We don’t usually comment on nasty or unhappy stuff on the Limpsfield blog, but the recent attack this week on Harvey, the Yorkshire Terrier who lives on Grub Street, compels us to say that dangerous or aggressive dogs MUST be muzzled when out of their own home.

We regularly walk dogs around Limpsfield and there are a number of regulars whose owners carelessly dismiss their growling, pulling dog, who would clearly love to attack others, with a simple statement: “Oh he / she isn’t very good with other dogs!”

And yet some of these dogs are not muzzled and even more unbelievably, let off the lead.  Most owners and walkers of these dogs are very careful to warn you and do keep their dog on the lead.   But some are clearly not so responsible.

What on Earth are these people thinking? Clearly they really care if their dogs do attack another dog, animal or child. It is incredibly reckless of them to let their animals off the lead at all. And large dogs are more than capable pulling away from their owners if they really want to.

Not all large dogs are vicious. Most are lovely.  But some are not.  Some may have been attacked themselves before, or trained as guard dogs, which has caused their aggression, but their owners must recognise their danger to others and be responsible.

While we don’t necessarily want to see these animals put down (although just can’t understand why people insist on keeping dangerous dogs anyway), if we are to avoid similar maulings in the future – of other dogs or wildlife, livestock or humans – then these dogs have to be muzzled when out and about. No question and no excuses.

For the full story on Harvey – see the Surrey Mirror article here: http://www.surreymirror.co.uk/dog-fighting-for-its-life-after-being-attacked-in-limpsfield/story-30404755-detail/story.html.  PHOTO: Surrey Mirror.

If you have any information on such incidents, you are urged to contact local police.  Owners must be taken to task for reckless endangerment of other animals and people.