Anti bull breed/type program on tomorrow night on BBC 1

I've just finished watching this after recording it last night. I sat down to watch it fully expecting it to be staffie/bull breed bashing and scare mongering but it really wasnt, and I thought it seemed a lot of the people involved with policing and enforcing these laws thought it was a nonsense too- they certainly took no joy in what they had do to, and many commented on how friendly, innocent dogs owned by responsible owners can be the victims of these "dangerous dog" laws.
What it really highlighted is what many of us have known for a long time- these laws don't work for many reasons, far too often the people who do keep dangerous dogs get away with it, people who shouldn't have dogs (such as the woman with a conviction for animal cruelty) are allowed to continue owning animals and ultimately the dogs are the ones who suffer- the only "crimes" they've committed are being born and then given/sold to moron owners. Hopefully this programme might bring some of the issues surrounding the dangerous dogs act to public attention and highlight the need for reform.
I don't think anyone has the answer as to how to solve all the problems highlighted in the programme, but for the sake of these poor dogs, I hope somebody figures it out soon.
 
Luci07 said:
What is he registered at the vets as? I would assume he is chipped and neutered as he belongs to you but perhaps it would be a good idea to look at how you can safeguard yourself? I am not for one moment suggesting your lovely dog is anything other than soft and well behaved but you can rest assured that there will be people who watched last nights " show" and will be actively looking out for "pit bull types"
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I don't have any worries as it was the Croydon Dog Warden who contacted me to have him as a foster as he was in the pound waiting to be destroyed if he wasn't claimed, so I fostered him to save his life more than anything else.I've got a signed document that I drew up when he was handed to me taking full responsibilty for him and it is stated he is staffy x lab. Of course, as I fostered him I fell in love with him, soft as I am and I really couldn't find a suitable home for him as everyone who wanted him was going to be either not at home all day or hand him to others to look after when he needed stability.He had been abandoned in Thornton Heath and we think he was possibly bred as a "fighting or status " type but he is really too soppy to say boo to a goose so perhaps he didn't make the grade or managed to get away from his original owners, he was very scared of children & especially young 10-13 year old lads when we got him but we have dealt with that and he is fine now.
Soon as I got him (he was about 5.5 months old) I had him neutered and chipped, all his jabs full MOT!
Wouldn't be without him now, there's thousands out there in pounds and kennels all round the country just like him waiting for their fate, yet people still continue to breed them.
 
Just finished watching it on iplayer. It was very moving. 'Tyson', although not my type of dog and clearly a pit (type?) was so happy and waggy, friendly and seemingly a soppy pooch. Sad to see him go. I just hope that brindle bitch was found a better home, she looked heaven.
 
Fools Motto said:
Just finished watching it on iplayer. It was very moving. 'Tyson', although not my type of dog and clearly a pit (type?) was so happy and waggy, friendly and seemingly a soppy pooch. Sad to see him go. I just hope that brindle bitch was found a better home, she looked heaven.
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Doubt it. Do you really think the owner would step up for that dog? Judging how it has been kept? Tyson was so sad though. Really lovely dog despite having such a awful start and heartbreaking to watch him still being kind as he was being destroyed.
 
cremedemonthe said:
I don't have any worries as it was the Croydon Dog Warden who contacted me to have him as a foster as he was in the pound waiting to be destroyed if he wasn't claimed, so I fostered him to save his life more than anything else.I've got a signed document that I drew up when he was handed to me taking full responsibilty for him and it is stated he is staffy x lab. Of course, as I fostered him I fell in love with him, soft as I am and I really couldn't find a suitable home for him as everyone who wanted him was going to be either not at home all day or hand him to others to look after when he needed stability.He had been abandoned in Thornton Heath and we think he was possibly bred as a "fighting or status " type but he is really too soppy to say boo to a goose so perhaps he didn't make the grade or managed to get away from his original owners, he was very scared of children & especially young 10-13 year old lads when we got him but we have dealt with that and he is fine now.
Soon as I got him (he was about 5.5 months old) I had him neutered and chipped, all his jabs full MOT!
Wouldn't be without him now, there's thousands out there in pounds and kennels all round the country just like him waiting for their fate, yet people still continue to breed them.
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Brilliant! The signed paperwork was a good idea...
 
That was tough viewing :-(
Tysons "owner" seriously needs shooting-i don't doubt for one moment that there will be many more dogs kept in her squalid flat in the future. Shocking. Ditto everyone else, it was heartbreaking seeing such a friendly happy dog put to sleep with his tail wagging :-(
 
Riz said:
That was tough viewing :-(
Tysons "owner" seriously needs shooting-i don't doubt for one moment that there will be many more dogs kept in her squalid flat in the future. Shocking. Ditto everyone else, it was heartbreaking seeing such a friendly happy dog put to sleep with his tail wagging :-(
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As above, that made me cry..quite impressed the bbc actually had the balls to show it tho.
The law really needs adjusting to allow happy healthy friendly dogs that happen to meet the criteria to be rehomed to specific well chosen and trained owners.
Now sat hugging my pup...not sure id cope if someone took him off me!! A black lab which going by the other post floating about may be next on the hit list for dangerous animals...
 
Watched it this afternoon. I got so angry for the poor dogs with such STUPID owners! It was heartbreaking.

Have to say what really annoyed me was that some of these people living in these housing situations should not be allowed a dog.... period. The dogs were living in pure filth just shoved out in the garden to survive. that one bloke having his dog returned didn't even know how long the dog had been gone for! Disgusting! These people are S*** and don't deserve to have animals and there should be better ways of stopping it. I assume they are living in council housing, why can't the council put a no animal rule on their houses in these situations and inspect regularly! Not only the living conditions, but the general health, weight and the life and well being of these dogs was beyond poor!!!!!!

I feel so sad for these dogs, but I also thought about those other dogs out there that are not of the banned "type" that are exisiting like this that won't be found because they won't be targetted. Lets face it these people weren't reported because of the state the dogs were living im, it was the type of dog. :(

Sorry, rant over. I'll get off my soap box.
 
galaxy said:
Watched it this afternoon. I got so angry for the poor dogs with such STUPID owners! It was heartbreaking.

Have to say what really annoyed me was that some of these people living in these housing situations should not be allowed a dog.... period. The dogs were living in pure filth just shoved out in the garden to survive. that one bloke having his dog returned didn't even know how long the dog had been gone for! Disgusting! These people are S*** and don't deserve to have animals and there should be better ways of stopping it. I assume they are living in council housing, why can't the council put a no animal rule on their houses in these situations and inspect regularly! Not only the living conditions, but the general health, weight and the life and well being of these dogs was beyond poor!!!!!!

I feel so sad for these dogs, but I also thought about those other dogs out there that are not of the banned "type" that are exisiting like this that won't be found because they won't be targetted. Lets face it these people weren't reported because of the state the dogs were living im, it was the type of dog. :(

Sorry, rant over. I'll get off my soap box.
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Very well put and you have a good point about other types/breeds of dogs
slipping through the net. Do you remember in that program one of the police officers looking into a green slimy revolting looking fish tank and asking, are there actually any fish in there?
No mention of investigating that further just incase there was something still alive in there, why not?
It just shows that these sort of people who live like complete slobs really don't seem to care about how they live or what they subject their pets to whether it's fish if there were any still alive or dogs.
 
cremedemonthe said:
Very well put and you have a good point about other types/breeds of dogs
slipping through the net. Do you remember in that program one of the police officers looking into a green slimy revolting looking fish tank and asking, are there actually any fish in there?
No mention of investigating that further just incase there was something still alive in there, why not?
It just shows that these sort of people who live like complete slobs really don't seem to care about how they live or what they subject their pets to whether it's fish if there were any still alive or dogs.
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ah thanks ;) Was worried it may come across as a snobbish rant, which is wasn't intended to be :)

I wanted to know about the fish too!
 
Just finished watching it, I have to say I thought it was very well made and showed the difficulties the police have to deal with and that the law hasn't worked. Also the idiotic people that own these dogs, they shouldn't be allowed to own any animal let alone a type of dog that has the potential to cause so much damage.

I'm a vet nurse and I have helped PTS pit bull type adult dogs and very young puppies. Whilst it is heartbreaking (in fact it is one of the most upsetting things i've ever had to do in 20yrs) it is infinately preferable to the life these dogs would lead in the enviroments they have been siezed from. The only mistake they have made in life is to be born the wrong type and to be owned by idiots.

We had a talk last year by a police dog legislation officer, as he said 95% of the time they are lovely dogs but they are owned by people that want them as weapons or fighting dogs and they do a hell of alot of damage when they do attack. The dogs 'owners' have absolutely no regard for the dogs welfare beyond them being good attack/guard/fighting or status dogs.

Very thought provoking programme and glad I watched it xx
 
Supertrooper said:
Just finished watching it, I have to say I thought it was very well made and showed the difficulties the police have to deal with and that the law hasn't worked. Also the idiotic people that own these dogs, they shouldn't be allowed to own any animal let alone a type of dog that has the potential to cause so much damage.

I'm a vet nurse and I have helped PTS pit bull type adult dogs and very young puppies. Whilst it is heartbreaking (in fact it is one of the most upsetting things i've ever had to do in 20yrs) it is infinately preferable to the life these dogs would lead in the enviroments they have been siezed from. The only mistake they have made in life is to be born the wrong type and to be owned by idiots.

We had a talk last year by a police dog legislation officer, as he said 95% of the time they are lovely dogs but they are owned by people that want them as weapons or fighting dogs and they do a hell of alot of damage when they do attack. The dogs 'owners' have absolutely no regard for the dogs welfare beyond them being good attack/guard/fighting or status dogs.

Very thought provoking programme and glad I watched it xx
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Couldn't you put the owners down instead, would do us all a favour!
 
Thanks, I have to say though that 98% of animal owners at my practice are lovely responsible owners. It's the other 2% that are a nightmare xx
 
Just watched it, pretty hard to watch :( so glad I don't have a dog of a pitbull type! They really need to sort out a concrete way of saying if it's a pitbull or not. I bet thousands of dogs in this country fit into the measurements of a 'pitbull type' :(
 
Montyforever - it is incredibly hard, even the DLO who are trained to do it find it hard in alot of cases. The dogs have to meet a substantial number of criteria but the law never stipulated how many characteristics had to be met so everyone's views can be different. It is up to the owner to prove if their dog is or isn't a pit bull type but because it takes such a long time and money the dogs are often destroyed before it reaches court, especially because it is so easy for them just to go out and buy another xx
 
OH jesus. what a programme.

Funnily enough what struck a chord with me was the womans saying "why would you put a dog down when it hasnt done anything wrong, you put a dog down if it bites someone" spot on Mrs Deed not breed- yet the dog that had bitten a kid was rehomed to someone who clearly did not want it back.

In bits for all the innocent bull breeds condemned to death through no fault of their own.
 
:( i just caught up on watching this tonight. it was a bit one sided, but at the same time i feel that it clearly highlights the problems with BSL.

the kennel scenes made me feel sick. what a stressful place for those poor dogs. i agree that i wouldnt return any dogs to the home they were seized from, but its so sickening that they cannot be found apropriate homes.

i would love to know what these 50 something characteristics are- as far as im concerned that is a RIDICULOUS way to class a dog as pit bull type. :mad:

what makes me the most upset is that there is nothing you can do to protect yourself and your dog from this act! it doesnt matter what the dog is registered as, where you got it from, whether you have pedigree papers, if it was re-homed to you through the RSPCA even. if the police feel the need to seize they can and will, and then you have to fight to try to get your dog back home out of those horrific kennels. all based on using a tape measure to see how big its skull is, and if its as tall as it is long.

seeing that poor pup being PTS was awfull. its hard enough when you see a dog going due to illnes, quite another to watch a loving little dog that has done no wrong have its life snuffed out. had me in tears. :(

sickening.
 
In bits. Dogs were the most sensible ones on that program. Owners were, what's the saying? 'An entire nation of tools'...or words to that effect......
 
whisp&willow said:
i would love to know what these 50 something characteristics are- as far as im concerned that is a RIDICULOUS way to class a dog as pit bull type. :mad:
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One of them was that the length and height are equal- someone on another forum has done a post about dogs vital stats- so far with equal length and height there is

A Dalmation
A Lab
A malamute
A Ridgeback
A cute collie X mongrel type

Just goes to show what rubbish they spout!
 
I watched it, I found it awful because most of the dogs on there weren't bad dogs, especially the one at the end that got shown being pts. The show made me angry cause it was so one sided and some of the owners, well... :mad: I just feel for the dogs, especially the ones like Tyson that hadn't done anything wrong and didn't deserve their fate :(
 
God, I missed it and I am now gald - makes me feel tearful enough just reading this. Why was a young, (presumably) healthy dog being PTS?? Was it just due to his 'assumed' breeding? It actually makes me feel sick and yes i know it happens every day due to their being toomany abandoned dogs but i don't know how a vet/veterinary nurse can just PTS a healthy young animal that has not done anything wrong?

I really think the law needs to be revised and the owners should face the punishment not the dog (ok so they probably won't end up being PTS as they should be but) some proper punishment for them would be more of a deterrent surely? Why these dogs are ultimately condemmed to death through no fault of their own is beyond me, it's horrible. I think it beings it home when you look at your own happy, healthy dogs and imagine that happening to them :(
 
I've not managed to watch this programme and Im not entirely sure I want to. Ive seen and heard enough about people banding bullbreeds and dangerous.

I own 2 types of Bullbreed a American Bulldog and a British Bulldog. I am responsible in the way that I keep them on the lead at all times, watch whats going on around me, make sure theres someone with them at all times, and ensure that if someone visits who i know isn't keen on them, they go in their crate (very happily!).

It REALLY annoys me why other attacks down get into the media. I was attacked by a Yorkshire Terrier when I was young, quite badly and I have a trust issue with strange dogs now. Fair enough, they dont have the jaw power and lable associated with bullbreeds, but they are also dangerous. If you look at the most common breed for attacks its actually the Lab/G Ret.

I really think the ownership shouldnt be on the breed but the owners.
 
cremedemonthe said:
I don't have any worries as it was the Croydon Dog Warden who contacted me to have him as a foster as he was in the pound waiting to be destroyed if he wasn't claimed, so I fostered him to save his life more than anything else.I've got a signed document that I drew up when he was handed to me taking full responsibilty for him and it is stated he is staffy x lab. Of course, as I fostered him I fell in love with him, soft as I am and I really couldn't find a suitable home for him as everyone who wanted him was going to be either not at home all day or hand him to others to look after when he needed stability.He had been abandoned in Thornton Heath and we think he was possibly bred as a "fighting or status " type but he is really too soppy to say boo to a goose so perhaps he didn't make the grade or managed to get away from his original owners, he was very scared of children & especially young 10-13 year old lads when we got him but we have dealt with that and he is fine now.
Soon as I got him (he was about 5.5 months old) I had him neutered and chipped, all his jabs full MOT!
Wouldn't be without him now, there's thousands out there in pounds and kennels all round the country just like him waiting for their fate, yet people still continue to breed them.
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I don't want to worry you, but I know of a local rescue to me that takes dogs from the pound and was given a bull breed cross the dog wardens had decided was not "of type" and that the person running the rescue kept. The dog was then seized by the police and a prosecution brought, the owner has been through hell to get the dog back and it took months, all the while the dog was sat in kennels. The dog has never shown any aggressive tendencies. Do please protect yourself as much as possible from this happening to you.
 
ladyt25 said:
Why was a young, (presumably) healthy dog being PTS?? Was it just due to his 'assumed' breeding? It actually makes me feel sick and yes i know it happens every day due to their being toomany abandoned dogs but i don't know how a vet/veterinary nurse can just PTS a healthy young animal that has not done anything wrong?

I really think the law needs to be revised and the owners should face the punishment not the dog (ok so they probably won't end up being PTS as they should be but) some proper punishment for them would be more of a deterrent surely? Why these dogs are ultimately condemmed to death through no fault of their own is beyond me, it's horrible. I think it beings it home when you look at your own happy, healthy dogs and imagine that happening to them :(
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The dog was put down because it was deemed to be a pitbull type and belonged to a woman who was already banned from keeping animals due to a previous animal cruelty charge, dog couldn't go back to her (even if she wasn't banned from keeping animals she was living in a filthy flat with old dog poo on the floor on the 19th floor and the dog was only walked at night), under the law the dog ownership can't be transferred because it's deemed to be a banned breed so there is nothing left but to PTS, the police officer that was the focus of the programme pointed out this flaw several times that they were having to PTS friendly sociable animals because it wasn't suitable to return to the owners and ownership couldn't be transferred, he also made a point that the DDA was introduced to improve public safety and dog welfare and that it has done neither.
The dogs that were seized were not living in conditions that most of us would feel are acceptable, there was one lovely little brindle bitch that was living outside with no shelter in a tiny back garden that was full of dog poo, they were also keeping a young puppy in a bathroom, again full of poo clearly hadn't been cleaned in days.
I know it all comes down to money but if someone is banned from keeping dogs (which every one of these owners if they weren't already should be) someone needs to keep checking and making sure they aren't keeping animals.
Don't know how they can change it to do what it should be doing, but clearly what is in place at the moment isn't working.
The programme had said that there were over 5000 dog attacks in 2010, but didn't give a breakdown of breeds so a bit unfair.
It is still available on BBC iPlayer if you want to watch it.

Labs.jpg
 
Naryafluffy said:
The dog was put down because it was deemed to be a pitbull type and belonged to a woman who was already banned from keeping animals due to a previous animal cruelty charge, dog couldn't go back to her (even if she wasn't banned from keeping animals she was living in a filthy flat with old dog poo on the floor on the 19th floor and the dog was only walked at night), under the law the dog ownership can't be transferred because it's deemed to be a banned breed so there is nothing left but to PTS, the police officer that was the focus of the programme pointed out this flaw several times that they were having to PTS friendly sociable animals because it wasn't suitable to return to the owners and ownership couldn't be transferred, he also made a point that the DDA was introduced to improve public safety and dog welfare and that it has done neither.
The dogs that were seized were not living in conditions that most of us would feel are acceptable, there was one lovely little brindle bitch that was living outside with no shelter in a tiny back garden that was full of dog poo, they were also keeping a young puppy in a bathroom, again full of poo clearly hadn't been cleaned in days.
I know it all comes down to money but if someone is banned from keeping dogs (which every one of these owners if they weren't already should be) someone needs to keep checking and making sure they aren't keeping animals.
Don't know how they can change it to do what it should be doing, but clearly what is in place at the moment isn't working.
The programme had said that there were over 5000 dog attacks in 2010, but didn't give a breakdown of breeds so a bit unfair.
It is still available on BBC iPlayer if you want to watch it.

Labs.jpg
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That 2nd picture of a Staffie was taken at a dog show when the dog sneezed,hows that for unfair and untrue reporting. I could take a pic of my dogs yawning and that too would look as if they were being aggressive.
 
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