Kajirin Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) http://www.adelaiden...3-1226567433144 EVERY dog will be desexed unless they can pass a test proving they are good natured under a proposal aimed at reducing attacks. The State Government is examining a Dog and Cat Management Board proposal to compulsorily desex dogs unless they pass a good-character test.The board has made the recommendation to the Government because it believes it would reduce the number of dog attacks in South Australia. Board executive officer Ben Luxton said yesterday the board's long-term goal was to "work towards breeding a more amicable and socially acceptable dog population". "We are not saying it's mandatory desexing. What we are saying is that dogs should be assessed for temperament and that those dogs that have a temperament that is suitable to be passed on to the next generation should be allowed to breed," he said. About 65 per cent of dogs registered in South Australia are desexed. Mr Luxton said the desexing proposal would not be breed-specific but would apply to all dogs. However, he said he favoured a model in which dog owners who wanted to prevent their dogs from being desexed would submit their pets for an assessment that would determine if they were suitable for breeding. He said the board was funding research at Melbourne's La Trobe University to develop a reliable test on temperament for dogs. The most recent figures from the board show there were 230 dog attacks in 2011 that were serious enough to require the victim to seek treatment in a hospital - up 35 on the previous year. Mr Luxton said the incidence of dog bite injuries was vastly under-reported. "The hospital admission statistics that the board publishes in its annual report really only reports the point of the iceberg," he said. The board noted that since legislation mandating desexing was introduced in the ACT three years ago, dog attacks have almost halved. The board also released a discussion paper pointing to US research that said out of 20 fatal dog attacks examined, 19 had been carried out by dogs that had not been desexed. "It is very likely that by increasing the number of desexed dogs in the community we will also reduce the risk of dog-related injury to people and other dogs," the board said in its discussion paper. Mr Luxton said desexing not only made dogs less aggressive towards humans and each other but also reduced the risk of cancer. There had been a 47 per cent fall in dog attacks over three years in the ACT following desexing legislation. Mr Luxton would not put a timeline on when the changes could occur. "The board can't dictate what (the) State Government will do," he said. Environment Minister Ian Hunter said there were no immediate plans, but added future changes to dog controls could be made. He said: "DEWNR continues to work with the Dog and Cat Management Board to consider available management measures based on the best available advice and contemporary research." Edited February 3, 2013 by Noishe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 This was on one of those morning shows today. I think It was Sunrise, I was just flicking through. If they bring it in I hope they don't have it set that it has to be done by 6mths old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 As if. Who is going to test all of the dogs in SA which are currently not desexed? More potential scoff laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellnme Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 As if. Who is going to test all of the dogs in SA which are currently not desexed? More potential scoff laws. And what sort of "temperament" test will they use? We all know that some of these tests are epic fails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 think they want to use the la trobe uni one that is currently being developed and the board has helped to fund. From how it reads though, desex the pet, if you want it to remain entire you have to pass the temp test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 the thing that concerns me though is there isn't any mention of registered breeders being exempt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 There is more than only the temperament to be considered when breeding a dog. So are they suggesting that any dog that passes their test & is deemed friendly is fit for breeding ? If so, as it seems, how bloody ridiculous is that. Is this the stage in all this when we all put our objections in ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 There better not be any cats in that test or we can say goodbye to a bunch of breeds, mine included! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Are You Serious Jo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Ben shows dogs so I'm hoping he has just omitted registered breeders being exempt accidently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) I doubt it. There is no difference between a registered pure bred dog of breeding quality and a random mixed breed mutt in the mind of non dog people. Even many people who are supposedly dog lovers think that the only difference is that pure bred owners are snobs. I doubt they would have enough knowledge to even consider that registered breeders should be exempt for various reasons. ETA: From what I can see through my daily fb interactions, Jane Public is opposed to anybody breeding any dog while there are still dogs in pounds :p :p :p Joe Public generally believes that he can do whatever he likes with his dogs regardless Edited February 4, 2013 by BlackJaq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Are You Serious Jo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 That was my point, he IS a dog person so I'm hoping he does the right thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casowner Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 LGD breeds would more than likely not pass any standard temp test so hopefully breed considerations will be given. I second Jo's comment about Ben he is a registered breeder so I doubt he would not have considered the affect to the show community Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) More BS. Why can't they all just p*ss off and let us have our dogs. Edited February 4, 2013 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yes, I was thinking along those lines as well behluka. Genuine working dogs should be exempt as well in my opinion. Not everybody breeds dogs purely as pets and some working temperaments may not be suitable as pets. The gene pools for some breeds may become very small very quickly, especially when there are not many working lines to choose from to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 We're just going to end up having no dogs which were actually bred for a purpose, all we'll be left with is lap dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 More BS. Why can't they all just p*ss off and let us have our dogs. :laugh: yes well that's what I was thinking when I carefully worded a response. The lap dogs we will be left with will all be mongrel lap dogs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I read this sentence: "The State Government is examining a Dog and Cat Management Board proposal to compulsorily desex dogs unless they pass a good-character test." And immediately thought they were going to do some kind of tart/playa test. "Yes, he looks like he'd shag anything on 4 legs." "Nope, she's so fluffy you'd never even find her girly bits." I am one of those people that think we need to consider the impact of unplanned or money making litters on euthanasia rates. I am all for good breeders continuing to do what they do well and I also appreciate the working dog breeding issue. I don't have anything to do with the show world but accept that is also important to some pure bred dog owners. I absolutely do not support puppy farming or regular BYBs. And I don't think Joe Public needs an undesexed dog because there are still stupid perceptions that their dog is so cute it should have puppies or that it is good for them to have one litter before desexing or that it will emasculate it or when they find out their dog is pregnant they say they don't have a clue how it happened yet they have crap fencing and an entire male of another breed lives next door! I don't like laws that control our lives unnesecarily but unless there is a benefit to the breed's future then I'd presonally like to see less dogs being income makers and euthanasia stats. There are so many people who own pets and don't really manage them. It is certainly not that hard either - we have an entire 9 yo female and 2 desexed females in our household. We've also fostered dogs - every one a male except one. Yet no pregnancies because of our fencing, monitoring the entire female's seasons for outings and not taking in any undesexed male fosters. It is not rocket science yet so many people seem to be ignorant, in denial or simply don't care. I'd like to see them more educated rather than the people doing the right thing being hindered. Not sure how you do it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aphra Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 As a rescuer, all our animals go out desexed, but as far as I'm concerned something as simple as whether or not you choose to have your pet desexed should be up to you. There are lots of valid reasons for leaving animals entire which are not to do with breeding them, and I really can't see how any government is going to be able to police such an activity. I was also a bit startled by this comment, "There had been a 47 per cent fall in dog attacks over three years in the ACT following desexing legislation." I've never seen any research which suggests some kind of causal link between desexing and a reduction in dog bite activity. I'm sure there are many factors at play in the reduction. It's funny (and tragic) to note that the ACT is one of the few places in Australia where Pits are legal and they're seeing a fall in dog bites! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) I challenge the promoters of this idea to find any decent dog behavioural expert who'll support the notion that a "temperament testing" a dog at six months of age will be a definitive indicator of its temperament at maturity. I also wish them luck finding a behaviorist who'll state that desexing is a cast iron method of ensuring that dogs won't be aggressive. More knee jerk proposals from people who fail to grasp the idea that genetics is only one component of what makes a dangerous dog. If they propose desexing the owners of dogs that seriously harm other people, it would probably be more effective. Edited February 4, 2013 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casowner Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I challenge the promoters of this idea to find any decent dog behavioural expert who'll support the notion that a "temperament testing" a dog at six months of age will be a definitive indicator of its temperament at maturity. I also wish them luck finding a behaviorist who'll state that desexing is a cast iron method of ensuring that dogs won't be aggressive. More knee jerk proposals from people who fail to grasp the idea that genetics is only one component of what makes a dangerous dog. If they propose desexing the owners of dogs that seriously harm other people, it would probably be more effective. Can you imagine the test they would use on those owners to prevent their mandatory desexing? ..Sir or Madam can you please explain to me what enviromental enrichment is? ...Isn't that when I get paid once a fortnight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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