Dangerous Dog act

[The Raven]

Been Looking at buying an american bulldog after doing alot of reading and asking alot of questions about the breed it suits my life style perfectly.

 

However im slight worried by the dangerous dog act. While these animals are not on it the do kind of look pit bull ish which reading the act can lead to the animal being taken away?

 

Whats the chances of other breeds being added to the list?

[n boost]

Have you seen some of the dogs that they have taken off people?

Most don't even lookl ike pitbulls and there inspectors must be muppets cause i've seen real pitbulls and most the dogs here don't look nothing like them.

What exactly is Pit bull type? it is too much of a grey area that needs to be redefined much like the law in this country.

I would'nt worry too much about it mate and just get what you really want.

[benkei]

I think it's a stupid law, it's a bit like dog-racism. A dog is only dangerous if you don't train it properly. I've been bitten by dogs that belong to some friends. I don't blame the dog at all, it's the poor, or lack of training they've had. One was a tiny little yorkshire terrior, and it didn't like people going near it's cusion on the sofa, and it bit me when I put my hand on the sofa near to where the cusion was. And the other one was a friend's german shepherd which had NO training at all! I got up off the sofa and it bit me on the leg. Had to go to hospital and have an injection and anti-biotics as it drew blood. Really I should have reported it and had the dog put down, but I didn't because she was a friend. It's not the dog's fault, I love shepherds, my favorite breed, but it had no training so didn't know any better.

 

As for your question, if it's not on the list, then you should be fine? If it's the dog you want, then go for it. Just make sure it's trained so it doesn't bite anyone

[The Raven]

Have you seen some of the dogs that they have taken off people?

Most don't even lookl ike pitbulls and there inspectors must be muppets cause i've seen real pitbulls and most the dogs here don't look nothing like them.

What exactly is Pit bull type? it is too much of a grey area that needs to be redefined much like the law in this country.

I would'nt worry too much about it mate and just get what you really want.

 

Thats the issue "pitbull type" law last thing i want is to have the dog taken from me and held till its checked and re checked, Would carrying its papers be enough to stop this happening?

 

I have nothing against the dogs outlawed anyone thats ever seen a dogo argentino will see why. As you say the word "type" is very gray

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dogue_argentin.JPG

 

A chav with that? no thanks

[benkei]

A Poodle is pitbull-type too, as in it has four legs and sharp teeth... Wanna watch out for them

[madwoody1]

have a search to see the most common dog to bite people i think it is a lab

my staff is as soft as sin but people are scared of her because she looks like a pit may be a short pit lol

[Conrad]

So long as the Bulldog is KC registered and you have the documents to prove it's a bulldog then I can't see it being an issue.

 

The bulldog is a lot larger than the pitbull I think. Amazing looking animal imo, there's a cool pic of one somewhere on the net of a bulldog pulling a car or something!

 

I'll see if I can find it...

[The Raven]

So long as the Bulldog is KC registered and you have the documents to prove it's a bulldog then I can't see it being an issue.

 

The bulldog is a lot larger than the pitbull I think. Amazing looking animal imo, there's a cool pic of one somewhere on the net of a bulldog pulling a car or something!

 

I'll see if I can find it...

 

Ive seen them pull awesome weights, I needed a hardy dog with lots of life about it, short coat yard dog. I have a few fields for it to run around in. I was looking into Neo mastiffs but was put off by the health issues ditto with boxer dogs.

[garethr]

The problem is that they deliberately did NOT say "American Pit Bull Terrier". The law says "pit bull type" in order to give them maximum latitude to kill innocent Staffordshire Bull Terriers and mongrels as well as innocent APBTs or American Staffordshire Terriers.

 

Having said that, there are a couple of American Bulldogs round here, and their owners don't seem to have any problems.

 

At least the RSPCA don't have their inspectors actively reporting alleged pit bull type dogs and appearing as expert witnesses for the prosecution any more (although they still don't get any donations from me).

 

EDIT:

It would also depend which type of American Bulldog it was. Most of those in the UK don't seem to be the type with undershot jaws, and could, therefore, be confused with a bull terrier by the ignorant.

 

 

So long as the Bulldog is KC registered......

The American Bulldog isn't recognized by the Kennel Club.

[GeordieSteve]

I HATE it when I get people shouting "you should have that dog muzzled, it's a dangerous dog". 1, they have no clue what the dog is like. They go purely by the breed and not the temperament of the dog. I've had people cuddle and play with the dog having him like their face but as soon as they find out it's a Rottweiler they back off (quickly!). 2, if these people knewe so much about the law they'd know Rottweilers aren't in the dangerous dogs ect.

 

 

 

 

... rant over

[edge]

I think it's a stupid law, it's a bit like dog-racism. A dog is only dangerous if you don't train it properly. I've been bitten by dogs that belong to some friends. I don't blame the dog at all, it's the poor, or lack of training they've had.

 

Thats not the case with some of the dogs on the list.

I agree that most dog types like pitbulls can be brought up to be a kind and loving dog but other breeds like the "fila" cannot be trained by just anyone and even experts on the breed will tell you not to bother just incase. Do some reading up on them. If i lived in the middle of nowhere and had kids i would go for one.

[Conrad]

The American Bulldog isn't recognized by the Kennel Club.

 

Ah, didn't realise that tbh.

 

It's a tricky one I guess, I woudn't worry about buying one personally and if you could prove it wasn't a pitbull (pics etc) then I say you are Ok.

 

The other alternative is to go for a breed you know wont get mistaken for something else.

 

On a side note, our 15 year old Staffy was put down today. Such a shame for her in the end, poor thing was in a terrible state this morning. She was shaking, literally crapping everywhere and throwing up. She's had cancer for a while now and despite the mess she was in she was still wagging her tail on her final trip to the vets!

 

As already said, it's the owners that make bad dogs. Not the breed. No getting through to some narrow minded idiots though...

[Conrad]

Thats not the case with some of the dogs on the list.

I agree that most dog types like pitbulls can be brought up to be a kind and loving dog but other breeds like the "fila" cannot be trained by just anyone and even experts on the breed will tell you not to bother just incase. Do some reading up on them. If i lived in the middle of nowhere and had kids i would go for one.

 

You do have a point, some dogs just aren't suitable for urban living.

 

I've always loved the look of the Boerboel, you can't help but be impressed with something that fights lions! Not something you could pop down the shops with though!

 

[merckx]

have a search to see the most common dog to bite people i think it is a lab

my staff is as soft as sin but people are scared of her because she looks like a pit may be a short pit lol

 

 

10 most common dog bite claim breeds

 

 

Staffordshire Terrier – 279

Cattle Dog - 208

Rottweiler - 173

German Shepherd - 166

Pit Bull - 133

Kelpie - 100

Bullmastiff - 90

Labrador - 83

Bull Terrier - 74

Terrier - 66

 

I'm sure that the only reason that the labrador is surprisingly high is because of their popularity.

 

The percentage of labradors that bite must be very very low.

[edge]

Cattle Dog - 208

 

Never even heard of them. Just done a google and they look very cute in a hyena,wolf, huskie kind of way

[JustGav]

10 most common dog bite claim breeds

 

 

Staffordshire Terrier – 279

Cattle Dog - 208

Rottweiler - 173

German Shepherd - 166

Pit Bull - 133

Kelpie - 100

Bullmastiff - 90

Labrador - 83

Bull Terrier - 74

Terrier - 66

 

I'm sure that the only reason that the labrador is surprisingly high is because of their popularity.

 

The percentage of labradors that bite must be very very low.

 

Does that include Shepherds employed by the police?

[The Raven]

Tosa is another great dog banned i think at the time there was one in the uk....

 

Fila is near on untrainable and will attack strangers without mercy (hence the ban)

 

Pit bull enough said,

 

And that Dogo i pictured earlier is a hunting dog not a fighting dog. Hence its breed is non dog agressive so to say its a fighting dog is totally unfair.

 

I wonder who came up with the list in the first place. Having thought it over i will still get my bulldog, but keep detailed records of its birth and history just in case.

[matt k]

10 most common dog bite claim breeds

 

 

Staffordshire Terrier – 279

Cattle Dog - 208

Rottweiler - 173

German Shepherd - 166

Pit Bull - 133

Kelpie - 100

Bullmastiff - 90

Labrador - 83

Bull Terrier - 74

Terrier - 66

 

I'm sure that the only reason that the labrador is surprisingly high is because of their popularity.

 

The percentage of labradors that bite must be very very low.

 

Why do you assume that?

[edge]

Why do you assume that?

 

He didnt

These do - http://www.umbrellaclaims.com/dog_bite.htm

[GeordieSteve]

I had a west highland white a few years back. FAAAAAAR more agressive that my rot

[edge]

My friend had a jack cross staffie, not a nice dog.

The attitude of a bad jack with more grunt

[matt k]

He didnt

These do - http://www.umbrellaclaims.com/dog_bite.htm

 

I meant the assumption about Labradors being high.

[garethr]

Tosa is another great dog banned i think at the time there was one in the UK....

Fila is near on untrainable and will attack strangers without mercy (hence the ban).

Pit bull enough said.

And that Dogo I pictured earlier is a hunting dog not a fighting dog. Hence its breed is non dog aggressive so to say it's a fighting dog is totally unfair.

I wonder who came up with the list in the first place. Having thought it over I will still get my bulldog, but keep detailed records of its birth and history just in case.

 

As you say, there was one Tosa, and no Fila Brasilieros or Dogo Argentinos in the UK.

 

 

The Pit Bull/Amstaff was always regarded, like the Staff, as entirely safe with people, until drug dealers decided that they would make ideal attack dogs. It didn't take long to screw up the temperament of a lot of APBTs.

Surprisingly to those who know nothing of their history, it was the fact that they were fighting dogs which made them so people-friendly. There are four reasons for that:

1. Dog fighting was a working class "sport", so the dogs lived with the families of their owners, and nobody would keep a dog which might savage his children or grandchildren.

2. There were three people in a dog fight pit, the two handlers and the referee, and a dog which attacked a human would be disqualified, and would be worthless for breeding or betting.

3. Fighting dogs would be bought and sold, so a dog which was wary of strangers would be of no use.

4. Bull terriers fight to please their owners.

All that meant that the various bull terriers were all bred to be very friendly to people. Any that were not would be culled.

(Sorry for the rant, but the DDA, and the role of the RSPCA, and, to a lesser extent, the Kennel Club, in creating it and enforcing it, made me very angry.)

 

 

I have always thought that the Kennel Club influenced that list, and, in order to ensure that that none of their breeds, such as the Rottweiler, were proscribed, they sacrificed the Fila and the Dogo, neither of which was a KC breed. I can't imagine that any of the politicians and journalists who jumped on the "devil dogs" bandwagon had ever heard of either breed.

[Chris Wilson]

The American Bulldog is really just a breed used to circumnavigate the DDA in the UK. Most people selling them are total *ankers who will regale you how hard the dogs are et cetera. Be SURE you know just what it is they are selling, or you'll pay top money for some half breed Staffie.

[garethr]

10 most common dog bite claim breeds

Staffordshire Terrier – 279

Cattle Dog - 208

Rottweiler - 173

German Shepherd - 166

Pit Bull - 133

Kelpie - 100

Bullmastiff - 90

Labrador - 83

Bull Terrier - 74

Terrier - 66

I don't believe that list. I doubt if there are enough Australian Cattle Dogs and Kelpies in the UK to have bitten 308 people, and the "Staffordshire Terrier" doesn't exist over here (being the American Kennel Club's show version of the American Pit Bull Terrier).