Dealing with aggressive Dogs.

 I saw this on the news yesterday and it got me thinking about the whole issue of how to deal with aggressive or 'dangerous' dogs.

Every dog owner in the UK would have to take out insurance against their pet attacking someone under government proposals to crack down on dangerous breeds.
Announced by home secretary Alan Johnson and environment secretary Hilary Benn, the move comes in the wake of rising public concern about vicious dogs being used to intimidate or threaten people.
A consultation has been launched on amending the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act, proposals include forcing every dog owner to take out third party insurance and to have their dog microchipped.
And ministers are also considering introducing New Dog Control Notices for misbehaving animals.
RSPCA figures revealed complaints about dog fights rose 12-fold between 2004 and 2008, with the police seizing 900 dangerous dogs in London alone.
The cause has a particular concern for Johnson, a former postman, who was bitten twice on his rounds and saved from a third attack by a pregnant woman who rushed to his rescue.
"Britain is a nation of animal lovers, but people have a fundamental right to feel safe on the streets and in their homes," the home secretary said.
"The vast majority of dog owners are responsible, but there is no doubt that some people breed and keep dogs for the soul purpose of intimidating others, in a sense using dogs as a weapon.
"It is this sort of behaviour that we will not tolerate; it is this sort of behaviour that we are determined to stop."
The Dangerous Dogs Act, passed by Parliament in 1991 after a spate of attacks, brought in destruction orders for banned dogs.

Now I know that there is a BIG difference between an aggressive dog and a dangerous dog and I am aware of the type of both the breeds and the people who keep them, that the Government in the UK are targeting.
These are the type of people who are using dogs as 'status symbols' which requires them to have the most feared and dangerous types of dogs and also to train them to attack people at their command.  We are obviously talking about Pit Bulls, Rottweillers, Dobermans, etc the kinds of dogs some people go out their way to avoid.  Now to avoid a complete generalisation of these breeds, I know a lot of very well mannered and well trained Rottweillers, Dobermans and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, but we all know that these dogs are often trained to attack and in some cases, kill!

Take my dog, Sam, for example.  He can be very aggressive towards dogs that he doesn't know, yet he is the most lovely, docile creature around people and especially children.  Whether this is down to Sam being stray or badly treated by his previous owners, we will never know but he is aggressive NOT dangerous.
So what should we do?  Well first of all I think the authorities and especially the police, have a duty to ensure that the breeds of dog listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act, are not imported into the UK as easily as it would appear.  Now I know this is a huge task, but these dogs cannot harm anyone of they are not in the country.  Secondly, I think all prospective dog owners should go through some sort of vetting process to ensure that they are fit and proper to house a dog.  This may also reduce the number of strays on our streets.
Lastly, if it is not already, microchipping should be compulsory.  I admit I don't know the law and this may already be the case, but if not then all dog owners should have to have their dogs chipped as soon as they take ownership of the dog.

I agree with the stance the UK Government is trying to take, but as we all know, a lot of people don't bother with insurance and when their dog attacks someone, the victim is left with no come back and we are back to square one!

You might want to take at look at this particular training programme for help and information about dealing with your dog!