In this week’s magazine, Justin Marozzi writes about a vicious dog attack on a beach in Norfolk, which left his mongrel Maisie close to death and his own fingers ‘redesigned’ by a bull terrier’s teeth. What of the owners? Well, they slunk off, and were last seen ‘kicking and whipping’ the dogs in punishment.
The ‘kicking and whipping’ is the part of the story that’s most telling. If these dogs are whipped and kicked at home as punishment for misbehaving, is it any wonder that they behave aggressively themselves?
I can understand why Justin likens those who defend bull terriers to ‘those who believe Hitler was misunderstood’. But is it really the breeds that are to blame, or the owner?
It’s no surprise that bull terriers (including English ones and staffies) have a bad reputation, when you take into account everything that’s written about them.
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