Killer Dogs – does society need 'sharks on leads'?
My most controversial view that generates much disagreement is always my opinion that large powerful dogs should be banned as pets. I generate the wrath of dog lovers who all have the same response to the death of a child that they kindly share with me – 'It's not the dog's fault, it is the owner's fault'.
Let me deal with this platitude straight away. I do not care who is ultimately responsible for the death of a child. Only that the death of an innocent vulnerable child has taken place most horribly. Bitten. Shaken like a rag doll. Ripped apart.
For full transparency, I must confess that I am not an animal lover. I do not have pets, never had pets and do not want pets. This does not mean I hate animals or wish for them to be mistreated. It just means I do not hold animals anywhere near the same level of value as I do human life. I would put myself in harm's way to save a human, I would never do that for an animal.
According to Gov.UK website, it is against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control in a public place, in a private place, or in the owner's home. A dog is considered dangerously out of control if it causes injury or makes someone worried that they may be injured. The penalty for having a dangerously out-of-control dog is an unlimited fine and up to 6 months in prison. If someone is injured then the sentence increases to up to 5 years, or up to 14 years if someone is killed.
The Wikipedia page 'List of fatal dog attacks in the United Kingdom' does exactly what the page title implies. It lists every death and related detail. From January 2020 to January 2023, it informs us that 18 people have been killed by a dog in the UK - 5 men, 6 women, and 7 children. 12 of these fatalities are by dogs with the word 'bull' in their name. 5 others are large dogs such as a Mastiff and Rottweiler. Only one incident did not state the breed or size of the dog involved.
Bulldogs were originally bred to help control livestock and can be traced back to the 5th century in England. Later they were used in bull-baiting where dogs would latch onto a bull's nose and not let go until the dog had pulled the bull to the ground, or the bull had killed the dog. These dogs were bred for aggression, and could easily bring down a bull weighing close to a ton. And today, we have them as family pets! Insanity.
The question we need to ask is why certain people want to own dogs that were bred to bring down bulls, kill wolves or fight lions.
The BBC reported in May 2012 the findings of a study at the University of Leicester. It compared human personality types with the breed of dog individuals would choose as pets. Dogs with a reputation for aggression were more popular with people who were 'less concerned with the needs of others and quicker to become hostile'.
"People have a choice about which dog they get - so if you actively choose something, it says something about you……., people don't have to get a 'weapon dog'." said forensic psychologist, Dr Vincent Egan, who headed the study.
This may explain why I receive so many hostile replies to my posts on this topic. The choices we make are an indication of our character and ultimately, who we are.
What are my solutions?
Ban all large powerful dogs. It is as simple as that. Or is it? Who defines what is large and powerful? This is the same issue people face when they want to criminalise hate speech – who defines what hate is?
The first point to state is that dogs do not have rights, so if we unfairly ban a dog due to a flaw in our system then I can live with that as collateral damage. But I am sure we can come up with a comprehensive tick list to assess all dogs. Such as the historical role of the breed, the dog’s weight, physical build, and damage it could cause if it went loco.
This is not going to happen in my lifetime - we all know this. The government cannot protect our borders, educate our kids to an acceptable level, or reduce knife crime on the streets. They are not looking for more problems to actively not solve.
So, what else could be done?
Dog licenses should be brought back but not run by the government. A new charity could be set up to administrate the scheme funded by donations and a license fee – the last thing I want is to be funding someone else to have a dog! It would be an extension of the current chipping programme – dogs have to have a microchip implanted into their neck with owner details etc.
We could insist all dogs have personal injury insurance to be walked in public. Insurance companies would give a financial incentive for people to have smaller less powerful dogs.
To reduce the risk of death to children, we could restrict ownership of large powerful dogs in homes that have children and make it illegal to allow a child to enter such a home. We could also insist that a warning sign is placed on all external doors of the house where a potentially dangerous dog is present – this would be an H&S warning to all adults before they enter.
We have virtually banned all guns in the UK because they presented a danger which outweighs the fun of shooting paper targets. We do not allow people to walk around in public with a knife without a valid reason because 40% of all murders are knife related. So why do we allow a small group of people to own 'sharks on leads' and live alongside everyday folk?
I do not want to ban all dogs, only large powerful ones. You can still own a dog just a more sensible-sized one that will not rip apart the kid who lives next door.
Finally, for the dog lovers who I have not yet upset, give me one more opportunity. When it comes to house dogs, the biggest lie we tell dog owners is that we cannot smell 'dog' in their homes. This is the same as saying 'your bum does not look big in that dress' - everyone lies so feelings are not hurt. The truth is we can smell your dog and it is unpleasant – albeit, some do a much better job of hiding it. I cannot understand why anyone would let a farmyard animal live in their home.
Owning a dog must be one of those things you only understand when you have owned a dog. If so, then I can never understand.
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