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Wa's Risky Canines


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WA's Risky Canines http://www.perthaca.com.au/

Tue 03/02/09

The number of dangerous dogs in our state - including Pit Bulls - is increasing.

Laws introduced three years ago were supposed to wipe out fighting dogs.

But loop holes in the law are making it easy for some people to breed and sell them.

In WA, Pit Bull terriers along with fighting dogs from Argentina and Brazil, the Japanese Tosa and Presa Canario are considered to be so dangerous they're restricted under our laws.

There's about 2,000 restricted dogs being kept as pets in WA.

There aren't overall statistics for the number of dogs that have been destroyed for attacking people or other animals, so A Current Affair surveyed all 141 Local Governments in Western Australia.

Of the local governments that replied, five councils reported destroying a total of 23 dogs.

Five of those were restricted breeds.

Since 2006 all owners of restricted dog breeds MUST have their pets de-sexed or risk their dogs being seized by rangers and killed.

The legislation was designed to wipe out dangerous dogs in WA in one generation.

But it's not working.

There're several loop holes in the legislation.

Breeding and selling restricted breeds isn't illegal in WA.

And there's nothing stopping any of us buying a restricted breed puppy from the Eastern States.

Local Government Minister John Castrilli now plans to introduce an amendment into Parliament that'll fill the gaps in the current laws.

"We'll make it illegal to have an unsterilized restricted breed, we'll make it illegal to advertise, we'll make it illegal to sell or transfer and make it illegal to breed,” he says.

Kelly Dahl has every reason to be scared of Pit-bulls - he was attacked by two of them in June last year.

"They actual dogs turned on me and were just ripping shreds out of me,” he says.

“They wouldn't let me go they just kept attacking and attacking and attacking and ripping my clothes apart.

"I still got permanent scaring I've got no feeling in the left side of my foot, the plastic surgeon reckons it'll never get any better.

"People have been killed by these dogs the quicker they can get rid of them the better.”

But Shane Johnson who's a member of the Endangered Dog Breed Association reckons restrictive laws are a waste of time.

He's concerned there's still no way to identify a Pit Bull other than its appearance and even then looks can be deceiving.

"Who's going to ID them who's going to police it, are they going to have someone at every airport to look at every dog that comes in,” he asks

“It looks good on paper but its window dressing at best again by the liberal government."

Shane has owned Pit Bulls for the last 20 years.

And he reckons the problem isn't the breed of dog, it's the type of owner.

"I've found them to be a loyal, dependable, stable dog and there is some dog aggression within the breed but ah there is in a number of breeds that have the same background," he says.

"Dogs to me aren't the issue.

“We don't have a pit-bull problem, we don't have a dog problem - we have a responsible dog ownership problem."

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Guest belgian.blue

Ivy and I went for a walk at Tomato Lake last night and we saw two pit bull/mixes and all the people who walked past the dog and their owner were very wary of the dog. Taking a wide berth.

Must say I was myself as you have no idea how the owners have raised them. Also the owner kept the dog on an extra short leash when people/dogs walked past.

So I defiantly agree with the last line .. don't blame the breed, its the stupid owners!

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I dont think because the owner kept the dog on a short leash when people were walking by makes him a "stupid" owner, if anything he is being more responsible than an owner who would let there dog annoy people going past, that goes for any breed not just ABPT. I keep Scoobs on a short leash when people walk by, and let me give you the tip, i am not a "stupid" owner.

Edited by A_Nomad
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I agree, I own 2 Staffies and my girl pulls a bit because she gets excited. I keep them on a short lead whenever I go past other walkers/ joggers/ people with dogs, just out of courtesy in case mine jump up and try to lick them to death. Somehow, others seem to interpret this courtesy/ bit of common sense as a threatening move and give me a wide berth anyway. Poo to them I say.

People just need to be more dog aware and take responsibility for their own and their dog's actions instead of blaming everything under the sun!

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Ivy and I went for a walk at Tomato Lake last night and we saw two pit bull/mixes and all the people who walked past the dog and their owner were very wary of the dog. Taking a wide berth.

Must say I was myself as you have no idea how the owners have raised them. Also the owner kept the dog on an extra short leash when people/dogs walked past.

So I defiantly agree with the last line .. don't blame the breed, its the stupid owners!

:cheer: Sounds like he was being careful. That's not stupid, that's being responsible.

I'd shorten my lead if it were one of my Rotties and I didn't know the person/dog walking past.

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WA's Risky Canines http://www.perthaca.com.au/

The number of dangerous dogs in our state - including Pit Bulls - is increasing.

It drives me nuts when they use the words 'dangerous' and 'restricted' as interchangable - not at all the same thing!!!

In WA, Pit Bull terriers along with fighting dogs from Argentina and Brazil, the Japanese Tosa and Presa Canario are considered to be so dangerous they're restricted under our laws.

Seriously, could they sound any stupider? Pointing out to the government and these TV shows that the Dogo Argentino and Fila are hunting breeds not fighting breeds is just getting so tiring

People have been killed by these dogs the quicker they can get rid of them the better.”

:( Wouldnt it be interesting to compare how many people are killed by dogs, any dogs, per year compared to say.....their own stupidity? Lurve how ACA uses these type of uneducated comments. Yes, Im sure 'getting rid of' all the APBT's will lower the human death toll significantly :rofl: Sorry Im feeling even more cynical than usual today :shakehead:

We don't have a pit-bull problem, we don't have a dog problem - we have a responsible dog ownership problem."

:rofl: excellent

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Guest belgian.blue

Everyone took my reply the wrong way! Sorry I'm really bad at wording things that make sense to everyone else :rofl:

Try and explain a better way to what I meant.

I don't have anything against the breeds you are referring to in here .. many are brought up in an inappropriate way, don't receive training/socialization or are BYB jobs. To which the parents wouldn't have been temp tested. Which gives the breed a bad name.

I wasn't calling that guy a stupid owner .. more as a whole. In ref to the above paragraph. Bad owners have given pitbulls, staffys etc a bad name.

I shorten her leash if need be. She tends not to 'go towards' other dogs when out walking. Normally if we see people we take a berth as I've found many children are sadly afraid of dogs when you're at the park. I've found people to be unsure of Ivy as she's large and jet black. Then again some people are amazed by her and stop me for a pat.

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I don't have anything against the breeds you are referring to in here .. many are brought up in an inappropriate way, don't receive training/socialization or are BYB jobs. To which the parents wouldn't have been temp tested. Which gives the breed a bad name.

How many breeders temp test their dogs? How do you know the dogs weren't ANKC reg'd American Staffies?

This owner was out and about socialising his dogs and it seems people like yourself were too ignorant and judgmental to give him the time of day or at least see the good in what he was doing.

Edited by rottiadora
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  • 1 month later...

i dont believe she was saying this specific dog was, rather that there are planty of irresponsibly bred dogs out there,

whos byb owners have no regard for the temperament or quality of the dog they are using to produce poor quality litters, both for breed standard and temperament

i didnt see the need for personal attacks to her reply at all

this is supposed to be a friendly forum

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