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DNB response to Dublin Council Dog Ban |
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Friday, 13 July 2007 |
News of the proposed ban by Dublin City Council of 11 breeds of dogs from all Council properties is yet another example of politicians reacting with undue haste, and not enough thought.
Breed specific legislation and/or breed bans do not deal with problems of aggressive dogs. In the majority of cases aggression is a learned behaviour brought on by improper training, pain, fear or other environmental factors. Breed specific bans work on the assumption that all dogs of a particular breed or breed type are dangerous. This is not based on any scientific fact and is a fundamentally flawed view.
Banning specified breeds makes politicians feel like they are doing something, but by introducing draconian measures such as those suggested by Dublin City Council all they will achieve is the death or abandonment of thousands of family pets.
Those criminals and bad owners who raise dogs to be aggressive should be targeted. Instead the City council has engaged in the worst kind of stereotyping of the working class of Dublin by banning family pets of the council tenants.
Deed Not Breed fully support the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) in their opposition to this insane bye-law. This kind of regulation should fill UK dog owners with dread. If these rules applied in the UK hundreds of thousands of family pets would be effectively outlawed. Owners of breeds that are winners at Crufts & police and armed forces dogs would be categorised as dangerous and heavily restricted. Of the eleven breeds listed 8 are UK Kennel Club approved show breeds and one (the Staffordshire Bull Terrier) is highly recommended as a family pet!
Clearly Dublin City Council have not fully engaged their brains in this matter – a little consultation with experts would have shown them that this is ridiculous and will only result in thousands of dogs dying – without ensuring that even one child is safer. |
