Swedes in new push to curb dog-on-dog violence
Published: 13 Jul 12 11:06 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41998/20120713/
A group in Sweden wants to put a stop to all involuntary dog encounters after Hubbe the Border Terrier was mauled to death by two rogue dogs in an “unplanned meeting”.
- LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill (17 May 13)
- Swedish man mauled in brutal bear attack (14 May 13)
- Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study (14 May 13)
"There's nothing wrong with letting dogs run loose (if there isn't any requirement for a leash), but to not call them ahead of a meeting and take responsibility and have control over one's dog is irresponsible and betrays a lack of respect," the group writes on its Facebook page.
After an official website was launched and a petition started, the group has slowly been gaining popularity in their hopes of preventing unleashed dogs from coming into contact with one another.
“The tragic background is really what happened on Saturday, July 2nd when Hubbe the Border Terrier took his last walk,” said Maria Nilsson, head of the group to the Nyheter24 website.
“Hubbe’s owner tied him up and walked away just like many times before, but life was never the same afterwards,” she said, adding that Hubbe was then attacked by two unleashed bigger dogs, causing injuries which ultimately proved fatal.
The group has worked with mapping dog attacks in Sweden that have occurred since 2006, statistics they claim are not recorded properly.
The map includes the locations of the attacks, as well as details of each attack.
“The work with the map has been sluggish, but I’m hopeful that we’ll get more information,” she told the website, adding that all dog encounters should be planned, not unplanned.
The group is selling the fruits of their labours, stickers with dog attack maps, for 55 kronor each ($7.80) through their website.
“And we’re serious, we’re not going to give up, tire, or back down from the discussions,” Nilsson told the website.
The Local/og
twitter.com/thelocalsweden
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots
Seven people were arrested on Tuesday following the Husby riots in northern Stockholm, with Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt warning that the unrest may continue. READ () »
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'
Internet policy experts gather in Stockholm this week to grapple with online data protection and surveillance issues that everyone who surfs the web should care about, reports technologist Stefan Geens. READ () »
'Swedishness must be split from being white'
Sweden needs a new story better equipped to deal with and include today's demographic diversity and create a new Swedishness that is separate from whiteness, write representatives from the Multicultural Centre in Botkyrka near Stockholm. READ () »
Body parts found in missing woman search
Human remains were found in a military building in northern Sweden on Monday night during the search for a 20-year-old woman who has been missing for two weeks. READ () »
The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm
Unable to find good Mexican food after moving to Stockholm to study in 2008, Monterrey native David Licona now finds himself running La Neta, one of the most popular Mexican eateries in the Swedish capital. The Local finds out more. READ () »
Defamation charges for Instagram 'slut-shaming'
Two Swedish teenage girls were officially charged with defamation on Tuesday for their involvement in the "slut-shaming" Instagram account that saw enraged teens in Gothenburg lay siege to two high schools last year. READ () »
Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map
After a caricature of a topless woman on a tourist map in western Sweden left some residents seething, a local official has promised to have the offending image removed. READ () »
Former Saab CEO arrested for tax crimes
Jan Åke Jonsson, the former CEO of Saab Automobile, and two top-level colleagues have been detained by police on suspicion of tax crimes. READ () »
- 21/05 The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm »
- 21/05 Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map »
- 21/05 'Swedishness must be split from being white' »
- 20/05 Topless Swedish beach bunny sparks outrage »
- 19/05 Royal wedding fever hits Sweden »
- 18/05 Man wounded in schoolyard shooting »
- 17/05 Danes invade Sweden for Eurovision final »
- 17/05 American 'prince' says no to Swedish citizenship »
- 16/05 Eurovision superfans swarm southern Sweden »
- 16/05 Naked Swede dresses down American Apparel »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 21/05 Far right figure kills himself at Notre Dame »
- 21/05 French ministers face grilling over tax scandal »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
- Är du vår kunds nästa tekniska
- Betting Connections Recruitment
- Medical Writer at AstraZeneca
- Patient Safety at AstraZeneca
- Product Owner, Wastewater Pumps
- Research @ Tobii ? Master's
- Senior Project manager to the Project
- Senior Technical Leader Driving Dynamics
- .Net Software Architects
- Application consultant
"A week full to the brim with LFC football…. Div 5 LFC match against Nåjdens FK has been moved. This is due to the Svenska Cupen final: 26 May, 17.00 kick off, Nationalarenan Friends Arena, Solna. Next match is on Tuesday (see below). ………………………………………………………… Friday: Div5 Ladies: Rotebro IS FF – Långholmen FC (Skinnaråsens IP) KO: 16.15 ………………………………………………………… Saturday: Vets: Långholmen FC – IFK..." READ »
- 20/5 15:25 Hockey. Hockey. Hockey. (Boston Blatte)
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 19/4 15:47 UK and Sweden sign Defence MOU (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- Är du vår kunds nästa tekniska
- Betting Connections Recruitment
- Medical Writer at AstraZeneca
- Patient Safety at AstraZeneca
- Product Owner, Wastewater Pumps
- Research @ Tobii ? Master's
- Senior Project manager to the Project
- Senior Technical Leader Driving Dynamics
- .Net Software Architects
- Application consultant
- 05:51 Relocation to Stockholm
- 04:20 Husby Riots and violence against the police...
- 22:21 Salary expectations for managing a busy bar?
- 22:18 90% of male population gay?
- 21:55 My scary encounter with Swedbank.
- 21:34 Job prospects for British GP/family doctor
- 21:15 Can you recommend an excellent immigration lawyer?
- 21:05 Living in the UK doing online work in Sweden
- 20:28 Getting a mortgage if my wage is paid overseas?
- 19:41 English people living in helsingborg
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
( Brisbane Qld ) shining example of how to properly control cretinous dog owners with their feeble attempts at building a non existent macho image with mongrel %^#^%#% fnn dogs that deserve nothing less than a bullet.
Dont get me started on its the owner not the dog, its a combination of the two.
Some dogs simply should not be bred , just like some humans shouldn't either.
I have an excellent dog that can be off leash and listen to me when I call her and she is very submissive, and knows I am the "leader". She didn't used to be this way (she used to run off and not listen) but it took months of constant training to get her here.
If your dog was attacked once then yes it is going to have problems encountering other dogs after the traumatic experience but it can still be trained and taught to not respond viciously when approaching new dogs. Don't "feel bad" for it and tell people "It is aggressive because _____." It's aggressive because you refuse to show it a proper way of dealing with situations and you gave up on it.
Also, people should socialize their dogs in packs at a young age to get them used to other dogs and dog social situations. It is very important.
What a big joke and bunch of morons who believes there shouldn't be ''leash law''
People in Scandinavia buy mastiffs and think they are 'gentle giants', so looks like they get their info from yahoo or other not very credible sources. mastiffs were war dogs and they may be soggy with people but it does not apply to ther dogs.
There was a good example of the famous 'verdensmester' mentality in Norway a week ago when a French Mastiff (Dogue de Bordeaux) got free from a yard and attacked a child playing near a kindergarden. Now, Bordeaux do not have a prey drive so probably the owner got the dog and locked it up in the yard with no socialisation. The dog grew up thinking everything outside the fence was an enemy. Indeed, spendid. I have no doubt the sentence will be lenient.
Dogs do not believe in equality but in rank. And whether you like it or not, they are likely to want to establish rank with every dog of the same sex they meet. So stop calling it 'play' when one dog gets on top of another and educate yourself. Not to mention territorial aggression which is also extremely common.
First pass a law, then teach it to all the dogs in Sweden.
When a dog ignores you, wring your hands, whine, and demand a stronger law.
This kinda defeats the purpose of an off-leash park, right?
Exactly. Your dog is to be fully controlable and have a 100% recall. Dog parks are meant for dogs to run free and exercise, not to pester other dogs.
You should call your dog and ask the other owner if they allow their dog to meet yours. If you cannot recall your dog then it should not walk free at all. Period. You can buy a long leash until it's trained.
I have two large dogs, both listen to me under all circumstances. Nevertheless, I do not let them run free in areas where there may be other aggressive and untrained dogs.
@ fakeempire
Every dog can be aggressive under certain circumstances and this is exactly why dog owners should stop being lazy and start practising recall. You do not expect your child to run up to people and steal their ice cream/candy and the same principle applies to dogs.
People in Scandinavia generally do not train the dogs. Their lack the konowledge necessary to do it but are too proud to consult a professional. They may manage to get their dog to perform a trick for a treat but the final and most important lhase of every training, the distraction phase is foreign to them. So their dogs only perform if there is nothing better to do.
Are there no "leash laws" in Sweden? Do people not train their dogs how to behave around other dogs? Do they have to have collars & proof of vaccination against rabies on at all times? You have to be very careful when introducing new dogs to one another and they should never be meeting unsupervised.
If people are walking around with their dogs unleashed, especially if they know their dog is aggressive in any way, don't they carry pepper spray or something in case they attack someone/something? Like another dog, a person or a child?
I do know this about Sweden & dog culture....where in NYC (and many other places) you get a HEFTY fine for not picking up after your dog, I have to dodge dog poops all over the sidewalks everywhere, from Malmo to Stockholm. It actually surprised me considering how much Sweden cares about separating their garbage and keeping things tidy.
There are leash laws in Scandinavia but they are not enforced in any way. Honestly, I have now a habit of calling the police every time my dogs are attacked by an off leash dog (often) but this has never ever been successful. All I hear from the police officer is 'but isn't it illegal to have a dog off leash in public?'. Then their creativity ends.
My small dog, Josie, was attacked and killed, on my property (in our garden in fact) by a rottweiler belonging to a local swede woman (her dog burst though the hedge and sadly Josie never had a chance: I couldn't force the rottweiler away with a stick)
This woman eventually called her animal away - and returned later - big smile and said 'My dog might have damaged yours, but never mind I buy you another one'!!
I went to the local police who showed no interest at all - maintaining that it was difficult to prove anything, my-word-against-the woman's (etc) and as the woman had offered to buy another dog that should settle it
Honestly, how would YOU feel..?
My sympathy for Hubbe and his family.
I'm really sorry for your loss. Sadly, this kind of attitude is not uncommon here, it kind of shows how materialistic people here can be.
It's not much different in Norway. A few months ago I was walking my dogs in the centre of Oslo when suddenly a large aggressive pointer mix approached us. One of my dogs was a puppy then (GSD) and you can imagine I was trying my best to protect it from being attacked. So was my other dog but I do not allow my dogs to settle arguments on their own, so I simply kicked off the attacker (the dog grabbed my older dog by his neck and did not intend to let go).
To my dismay the owner ran up to me and grabbed me by the neck! He was about 2m tall and approximately 100kg. Needless to say, he was just standing and smiling when his dog was attacking mine and did NOTHING to stop the attack.
I went to the police station and reported the incident (dog attack plus assault). They were not interested, even though I was in pain from the attack. They told me to write a letter to them and describe the incident. Ha! I did. About 8-10 weeks later a reply arrived: they had closed the case because they could not identify the suspect. The case was classed as 'dog law breach', not a word about the assault!
The funniest thing is that I could and can identify this man (he lives down the road from me) and the police knew it because I told them I met him every day.