I understand the concern of vicious dogs. My sister-in-law is a specialty surgeon who is called in frequently to reconstruct and repair the faces of children who have been savaged. However, It is entirely ridiculous to have Big State get so up front and personal, intrusive perhaps? It is well known some breeds are more prone to violence than others because it has been bred into them just as others have been for love of pulling, running, herding, etc. Let those breeds be the ones that carry the extra work and cost.
I can already hear the pitbull and rottie fans screaming for my head! "But my rottie is so gentle around our babies!" Shrugs. My sister in law's work in this field has dropped considerably since the law became involved so there is something to be said for that approach.
Or perhaps zero tolerance for an attack dog on humans. Added to heavy fines or cost of treatment if necessary would stop that nonsense. Of course the testing IS another good cash grab and could be stepped up in the future to make dog ownership an offense in the future.
Think about it.
MAILONLINE
By Jonathon Petrie
February 27, 2010
The vast majority of dogs who bite belong to the victim’s family or friends. Contrary to what you’ve read in the news, most dog bites come where and when we least expect them. From good dogs. In our own homes.
People who report dog bites often say that the bite was ‘completely unexpected’. When they describe the dog that bit them (or their child or their friend) the first thing they’ll do is tell you what a great dog he is.Owners of all breeds would also have to buy third-party insurance in case their pet attacked someone, and pay for the insertion of a microchip in their animal recording their name and address.
Mrs. Bibi, an 82 year old pensioner on a low fixed income should pay for her lap dog and sole companion, Millicent, who never leaves her side?
The proposals are among a range of measures to overhaul dog laws in England and Wales being considered by senior Ministers, who are expected to announce a public consultation within weeks.
But critics said responsible dog owners would be penalized by yet more red tape and higher bills ~ one expert estimated the extra costs at £60 or more ~ while irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs would just ignore the measures.
Our society seems to have forgotten that the goodness of a dog won’t stop him from biting. Responsibility on the part of the people who own and interact with him does. Even the smallest teacup poodle carries within him the genes of his ancestors,the wolf.
They added that genuine dog lovers could end up paying for efforts to control a small number of ‘devil dogs’ that terrorized socially deprived areas.
Did someone mention "devil dogs" in "deprived areas"? In Abu Ghraib, soldiers used dogs to terrify Muslims most of whom already fear dogs. Dog handlers reportedly had contests to see who could make the most prisoners urinate out of fear. Were these beasts insured?
The RSPCA said last night it would welcome a review of legislation which has failed to curb the numbers of dangerous dogs that can attack, and sometimes kill, children and adults.
Most good dogs routinely endure the following aggravations;
“The kids chased him around all the time and it never bothered him before.”
“He never used to care when we grabbed him.”
“We always encouraged him to bark at the door, we never imagined he’d actually bite someone.”
“But we didn’t know he was injured and it hurt when we touched him there.”
Our western culture endows dogs with human virtues and denies them our vices, and that twisted ideal leaves us with good dogs that unexpectedly do bad things. People love their dogs for the good things they do and excuse them for the not-so-good. This gives them a false sense of security and leads to a lack of supervision and training.
But a spokesman for the charity added: ‘We would not support anything that would hit sensible owners while failing to police those who are a danger.’
A government source said the proposals, contained in a confidential document headed Consultation On Dangerous Dogs, have been drawn up by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra).
They follow mounting public concern about the spate of serious injuries and deaths inflicted by dogs.
It is the owners, not the dogs at fault of course. Have a zero tolerance attitude put into place. Unless the dog is protecting its home from attackers or such things, fine the owner heavily, put the beast down, and they will learn responsibility quickly. Why should all be punished on behalf of the few?
Police figures show an increase in the number of ‘status’ dogs used to intimidate or threaten others. According to the last available figures, there were 703 convictions for dangerously out of control dogs in 2007 ~ up from 547 in 2004.
Under the proposals, would-be owners would have to show they had a basic understanding of their dogs before being allowed to keep one.
The document says: ‘There have been suggestions for a competency test for all or some dog owners, akin to the driving theory test.’
But the document admits the cost of setting up such a scheme to cover Britain’s six million dog owners ‘is likely to be prohibitive’, and would have to be met by either charging for the test or by imposing a dog licence fee. Moreover, the officials concede that there were disagreements over what would constitute competence in looking after and controlling a dog.
Taking the lead: The proposals are among a range of measures to overhaul dog laws
Third-party insurance would be less contentious, as owners of certain breeds of dogs are already required to take out such cover.
After showing flagrant disregard for the trees who died to make tp, Mitzi was threatened with being hauled up before the "Master was not Competent" court. She learned her lesson.
It is also included in the pet insurance taken out by owners to cover unforeseen vets’ bills and it can be bought for a little as £5, though it will be more expensive for larger and more powerful breeds.
In addition, many owners have had microchips implanted in the necks of their dogs ~ a process that costs about £30.
Other proposals due to be floated by the Government include giving the police and local authorities the power to impose Asbos on the owners of unruly dogs, and extending the law to cover attacks everywhere.
At the moment, dogs which attack people on private property where they are allowed to be are exempt from the law, despite the complaints from injured postmen.
There are also plans to boost the enforcement powers of police, the courts and local authorities.
AGAIN?!!! DON'T THEY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH ALREADY?
As part of the proposed overhaul, all dog laws, including the Dangerous Dog Act 1991, often cited as an example of poorly drawn-up ‘knee jerk’ legislation, could be incorporated into a single law.
An RSPCA spokesman said: ‘We welcome a review but the problem is that while responsible owners will abide by the rules, inevitably you are going to get a fraternity that does not. There are always people who will buy a dog from their mate in a pub and won’t tell the authorities.
Can you imagine a criminal going in for testing because he keeps a few dogs honed and on edge constantly to commit robbery? Or the chap who has the illegal dog fight business?
‘So the danger is that sensible owners will be out of pocket while irresponsible dog owners will ignore any new rules unless the policing of them is rigorous.’
He said, for example, that while the RSPCA encouraged the use of microchips, the system relied on owners keeping the information up to date.
‘It is no good finding an aggressive dog roaming the streets, perhaps having attacked someone, and going to the address on the microchip to find that the owner hasn’t lived there for years,’ he said.
Reality Bite: "This was a pretty frightening scene in Mumbai ~ the biggest pack of street dogs I have seen gathered at the abattoir eating offal left on the ground. I felt pretty threatened as there were about 50 big healthy mean looking dogs!"~ photographer Devocean
The Kennel Club said that it was in favour of measures to promote responsible dog ownership, but that the competence tests sounded impractical.
A spokesman for Defra said: ‘We do not comment on leaked documents.
When I got my first dog, I considered her as a child. And over the course of training her to be an obedient trustworthy companion, I used the same techniques that I ended up using on my children when they were very young.
Consistency on EVERYTHING. If you want the dog to learn to sit at curbs instead of running into the street, you cannot let one instance go by or the dog figures the rule does not hold.
The same applies to children. Common sense, consistency, patience, rewards of affection and the occasional tasty treat, all of these things work well for both. Although the advantage of a dog is they do not grow up to be teenagers and.. bonus... they housetrain much more quickly!
IN REALITY,
COMMON SENSE IS ALL IT TAKES WITH OUR BEST FRIENDS
How to keep a good dog from going bad:
Supervise ALL interactions between preschool children and dogs.
Teach children to respect dogs. Set aside a ‘time out’ location (like a crate or laundry room) that the dog can go to when it doesn’t want to be with the kids.
Enforce a ‘leave the dog alone’ rule when the dog is there.
Don’t allow children to tease or harass the dog and discourage rough play.
Obey leash laws. Keep your dog safely in your home, on your property or under your supervision at all times.
Pay attention to your dog’s health. If he seems crabby or lethargic, take him in for a checkup even if nothing obvious is wrong with him.
Don’t force your dog to accept the attention of strangers (including the four-legged ones). Not all dogs are social butterflies. You don’t let every person you meet hug you or paw at you ~ why should your dog?
Train your dog. Training creates a common language and strengthens the bond between you and your dog. It does NOT turn a dog into a mindless robot.
Just as with children, rules and boundaries create predictability in a dog’s world. Predictability reduces anxiety, and reducing anxiety decreases aggression.
Don’t let your dog fence fight. Don’t let him lunge and bark at people or dogs when you go for a walk.
Don’t let him charge the door, windows or gate when visitors approach. When your dog does these things he’s not protecting you, he’s expressing his own insecurity.
ANYTHING TO KEEP BIG STATE
FROM FURTHER INTERFERING
IN OUR LIVES, PEOPLE!!
A killer whale in captivity just killed its third human victim. They aren't going to do anything about the animal, because they say that would be cruelty to animals. It was a trainer with vast experience and was not in any way harming or threatening the animal. (How do you threaten a killer whale anyway???) It used to be that the Biblical injunction to kill any animal that harmed a person was the law. In simple terms, if the animal attacked anyone, the animal was put down. It worked fine, for whatever reasons are known to God, animals in those circumstances (this was in past decades well proven in Africa, especially) develop a fear of ever attacking a person. How the death of one animal communicates that to another doesn't matter, the fact is it does.
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