The Dangerous Dogs Act bans 4 breeds; Pit Bull Terrier, Fila Brasiliero, Japanese Tosa and Dogo Argentino. The main one people see and read about is the Pit Bull.
How does the law decide if a dog is one of the 4 banned breeds? Read more to understand.
This Labrador dog was given a destruction order under the Dangerous Dogs Act after 3 bite incidents. After completing a period of residential training with us, returning to his owners who then proved that they could also reproduce the new behaviour, I gave evidence in court based on my report and we successfully had the order changed to a contingency destruction order. An important case for anyone in the same position. Updated June 2019 Continue reading
Rescue Back Up or “RBU” is a term used all over social media to indicate that a rescue is needed to step up as a back up to protect a dog that is going into foster or a home. It seems to have become a badge of glory, with rescues offering RBU in high profile cases, which is non existent come the crisis they are meant to be there for. Continue reading
Today the Dogs Trust released the results of an undercover investigation into the illegal smuggling of puppies into the UK. Film of the puppies is similar to that seen in other investigations yet the trade is increasing. A ban on 3rd party puppy sales is being pushed for by TV vet Marc Abraham and his #wheresmum campaign. Yet Dogs Trust opposed calls for a ban on 3rd party sales. Continue reading
Greater Manchester Police yesterday shot 2 dogs dead, injured a third which escaped and seized 2 dogs. All were with a man who earlier had the dogs off lead in a park and there is short clip of them running at people outside a cafe, some barking and biting a woman and a man. It isn’t clear how bad the injuries were, but the owner’s behaviour is disturbing. Within 2 days Kent Police shot a dog that had grabbed a toddler by the head and caused serious injuries. Continue reading
Another death caused by a dog bite, the tragic death of Mario Perivoitos, bitten in front of 2 BBC documentary film makers has again highlighted the need for full investigations. I have long campaigned for live assessments of dogs involved in tragic deaths to be able to properly determine the triggers and causes. PLEASE READ TO END AND SIGN THE PETITION.
Last night on ITV the latest episode of “The Kyle Files” was broadcast, on the subject of dangerous dogs. I had an interest in this as I am an expert witness, assessing dogs in bite cases for court. I also had numerous calls from the production team for 2 months trying to find something they wanted to film. They assured me this would not be just another show about pit bulls. Sadly I think it was. Continue reading
Last year I spoke with Vicky, the great Aunt of Lexi Branson, sadly killed by an unassessed dog rehomed with no advice or homecheck. The coroner identified some areas of concern regarding this type of rehoming. Two years on her family were horrified to discover from our conversation that nothing had been, or would be done to protect people in the future. I had already written to George Eustice MP about the need for a live behaviour assessment on dogs who kill or seriously hurt people. Mr Eustice’s response is here:
2015-09-scan-reply-george-eustice-dangerous-dogs Continue reading
Having pets can enhance a couple’s relationship. But sometimes the pet becomes a pawn in a power struggle between adults. I have seen many cases of hidden agendas between people who use their dog to control their partner.
The last week has brought a larger than usual set of calls and messages from people who bought or were given a dog from a private seller/owner. They happen frequently, but suddenly there’s more. I don’t know whether the change to compulsory microchipping is behind it as many turn out to not be chipped.
Whatever the reason, both sellers and buyers do some really crazy and dangerous things. How can you avoid the pitfalls of private sellers who lie? Or buyers who lie about their circumstances? Or disreputable rescues? Continue reading
