Friday 15 February 2013

Dangerous dogs

We have had our share of dog issues in the village, from simple uncollected dog poo to aggressive animals in the park. That's aggressive to both humans and other dogs. 

We (the Parish Council) have massive difficulty getting anyone in authority to do something about it. The CBC dog warden will not work before 9 am and, we have been told, will not go in the Rec because it is not public property.

The public sometimes do not help themselves. If someone will not make a complaint the police, understandably, will not follow up an incident.

Dangerous dogs have been on the agenda since the 1990s after some high profile rottweiler cases. First, I'll say sorry to village rotty owners who will stress their animal is a loveable family pet. And secondly there are other unpleasant dogs around such as the Japanese towser, dogo Argentine and fila Braziliero. These will all leave a hole in the seat of your pants in certain circumstances.

But maybe its all in the breeding. George Eustice MP was on Radio 4 Today pointing out that you can breed up to five litters a year before you are 'inspected' as a professional breeder.

Five? That's a lot of dogs in potentially less than ideal circumstances.

And the House of Commons Environment Committee has published a new warning  that little is being done to deal with irresponsible owners and 100,000 strays and to strengthen prosecutions. Alarmingly the issue gets up the agenda after every high profile mauling and then sinks down. The select committee's report might be the start of significant change. We hope. 

Read the full story in The Guardian






"Since 2007 dogs have killed seven people, including five children, in private homes. More than 100,000 strays are found each year. Incidents of cruelty and neglect are rising and many dogs are out of control due to the irresponsible or deliberate actions of a minority of owners.
"The evidence we received from Defra and the home office did little to reassure us that either department is giving sufficient priority to dog control and welfare issues.
"The home office approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is too simplistic and fails to reflect the impact that poor breeding and training by irresponsible owners can have on a dog's behaviour."
Anne McIntosh chair of the Commons Environment Committee






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