Fighting dogs trained in Southend parks

8:50am Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in News By Laura Smith

Fighting dogs trained in Southend parks Fighting dogs trained in Southend parks

FIGHTING dogs are being trained in at least three Southend parks where they are taught to attack trees.


The damage to trees at Churchill Gardens, Southchurch Park, and Warrior Square, seems to show evidence of the shocking practice.

 

It is feared it will also cause permenant damage to some of the trees, which could affect their lifespan.


Valerie Howells, the town’s animal warden, said: “What they tend to do is put chains around the trees and wind the dog up, trying to get the dog to jump up.


“They then hang things off them so the dog can hang on, strengethening jaw muscles, neck muscles and shoulder muscles, which is what they want when it comes to fighting.”


The chain then rips up and down the tree as the dog attacks it, ripping the bark off. But it is not always trees that dogs are trained to attack.


Anyone who sees this happening is urged to call police on 101.

Comments(30)

aduksquack says...
7:43am Wed 3 Oct 12

A story about illegally training fighting dogs. No pictures of the damage to trees so we know what to look for.

Just a picture of a dog looking a bit scary.

Original.

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Horace Wimpole says...
8:20am Wed 3 Oct 12

Anyone who sees this happening is urged to call police on 101
It's not complicated, aduksquack.

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DEBT*COLLECTOR says...
9:04am Wed 3 Oct 12

I am going to train trees to attack dogs

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SpaffSpiff84 says...
9:44am Wed 3 Oct 12

what a stupid story its just people showing off with their dogs nobody trains dogs to fight by making them hang on branches. i know loads of people that do that

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APR says...
10:33am Wed 3 Oct 12

So what's new ?

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aduksquack says...
10:34am Wed 3 Oct 12

Horace Wimpole wrote:
Anyone who sees this happening is urged to call police on 101
It's not complicated, aduksquack.
No pictures of what's happening so we know what to report.

I thought I'd written as simply as possible. Obviously not.

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alimac69 says...
12:04pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Why is there a photo of a German Shepher//alsatian when it's pit bulls and staffs that are being used to fight?

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tatersalad says...
12:13pm Wed 3 Oct 12

alimac69 wrote:
Why is there a photo of a German Shepher//alsatian when it's pit bulls and staffs that are being used to fight?
Where does it state that ?

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mr fandango says...
12:36pm Wed 3 Oct 12

alimac69 wrote:
Why is there a photo of a German Shepher//alsatian when it's pit bulls and staffs that are being used to fight?
typical i just knew this would come up ....poor old staffies branded YET AGAIN !
i have two staffies and they are great ,good mannerd dogs ,sociable ,i tend to find that the little yappers are the main culprits ,my dog has been bitten twice by these small dogs ,and mine are on the lead when out !!!
also wasnt there a park ranger some time ago saying the staffies are being trained in chalkwell park or priory park but it turned out to be other breeds ??
sorry the staffie bashing is just not right and i have to add ive never heard of a dog being chained to a tree
in this manner to learn the animal to fight !!!

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Tom from Southend says...
1:22pm Wed 3 Oct 12

mr fandango wrote:
alimac69 wrote:
Why is there a photo of a German Shepher//alsatian when it's pit bulls and staffs that are being used to fight?
typical i just knew this would come up ....poor old staffies branded YET AGAIN !
i have two staffies and they are great ,good mannerd dogs ,sociable ,i tend to find that the little yappers are the main culprits ,my dog has been bitten twice by these small dogs ,and mine are on the lead when out !!!
also wasnt there a park ranger some time ago saying the staffies are being trained in chalkwell park or priory park but it turned out to be other breeds ??
sorry the staffie bashing is just not right and i have to add ive never heard of a dog being chained to a tree
in this manner to learn the animal to fight !!!
Mr Fandango....Here we go again. Staffies are dangerous dogs. Most stories of attacks involve dangerous staffie dogs. Stupid dogs pulling along even more stupid owners. They are intimidating dogs especially when my young lad is face level with them along the street or outside shops, in parks, on the beach etc. Think of others why dont you before bringing your intimidating hobby into our public spaces.

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alimac69 says...
2:43pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I'm not saying staffies are horrible dogs but staffies ARE being trained and used for fighting in Southend. Dogs are made to hang from trees as they're made to run on treadmills so they're the stronger, fitter dogs. There is a criminal underbelly in Southend you obviously know nothing about Tom. Just because you've not heard about it doesn't mean it's not happening.

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aduksquack says...
3:01pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Tom from Southend wrote:
mr fandango wrote:
alimac69 wrote:
Why is there a photo of a German Shepher//alsatian when it's pit bulls and staffs that are being used to fight?
typical i just knew this would come up ....poor old staffies branded YET AGAIN !
i have two staffies and they are great ,good mannerd dogs ,sociable ,i tend to find that the little yappers are the main culprits ,my dog has been bitten twice by these small dogs ,and mine are on the lead when out !!!
also wasnt there a park ranger some time ago saying the staffies are being trained in chalkwell park or priory park but it turned out to be other breeds ??
sorry the staffie bashing is just not right and i have to add ive never heard of a dog being chained to a tree
in this manner to learn the animal to fight !!!
Mr Fandango....Here we go again. Staffies are dangerous dogs. Most stories of attacks involve dangerous staffie dogs. Stupid dogs pulling along even more stupid owners. They are intimidating dogs especially when my young lad is face level with them along the street or outside shops, in parks, on the beach etc. Think of others why dont you before bringing your intimidating hobby into our public spaces.
Absolute rubbish. No dog is dangerous until it has been made dangerous by an irresponsible owner.

Deed, not breed.

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SpaffSpiff84 says...
3:27pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Tom from southend you are a complete idiot. Dogs behave how they have been taught to behave. Most attacks involve staffs because most idiots choose staffs. Historically staffs & pitbulls were known for being better with kids than most breeds, they were never considered dangerous before they were wound-up by chavs. If you find them intimidating then i suggest you grow a pair

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APR says...
3:34pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Of course any dog can give a bite, but with some dogs, especially those which have been bred for hunting, you never know when they will revert to type.
Even those lovely dogs which are so good with children. You can never trust them 100%.

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APR says...
3:37pm Wed 3 Oct 12

The rule of thumb should be.

Nobody should own, or be in charge of a dog which they can't control if it gets into fighting mode. It's as bad as carrying a loaded gun or a knife.

No matter how good an owner you think you are

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Tom from Southend says...
4:29pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Here we go again. Yes of course some of it is in the upbringing but what about a muzzle ? Look at Staff attack stats. Just under 40% are by this breed. They are bred for fighting. As owners cannot seem capable of muzzling them then they should be eradicated. I cannot understand the mindset of why people have this trophy dog, you want to look big and tough eh. Here we go again....

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aduksquack says...
5:26pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Tom from Southend wrote:
Here we go again. Yes of course some of it is in the upbringing but what about a muzzle ? Look at Staff attack stats. Just under 40% are by this breed. They are bred for fighting. As owners cannot seem capable of muzzling them then they should be eradicated. I cannot understand the mindset of why people have this trophy dog, you want to look big and tough eh. Here we go again....
Where did you get that 40% figure from?

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mr fandango says...
6:05pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Tom from Southend wrote:
Here we go again. Yes of course some of it is in the upbringing but what about a muzzle ? Look at Staff attack stats. Just under 40% are by this breed. They are bred for fighting. As owners cannot seem capable of muzzling them then they should be eradicated. I cannot understand the mindset of why people have this trophy dog, you want to look big and tough eh. Here we go again....
exactly tom ...here we go again ...another miss guided idiot like your self makeing huge assumptions about a breed of dog that you plainly know nothing about ,my two are not trophy dogs far from it im afraid tom there great with other animals and great with children aswell and in no way at all menacing to anyone ! so realy as has been said tom if you do find them in any way menacing then if i wer you id simply go and grow some .
you speak of muzzels ,perhaps before you spout the tat that comes from you mouth you may wish to consider wearing one yourself untill you have the faintest clue as to what your on about as wearing one may help a little in NOT making yourself look such a ****

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SpaffSpiff84 says...
7:11pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Even if it was 40% the figure is totally irrelevant, when was the last time a staff that wasn't owned by an irresponsible owner attacked anybody? It's always a thug who has mistreated it. The dogs have been living side-by-side with humans for hundreds of years and proved themselves to be nothing but loyal, friendly, obedient dogs, known specifically for how great they are with humans, just because some have been abused over the last 20 years by idiots does not make an entire breed dangerous. There are hundreds of thousands of staffs in the UK that never attack anybody. You sound like the one who should be eradicated. As for "revert to type" all dogs are "type" - willing to do what they are told to please their masters, they just arent taught the same things anymore, they weren't bred to attack humans so there's no reason why a dog would ever think to do so unless it was taught it was ok, they will do whatever you teach them to do. Its like banning knives because some people choose to stab people with them.

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SpaffSpiff84 says...
7:15pm Wed 3 Oct 12

"RSPCA chief vet Mark Evans said:
"Staffies have had a terrible
press, but this is not of their own
making - in fact they're
wonderful dogs. If people think
that Staffies have problems,
they're looking at the wrong end
of the dog lead! When well cared
for and properly trained they can
make brilliant companions. Our
experience suggests that
problems occur when bad
owners exploit the Staffie's
desire to please by training them
to show aggression." i'd rather take the word of the RSPCA that a moron

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SpaffSpiff84 says...
9:01pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Also why would somebody taking part in such a covert operation as dog fighting then advertise it by making it hang on trees in a park? So they can find the place to breed them, treadmills & swim-tanks, places to fight them but then have to take it to a public park to strengthen its bite? Dont be stupid

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Alice in Her Own Land :P says...
9:26pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Bring back Park Keepers! Criminal damage and the like wouldn't happen if there was someone on the ground patrolling the parks. Calling 101 wouldn't help - the culprits would be long gone before any Police appeared. Give the parks back to the people.

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beppo1 says...
10:36pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Could cause damage and shortened lifespan to trees! Typical that trees should be the most important!

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Shoot Ferals says...
4:47am Thu 4 Oct 12

Quite a lot of people rightly or wrongly think that dog fighting is "bad", just as carrying knives and guns could be concieved as being "bad" neither of the issues are the fault of the dog, knife, gun, merely it is us the humans that cause the issue. Tradionally yes staffies, pit bulls and other breeds labeled as molosser types fought; its because a trait is breed into them, it doesn't mean that they are going to rip out somebody heart at a drop of a hat, mearly they can if they wanted to. Sometimes i wonder what we would do if a Jack russell terrier was scaled upto the size of a bull mastiff do you think we would only see them in zoo's. Bottom line is f*wit owner, f*wit dog, seems to be a lot of f*wits in S.O.S nowdays! P.S i've never owned a staffy, or pit bull, I've known a few, I've only ever owned G.S.D's, Fox Terriers and Kelpies

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InTheKnowOk says...
9:48am Thu 4 Oct 12

Alice in Her Own Land :P wrote:
Bring back Park Keepers! Criminal damage and the like wouldn't happen if there was someone on the ground patrolling the parks. Calling 101 wouldn't help - the culprits would be long gone before any Police appeared. Give the parks back to the people.
Nice idea but in this day and age the Park Keeper would be at risk and would need someone patrolling him !

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Soouthchurch59 says...
10:14am Thu 4 Oct 12

Chain the owners to the tree and allow 'little old ladies that love Labradors' - throw their poop-bags at them!

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Soouthchurch59 says...
10:15am Thu 4 Oct 12

...to throw

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shoebury52 says...
12:39pm Thu 4 Oct 12

alimac69 wrote:
I'm not saying staffies are horrible dogs but staffies ARE being trained and used for fighting in Southend. Dogs are made to hang from trees as they're made to run on treadmills so they're the stronger, fitter dogs. There is a criminal underbelly in Southend you obviously know nothing about Tom. Just because you've not heard about it doesn't mean it's not happening.
Well if you no so much about it why do you not report it. These dogs be it a staffie or a pug will end up causing harm to a child or adult at some point. Here's hoping its the one training them.

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muffindamule says...
9:14pm Mon 8 Oct 12

I've had dogs wrap themselves around my legs on many occasions. I don't think they were training for a fight though.

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I love Essex says...
9:23pm Mon 8 Oct 12

alimac69 wrote:
I'm not saying staffies are horrible dogs but staffies ARE being trained and used for fighting in Southend. Dogs are made to hang from trees as they're made to run on treadmills so they're the stronger, fitter dogs. There is a criminal underbelly in Southend you obviously know nothing about Tom. Just because you've not heard about it doesn't mean it's not happening.
Agree totally. But I own a GSD who has been accepted for temperament as a SAR dog, we start training end of this month, but we are avoided like the plague on walks because of breed. My dog has been attacked several times ( two in vets) by beagles, retrievers and labradors, plus every single smaller breed going.... I can't even walk my son with us as other dogs are too dodgy. My attitude, same as yours, if your dog can't 'leave' on command then do something about it! Plus pick up poo....I'm always carrying s@@t in a bag and have met very few that do...sorry ...rant over... ( two tree island) just pick it up!

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