The Dangerous Dog Act

Under the original 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act the list of banned breeds or so called 'dangerous breeds' was as follows:

Pitbull

Japanese Tosa

• Any Dog known as a Pitbull type
• Japanese Tosa
• Any dog known to be bred for fighting, or having the appearance of having been bred for fighting.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was then amended in August 1991 to include additional breeds of “dangerous dogs”.  Under the amendment the following dog breeds were added:

• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro

Fila Brasileiro

Dogo Argentino

and under this act a judge had no option but to order the destruction of the dog if there were grounds to do so.  However due to the judiciary system this had to be amended in 1997 to say that it mainly centers on dog destruction orders.

However surely any case should be judged on the deed rather than the breed.
As what do we class as a dangerous dog? All dogs can bite.  So technically ALL dogs are dangerous.

No domesticated dog breed is inherently vicious.  The single biggest factor that makes a dog aggressive is the training it receives.

I feel the problem with this Act is that even after all of these breeds have been destroyed.  People who train dogs to be aggressive and fight will just turn to different breeds, such as the Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds and many more and they to will be added to the list and many more innocent pets who belong to responsible pet owners will be destroyed through no fault of their own or their owners. As RSPCA veterinary surgeon Mark Evans says:

“Staffies have had a terrible press, but this is not of their own making, in fact they are wonderful dogs. If people think that Staffies have problems, they are 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.”

The problem of dangerous dogs remains with the irresponsible dog owners and not the dogs themselves.
Animal attacks can also be reduced in the first place by:

•  not leaving children alone with animals. NO MATTER HOW SAFE YOU THINK THE ANIMAL IS.  This is the main cause of animal attacks. 

• Do not reward an animal for showing any kind of aggressive behaviour. 

I feel that the law should judge by the deed rather than the breed and address the problems created by irresponsible dog owners rather than the breed of the dog because there is no breed of dangerous dog, just irresponsible and dangerous owners.