Friend or foe?

It happened in a shared yard behind his Carlisle home. 

It was 11.20am, and Liam, 23, had been in upstairs in his bed after a night shift at the local factory where he worked. Without warning, family friend Katie Raphael burst into the room, clearly distressed. 

“They've got him!” she yelled. Waking up, Liam realised Buddy was howling outside. It was only after he dashed down the stairs and out of the house that he realised how bad it was. 

Arriving in the yard, he was confronted by a bloody and terrifying scene: his neighbour's two pit-bull type dogs were attacking Buddy. 

One was savaging his hind quarters, while the other – a dog called Ripper – had its jaws locked on the husky's throat. 

The terrier was shaking its head violently. 

Acting on instinct, Liam waded in, grabbing Ripper's jaws as he fought to prise them apart. 

At the same time, a neighbour punched and kicked the terriers; threw water on them – and even whacked one with a length of wood. 

It had no effect. Yet somehow, against the odds, they got the dogs off Buddy. By then, the husky was covered with puncture wounds, its fur was matted with fresh blood. 

The husky was so badly bitten vets give him a 50/50 chance of survival. Only later did Liam realise he too had been bitten - on the arm. 

As he and a neighbour restrained the terriers, Liam's then partner Francesca Jardine, 20, scooped up Buddy and carried him into the kitchen of their Charles Street home where their two-year-old daughter was playing. 

Francesca only just managed to slam the door shut as one of the terriers charged towards it, intent on continuing the attack. 

Speaking at the time, Liam said: “They were totally out of control and vicious. We had to let go of Ripper and Stone [the second dog] and they instantly turned on each other. 

They were ripping each other to bits. 

“It was absolutely horrific.” 

The attack last year starkly underlined the potential danger of pit bull type dogs – particularly when excited to the point of frenzy. "I've never seen a dog like that - they were brutal," said Liam yesterday.

No final analysis of the tragedy at Cleator Moor over the weekend has yet been done, but the key facts seem to be clear. Stephen Hodgson, a much loved 45-year-old father-of-three, was the proud and caring owner of Buster, a Staffordshire pit bull cross. 

He was the dog's second owner. 

The family also have three other dogs – including two Staffordshire pit bull crosses. Stephen, who suffered from epilepsy, was watching TV with his daughters Jade, 19, and Carla, 16, when he became ill, falling off the bed.

Stephen Hodgson

Because Buster was barking and excited, Jade took him out of the house so that she and Carla could help Stephen but somehow the dog got back in. 

It ran up the stairs, and back into the bedroom. 

Then it went for Stephen. 

Despite the desperate efforts of his daughters to get the dog off him, Buster savaged Stephen's throat, leaving him with horrific injuries. 

Carla and Jade courageously dragged the dog out of the room, shutting it out. 

When police arrived, they were so concerned that they tasered Buster before a vet arrived and put him to sleep. Speaking after their father's death, his daughters defended Buster, saying he was not usually aggressive. 

Something “freaked the dog out,” they suggested. 

One Cumbrian with more experience of bull terrier type dogs than most is former police officer Martin Gleadow, 59, now a professional dog behaviourist whose clients include Wetheral Animals Refuge near Carlisle. 

“People should never forget a dog's genetics – the qualities that a particular dog was bred for by human beings,” said Martin. 

Stressing that he had no knowledge of the dog that killed Stephen Hodgson, he said: “You have to exercise particular caution with this type of dog because they were bred to guard their master and his purse; or for dog fighting and bull baiting. 

“That type of dog should not be encouraged to the front. 

“A lot of people bring them up as their friends, so that they can start to take control of a family, or get into a position of strength. That's when it can go wrong because they start making decisions – who comes in, who doesn't. 

“And when a dog is in a position of strength they hunt out weakness.” 

Yet being a pit bull type dog does not ordain a dog's character as aggressive, he said. 

What the law says about dangerous dogs

The Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 banned ownership and the sale of our specific dog breeds.

They are The Pit Bull Terrier Japanese Tosa Dogo Argentino Fila Brasiliero The Act also covers cross breeds of the above four types of dog.

But the RSPCA has argued that there is no evidence to support the notion that some breeds or types of dog are, by their nature, more dangerous than others.

The charity argues that dogs whose behaviour poses no risk are branded 'dangerous' as a result. Thus the RSPCA wants an end to breed specific legistation.

It’s also against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, whether this is in a public place, or on privately owned property. This applies to all dogs.

Even with its potential for aggression in mind, most owners can with proper training control their pet by adopting “firm but fair” discipline. 

In around 60 per cent of aggressive episodes, said Martin, the trigger is fear. 

Worryingly, in other cases, the source or the trigger for aggression may be hidden – linked to a past experience that the new owner is oblivious to. 

“Sometimes, you don't know what you're getting,” said Martin. 

“A lot of them are not out and out biters, and they make good family pets. It's a minority that are a problem.” 

Janet Ardley, 51, is a professional dog trainer who lives near Penrith. 

She too emphasised the importance of knowing a dog's genetic heritage. 

“I've had clients who were told they were not allowed to meet their dog's mother because she was too aggressive,” said Janet. 

She too does her best to pinpoint what may trigger aggression in a particular dog, and like Martin she said fear is often the key. Eliminate the cause and you stand a chance of addressing the problem. 

“But when there's no provocation, when there's no warning, that's when you have to start drawing a line,” said Janet. 

“If there's nothing to work with then you have to look at the potential impact on other people. 

“When you can't trust a dog, that's when it's not safe to have around.” 

Janet has herself experienced a dog's unprovoked aggression. 

She was asked to train a large Japanese Akita fighting dog. “It had me pinned down in a ditch, and fortunately it was winter time, and I had my winter layers on, but it still managed to break the skin on my left arm,” she said. 

“All I'd done was ask it to sit. “It was terrifying. 

“Some people say every dog deserves a chance, but I suppose my usual rule of thumb is that if there's no provocation, then that's a danger. Some behaviours, you can work through, and get to the bottom of. 

“But if you have an unpredictable dog in public, and it bites a child, you've had it.” Janet warned about some owners who see their pet as a “fur baby”, which can allow a dog to dominate. 

“All dogs need training,” she said “and that training should start as soon as the puppy comes home, no matter what the breed. 

“You have to bond with it, and get the puppy to know that you are its world, make eye contact. You have to get the puppy to want to be with you for the fun, the games, and the treats. 

“But with these sorts of breeds [pit bull type dogs] owners need to have a very clear set of boundaries that don't waver. The dog needs to know who's in charge.”