The Dangerous Dogs Act Debacle - what is The Dangerous Dogs Act Review?
The Dangerous Dogs Act is a UK legislation introduced in 1991 (then reviewed in 1997 by a group of equally Prehistoric, histrionic officials) in response to a number of incidents of serious injury and death as a result of dog attacks. The dogs were identified as being uncontrolled and “aggressive” and the attacks were mainly on children. It is widely believed that the Act was a knee-jerk reaction in response to heavy media attention and public pressure, resulting in widespread public concern over the keeping of the so-called “dangerous” breeds that had been involved in the reported attacks.
This means that dogs classified under the Act as “dangerous” (which include Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro), must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public, registered and insured, neutered, tattooed and microchipped. What a life. The Act also bans the breeding and sale of these dogs. All of this, despite the fact that globally, more dog bites involve Labradors than any other breed and Pit Bull Terriers are an extremely common breed in the USA. Perhaps the “dangerous” Pit Bull Terrier gene couldn’t swim as far as the USA and they were lucky?…
Confusion often arises because the Act covers cross-breeds of the above dogs, being classified as a “type” of dog rather than an actual breed: IE “it was a Fila Brasileiro type dog”. Pit Bulls have a particularly bad name, which is a shame as they, like any dog, can make excellent pets if socialised and trained as a puppy. Equally they, like any dog, can make particularly dangerous companions because of a lack of socialisation, training… and the presence of teeth. The Act defines that there are only 5 types of dangerous dog which should be banned, despite the presence of perfectly normal Pit Bulls in other countries, which I imagine is a little grating for those that have been attacked by other breeds such a Collies.
The problem surrounding the Act is that many dogs are bred, raised and trained to fight and act as status symbols by being aggressive. As a professional dog trainer, I am capable of teaching any dog to behave in an aggressive manner - not that I do: just like humans, dogs will only be pushed so far. As my mentor says: “humans, dogs and horses are the three most commonly abused species in the history of mankind”.
This is key, because what we actually need is not a review of breeds or types but ore action on the prevention of attacks, understanding that it is by training dogs and socialising them early that we can produce dogs that like and get on with dogs and people. The answer is in education.
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Posted in Jez's advice on anything dog, The National Responsible Dog Owners Campaign by admin
