Such a sad tale , and I feel genuine pity for the family involved .Unfortunately these breeds of dog are becoming very popular as a status symbol among the chav fraternity , and thus such events are becoming more commonplace . There really is no need for such type of dog to be kept as a family pet . I wouldn't trust one with my kids . In fact I recently disposed of our Lhasa Apso , Tinkerbell ( AKA rat dog), because she bit my 5 yr old daughter . Dogs of any size can be dangerous , but breeds such as bull terriers can be lethally so .What kind of an eejit lets one run loose unmuzzled in a park ?

I don't need to do that - I just walk in the door every evening at 6pm and get the message every time.

I bought one of those for our German Shepherd, he only pulls on the lead when we're heading back for home or the car (christ knows how he knows), but he weighs in at just under 40kg and is a big lad so when he pulls on the lead its bloody exhausting for me, I bought a Halti to use and yes it does the trick but causes him so much distress that I don't use it anymore, as a rescue dog he already has issues with abandonment and I don't want to screw around with the trust that we've managed to build up with him by punishing him when out walking.

Suppose it's whatever floats your boat.
I could quite easily live in a dog free world.

The only one's I've ever personally come into contact with are one that bit me when I was younger.
One that my flat neighbour had years ago that barked incessantly when he was left alone..... And another that used to go fooking barmy every time I used to attempt to get frisky with it's owner.

They aint for me I'm afraid.

My Springer although not the biggest of dogs (25kg), is very barrel chested and is very muscular up front. He really pulls when approaching any area he knows is for running around on. I tried a similar lead to a halti on him and it worked like a treat, but the poor little bugger was rigid with fear when i put it on him. It robbed him of all his enthusiasm and instead he began to plod along beside me, totally uninterested and looking quite uncomfortable.

The worst thing about the lead was that it really affected his recall when on the field. He knew that if he returned to me, there was a fair chance that i would be sticking the dreaded lead back on him. Instead he used to scarper and i would end up chasing him round the field Benny hill style.

I stopped using it after about a month or so, but it took a while to get his trust back. His recall now is fantastic, which is essential bearing in mind that Springer's are not the type of dog who will happily walk along side its owner gently enjoying the surrounding nature. Instead he prefers to banzai through every bush, puddle or pond within a 200 yard area.

He is from a line of "out runner" working spaniels, and apparently there job was not to flush, but to go long range and retrieve . I am more than happy to let him roam up to 300 yards away, so long as his recall is instant. The Halti style lead caused more problems than it was worth.

I use a version of the halti called the Dogmatic. It looks more like a horses head collar than a normal Halti. I have to use them though because having arthritis is my hands and wrists and can't have them pulling me. No matter how hard and efficient you train the recall, as soon as my two see a squirrel/cat/rabbit they would be off throwing me to the ground.

I use them when we come off our field onto the road and down the old railway line where there are plenty of squirrells. All the other times they are either off lead or on extending lead.

At the end of the day, it wouldn't be my first choice of tool to use continuously, only as a training aid, but in my case I either use the head collars and we can all go out for a walk safely or I don't take them out at all.