Battersea issues Dangerous Dogs Act statement

Well put...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3706135/Dangerous-Dogs-Act-flawed-Battersea-home-report-warns.html

Gosh, doesn't time fly. 25 years of the Dangerous Dogs Act! But when I think back I remember that I was scared that Dobermanns would be put on the list as I had a Dobie (the "devil dog" of the day) at the time, and she died about 2002, so I guess it must be true.

I do so agree (even though none of the dogs on the list appeal to me personally at all and I wouldn't volunteer to own one even if they weren't banned) that each dog should be judged on its merits. It used to be said that each dog was allowed one bite (bite of a human, that is) before it was judged as dangerous (and presumably dealt with accordingly afterwards). At least this allowed a dog of whatever breed or looks to exist peacefully until it had proved itself to be dangerous to humans.

Personally, in my (long) life I have only ever been bitten aggressively and with intent by a dog once. And that was a Dobermann at (ironically) a Dobermann training class. And that dog had apparently been "rescued" from being a guard dog at a Sheik's mansion not far from my local area, which might explain his sudden loss of bite control.

It's such a difficult subject as no-one should be hurt, maimed or killed by "man's best friend". But stereo-typing dogs by their looks isn't the answer.

No, the breeds on the list don't appeal to me, either. I remember when the BSL was passed, I was partly glad of it. I had little knowledge of the banned breeds, but had come across several pitbulls - all of whom were out of control, one of them attacked Bandit & I ended up getting bitten!

There had also been several well publicised attacks by pitbulls on humans, some of which were children. People were, quite rightly, concerned that nothing was being done to stop this. But the BSL itself was a knee-jerk reaction by the government & was flawed from the start.

Tbh, I don't think I've ever come across a genuine pitbull. I remember once stroking a sweet little puppy whose owner (a teenage boy) proudly told me that he was a pitbull, but I didn't believe it then and as I have never seen it again don't know what it grew up like.

There is a brownish/greyish/sandyish last-year's puppy I see sometimes who has grown VERY tall and long, he dwarfs Kuchar who is quite a long-legged Staffie himself (I'm pretty sure Kuchar's mum was an American Staffy, or Staffy cross of some sort). Anyway, our local Mouth Almighty (who I've mentioned before - he's the one who hit Kuchar across the head) has gone round telling everyone that this dog is a pitbull. But I don't believe he is - for one thing his eyes, although worryingly pale, are too big. And his owner is an inoffensive middle-aged man.

So I'm not a great expert on pitbulls; and as for the other dogs on the list I'd never heard of them until that list came out.

So sad to see Battersea being demonised at the moment for complying with the law, and having the bravery to highlight the plight of so many of these 'dogs of type' with perfect temperaments that are unable to be rehomed because of how they look

Unfortunately, people seem to think that rescue centres are able to go above and beyond the law. They didn't create The DDA, but they are bound by law to uphold it.

Exactly - they literally have no choice!