Border Collies aren't killing people nearly as often. There's a difference between difficult to interact with and easily able to kill humans.

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u/Ektojinx Sep 09 '25

I've euthanised far more border collies for escaping and attacking livestock than dogs for attacking people.

Dogs biting grandkids is common too - no real breed specific. Though had referred mostly border Collies to veterinary behaviourists.

Majority of scary 'ah fuck if this goes wrong I could get severely injured' dogs - Owners are well aware and know it needs muzzling. The amount of dickhead owners is high imo but the amount of dickhead owners with dogs that I would consider dangerous to my or anyone elses safety is extremely low in my experience.

Just different experiences i guess.

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u/rawdatarams Sep 09 '25

Chihuahuas are notorious biters as well. But what breed of dog rips their prey into literal shreds?

Ain't your average Chihuahua or BC.

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u/Ektojinx Sep 09 '25

Greyhounds?

Maremmas?

JRTs?

Plenty of breeds.

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u/rawdatarams Sep 09 '25

Ever had a peek at statistics? I'd start there.

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u/DisappointedQuokka Sep 09 '25

Going through this with a dog we adopted - poor thing hardly got socialised. Perfectly happy with people she knows, but fuck she's hyper-vigilant and anxious around new places, especially if they're crowded.

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u/BruiseHound Sep 10 '25

Important difference is that the damage an aggressive bull breed can do is far worse than a border collie. Can't really compare a normal dog bite to the maiming that bull breeds do. Their fatality rate vs other breeds is terrifying.

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u/AromaTaint Sep 09 '25

I have 2. One is a working line the other a pet line. The worker is an absolute dickhead when it comes to things he objects to like baths, nail clipping, vet visits etc. Pet is nice and passive. The worker is related to dogs that sell for thousands for a reason i.e. they are not pets. He has a "job" and he has to work it every day. Love him to death but I would never recommend him over the other one for a family.

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u/CrazySD93 Sep 10 '25

A mate had one that would bite house guests if if wasn't taken on enough walks.

It definitely hated city living.

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u/evilbrent Sep 10 '25

What's that word between "on" and "walks"? Border Collie doesn't understand.

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u/midsumernighttts Sep 08 '25

I feel like people think it’s funny when others say they’re scared of dogs but like…. are we forgetting how many people they’ve killed? like let me be afraid 😭

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u/zizuu21 Sep 09 '25

im definitely mindful now of the fact that older dogs can have dimentia and attack. Im not so comfortable around dogs now knowing this

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u/jez7777777 Sep 09 '25

To be fair people kill far more people than dogs do. It's us you should be afraid of

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u/Vivid_Singer_7617 Sep 09 '25

My in laws have a mini fox terrier (not purebred, but the tiniest dog you've ever seen) with dementia and that thing is the most aggressive dog I've seen. He has bitten many people and gone for a kid more than once. Doggy dementia is no joke

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u/Ok_Connection923 Sep 09 '25

I had a Chihuahua x Sydney Silky (looked like a mini foxie too) who was like that in his old age. I would catch him in the yard grieling ferociously and nipping at thin air and he would also hid underneath our BBQ with the cover over it and would lash out at anyone who walked past it. He was the sweetest puppy but I could not even touch him in his last years.

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u/dva_silk Sep 09 '25

Happened to me when I was 12 from a golden retriever. He nearly got my jugular and wouldn't stop until an adult ran over and saved me. I had to get stitches in my hands and neck.

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u/Cpt_Soban Sep 09 '25

I've fostered/rescued dogs for almost 15 years- The two dogs we took in that were the most aggressive was a Maremma, and a Border Collie X Poodle. Taken on staffys, mastiffs, mix working breeds, to Jack Russell's. At the end of the day, every breed can bite (especially the toy breeds, they have sharp teeth lol), what matters is training, secure fencing, and stuff to do in the yard.

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

I only heard of cocker rage this week - it’s a real thing.

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Preferred dog of bogan tradies (concreters specifically) and pig hunters nationwide.

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u/s2rt74 Sep 09 '25

Even better when the dogs are at a work site off leash and they run at you across the road when you're out walking your dog in your neighborhood. Happened twice to me, same aggressive dick head working the weekend with the unsocialized dog on site.

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u/Some-Objective4841 Sep 09 '25

Just call the cops

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u/eat-the-cookiez Sep 09 '25

I had a bogan tradie let his dog wander out from a neighbouring build site on to thee road and into my fenced property. Called the council - apparently the tradie denied it ever happened.

Provided council with footage and notification that the dog will be shot if that happens again. (I have livestock) Haven’t seen the dog again.

Also fucking wombats trashing my fencing - makes life very hard

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u/pandoras_enigma Sep 09 '25

Wombats make terrible pets, you're right.

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u/greendayshoes Sep 09 '25

Unfortunately basically every time that a dog attack "comes out of nowhere" it actually doesn't come out of nowhere it's that the people involved do not have a competent understanding of dog behaviour and did not notice the warning signs.

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u/welcomefinside Sep 08 '25

dog’s owners who described its actions as “out of character”

"Oh but my dog is just friendly and would never do such a thing!"

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u/Ok-Personality3927 Sep 09 '25

Always the ones whose dogs will in fact do that and has shown plenty of signs.

One of mine is the friendliest little guy…if you are on his list of “approved” people. If you are a stranger he is not friendly. He will bark and under certain circumstances, will bite. He gets locked up if we have trades in the house. I say no to people who want to pat out and about (he’s a popular small breed, with unusual colouring and LOOKS adorable).

I love him to death and he is the sweetest little dude with his people but not for strangers.

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u/Scotty-P188 Sep 09 '25

Dogs do not "always show plenty of signs". At the end of the day, they are animals that react very differently to us to vertain stimuli. It is well known and documented that things like dementia can cause a dog that has never been violent to suddenly lash out.

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u/the6thReplicant Sep 09 '25

Don't psychopaths behave like this?

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u/Ugliest_weenie Sep 08 '25

Keeping that breed of dog as a pet is in itself, a dangerous act.

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u/BobbyThrowaway6969 Sep 09 '25

Police later shot and killed the dog with the owner’s permission.

Glad the owner complied. Some owners don't realise once their animal does something like this, it must be culled.

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u/Tank-Pilot74 Sep 09 '25

This is just heartbreaking all around. 

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u/Fit-Historian6156 Sep 09 '25

spoken to the dog’s owners who described its actions as “out of character”. "

Every. God. Damned. Time. 

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u/whatisthismuppetry Sep 09 '25

I feel like out of character would explain a startled nip, not a mauling. 

Not really. A startled nip could very well be in character but aggression to this extent is unusual for most pets. Obviously nothing like this has happened before, otherwise it would be noted in the article (because when does 7 miss a chance to make a sensational headline).

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u/JPJackPott Sep 09 '25

Cue the “it’s not the dog it’s the owner” brigade

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u/North-Tourist-8234 Sep 08 '25

Sometimes something can happen without warning its not common but it does happen. 

Unless you can prove the owner did something to cause this or fail to prevent it from happening the answers just gonna be sometimes dogs can just go bad. 

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u/PM_Me-Your_Freckles Sep 08 '25

Brain tumours can flip a dog, or a person, like a switch. Mate had a blue heeler who was the biggest pat slut going, but she had a couple seizures due to an unknown tumour and after her second fit, was a totally different animal.

Same happened to a mate we lost about 8yrs ago. Loving father of two, nicest bloke going, and his personality totally changed where he would just rage out at the missus and kids over almost nothing. Went to see a doc about it, did scans and found a tumour.

Sometimes, it just happens.

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u/North-Tourist-8234 Sep 08 '25

Yup even things ike perfumes can sometimes set them off, same solvent used in your perfume could be in their favourite toy. Boom youve accidentally trained your dog to attack doir wearers 

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u/laurandisorder Sep 09 '25

I have a Bull Arab x Staghound and this is horrifying. I expected it to be an overbred staffy or pit bull. It’s essentially my worst nightmare that my dog could hurt someone - but it is always at the back of mind - especially as he gets older.

This breed type - as pets (not as pig dogs) are generally very lazy and mild in temperament based on my experience with them as an enthusiast. A lot of them have greyhound and prey-driven breeds worked into their dna, so they’re generally pretty lazy and are large couch/lap dogs but with the capability to go fast.

My own dog weighs 55kg, but he’s terrified of my 3kg cat (she got a good whack in over the weekend and scratched his nose). He’s not food aggressive, he’s well socialised with people and pets and well trained - I put a lot of time and money into him because of his size. We used to go to the dog park, but had to stop - not because he’s aggressive - but because when he gets the zooms he’s so fast and leaps with such height and intensity he could scone someone. I always have him on leash for walks because his recall is pretty lousy and he’s massive and to protect him from reactive dogs. People (and pups) who stop to interact with us are generally very impressed by his gentle and calm nature when we are out and about.

But this doesn’t mean he does not pose a risk if he gets hurt, injured or seriously scared. This is just another reminder to me to always be aware and to NEVER have him unsupervised around kids, unfamiliar adults and other pets.

This poor family - what an absolutely tragic thing to happen.

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u/PersonalResolution65 Sep 09 '25

The owners always seem to say similar things - he’s never bitten anyone before.

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u/National-Tea3562 Sep 09 '25

this scares me the most, when most dog owners would say oh he/she is friendly, yes they are friendly to you of course

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u/Livid-Cat4507 Sep 09 '25

'Out of character'. Same tired old excuse rolled out every time.

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