This is Sad

[SadieKate]

Over here in the UK you have to keep dogs under control - they're not allowed to run wild. Cats on the other hand are still classed as wild animals. If you run over a dog you have to report it to the police - not so with a cat.

There are leash laws here also. But there is a difference between "have to" as required by law and what the owners actually do.

[Python]

We have quite strict laws here regarding loose dogs. We have a piece of legislation that was brought in a few years ago - The Dangerous Dogs Act. In it, certain breeds of dog have to be muzzled and owning Pit Bull Terriers is illegal. It still doesn't stop people doing it though and this year several Pit Bulls have been seized and destroyed.

The vast majority of people keep their dogs under control. Very few roam wild now. Any that do are usually dogs who have managed to escape from their homes and are usually found fairly quickly. We had an incident like that two weeks ago. My son was putting out the rubbish for collection when he came running back in to tell me there was a white dog that was limping badly (this was 1130pm). I went out to have a look and sure enough, there was a Retriever. Obviously someone's dog. Poor thing looked totally disorientated and was having great difficulty in walking - his left leg seemed to be damaged in some way. It was dark so we decided to ring the RSPCA (we didn't recognise the dog) and stay with the poor chap who was shaking like a leaf but appeared to be well cared for and very friendly. He did have a collar on but no name tag. Eventually he stood up and decided to follow us into our house. We kept him in the hallway - and what a lovely dog he was too. The RSPCA inspector came after about an hour and she agreed that she thought he was someone's dog who'd escaped and got lost. We were just about to put him in the van when a young man came running up claiming the dog (who by now was tail wagging furiously). Turned out that the dog suffers quite badly from hip displasia (sp) and as it had been a warm evening the people had left the kitchen door open so the dog could go sit in the back garden. Their garden slopes quite steeply and because of the dog's disability (and they thought the front gate was closed) they didn't think he would climb the fairly steep part out of their back garden. They thought the dog was still in the garden!

The reason I didn't recognise the dog was that they had only just bought the house and had only lived in our street for a little over a week. Definitely a new way to meet your new neighbours As it turned out, had the RSPCA taken the dog he was microchipped so he would have been reunited with his owners fairly quickly. Alls well that ended well - and we've made some new friends - especially the four-legged one

[oxysback]

We have quite strict laws here regarding loose dogs. We have a piece of legislation that was brought in a few years ago - The Dangerous Dogs Act. In it, certain breeds of dog have to be muzzled and owning Pit Bull Terriers is illegal. It still doesn't stop people doing it though and this year several Pit Bulls have been seized and destroyed.

I'll try not to get on my soapbox too much about breed specific legislation. Pugs are even on the list of banned breeds in one city!! PUGS!!

It's not the poor dogs fault that some owners are idiots! Here's a good site that illustrates my point...

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Props to anyone who identifies the Pit on the first try!!

[Jolt]

I'll try not to get on my soapbox too much about breed banning legislation. Pugs are even on the list of banned breeds in one city!! PUGS!!

Holy cow!! Pugs have to be about the most non-intimidating breed that exists! There must be a story behind this one...

[oxysback]

Holy cow!! Pugs have to be about the most non-intimidating breed that exists! There must be a story behind this one...

I don't know what the story is...or even what city! Here's a link to the list. I was surprised at some of the breeds on there...

http://www.povn.com/rdows/banned%20breeds.html

[abvnx]

I don't know what the story is...or even what city! Here's a link to the list. I was surprised at some of the breeds on there...

http://www.povn.com/rdows/banned%20breeds.html

good god! 75 breeds great pyrenees are on the list. the lovely, fluffy white boy you see in my avatar is a great pyrenees. this is not the first ive heard of pyrs being banned. but pugs and boston terriers?

ive met pits that were total sweethearts. all they wanted to do was snuggle.

ill never understand the thinking behind bsl



also, ive had a few dog bites, but not by any of the breeds on that list.

[Tuckervill]

We have a vicious dog ordinance that doesn't name any breeds specifically. If the dog bites, and bites again, it is named a vicious dog and it has be locked up in a cage with a roof on it if the owner chooses to keep it, and there are fines, restitution, etc. The dog has to be registered as a vicious dog, and something about if they move away they have to notify the city so the city can notify where they're moving or something like that. (I can't remember the specifics of that part, but I remember thinking it odd.)

Any dog can be considered vicious under this ordinance in the right circumstances.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

Oh, by the way...that list referred to said these dogs were listed in legislation that was "either passed, proposed or tabled". So it's quite possible that more than half of these dogs were never banned anywhere, and it's quite possible that the entire list was proposed or tabled in only one particular location--thus making the list so extensive.

I like to read most activist information with a critical eye so I can get a clearer perspective. (The link was to a website that agitates for animal rights. Not that I agree or disagree with their POV. It's just helpful to know what the POV is.)

Karen