Fears for certain dog breeds

AT just 11 months old, Jen Adams’ American Staffordshire terrier Harley is already a big, powerful dog.

She says he is also impeccably trained, obedient and extremely affectionate.

The Ballajura resident fears proposed changes to the WA Dog Act, now before State Parliament, will result in dogs that look powerful and intimidating, like Harley, being targeted by council rangers.

If passed, the new laws will give local councils increased powers to declare a dog dangerous, which would enable it to be subject to the same, stricter conditions as restricted breeds.

“Harley has been trained and it’s the training of a dog that is far more important than the breed,” Mrs Adams said.

She has been campaigning against breed-specific legislation (BSL), which she said evidence showed did not work.

“In Canada they went with BSL for some time; they found it wasn’t working and since abolishing BSL and putting the responsibility back on the owners, attacks have reduced by 80 per cent,” she said.

“In Victoria, dogs have been impounded for what they look like, regardless of the nature or behaviour of the dog. I would hate to see the same thing happen in Western Australia.”

Mrs Adams said she believed puppy mills and backyard breeders contributed to the problem.

Training for all dogs, regardless of size or breed, should be a compulsory part of dog ownership.

“Proper breeders control the bloodlines and therefore the temperament,” she said.

Byford resident Ashleigh Leece has started an online petition to end BSL in WA, and Mrs Adams urges all passionate dog owners to support the petition, which now has 2618 signatures.

Ms Leece can be contacted by email at ashleece@hotmail.com.

What everyone else is thinking

chrissie

22/11/2012

There is absolutely NO methodology in existence anywhere in the world by which the breed components of a dog of unknown parentage can be identified with any level of certainty. Any government/council/individual/pound who says they can is kidding themselves and committing fraud.

Liam

01/09/2012

Totally depends how they are raised.

Liz

31/08/2012

BSL has been around since after WW2 it is the reason why the German Shepherd is also called Alsatian. Anything German after WW2 was feared hence the renaming of the GSD. American Staffies and Pitbulls were until 1972 or 73 registered as same dog, they are the same dog just gone in diff directions. The pit bull terrier when bred and raised correctly is the most beautiful loyal loving family dog ever, the most decorated war dog of all time was a Pit bull terrier...SGT Stubby he saved many many lives. education is the key, ignorance is the enemy...

gazza

30/08/2012

Out of all the above comments, not one in support of the child...????
Let the dogs roam free. but lock up the kids...Yay!

malissa allison

28/08/2012

It is only a matter of time before they come for all our dogs. I have gsd and have had them for years. I knew they were powerful dogs and i researched trained and socialized and i control my hundre pd and my sixty pd alone andci only weigh 85 lbs so it all amounts to knowing your dog and breed with responsible ownership

julie marsh

thank u jen and harley for showing tha general public that it is not now nor has it eva been tha dog that is dangerous its tha simple minded humans that treat these beautiful creatures badly i have a american bulldog and a bull terrier gentle sweet dogs brought up with children , are they next on the list ??

dog lover

i completly agree that its up to the owner to give any dog the attention an training they need otherwise the dog is going to be a problem. i myself have a male american staffy who is 12months old an he closely resembles a pitbull because he is tan with a red nose, people now cross the street to avoid him or pull there dog back on the beach, yet 6months ago it was "oh hes so cute" an all he wants to do is lick them an play. breed specific laws are only going to target the majority of people who do the right thing an the minority will keep getting away with it!

margaret

You also have the situation where you get a lot of pedestrian traffic past a house, the gate is shut and the dogs can see out. So you get the idiots,both adult and child who delight in teasing the dogs so of course they react and so could be classed as dangerous by the tone of their bark. Then of course you get the idiots who take their dog with them (regardless of the size and breed of the dog) when going for a walk or visiting and they do not have their dog on a lead and of course it wanders back and forth across the road onto properties , who knows what would happen if it came across a kid or another dog.
Then you get the situation of neighbors not getting on so one could make a habit of claiming problems with the dog next door, I agree the breed specific legislation will only cause a lot of problems, a lot of dogs getting put down without any genuine reason to do so.

Angel

It is great to hear other actual dog owners voice the FACTS. I used to have a Shepherd and a Shepherd Rotty cross which was the son of my Shepherd. They were always contained in the yard and walked on leashes. People would cross the other side of the road when they saw us coming. Little did they know, both would have just ignored them if they had passed. I now have an American Staffordshire Terrier, male, and a Staffordshire Terrier, female. Both are strong dogs and extremely affectionate. Because my Amstaff is big, he is automatically assumed as a problem. Not so. The worst he could do is bump a person while going for attention. When I walk him, he ignores other people, he just wants to walk and smell, like any dog. My female, who is smaller is greeted with open arms by all. She is just as strong in ability as my male. Because she is a small dog, people are happy to go out of their way to approach her. She also is an extremely social and affectionate dog.

Pro Dog

Was in Emergency Dept yesterday, a little girl had been bitten on the neck. A very cute fragile little girl. The 'mother' proceeded at the top of her voice to claim the child had been 'mauled' by the dog. If such a precious little thing had been 'mauled' she would have been ripped to pieces. The 'mother' also let the world now that it was her 'mates' dog and she had told her weeks ago, to watch the dog with the owners own four children. The only thing I see wrong with this picture is the 'mother' fore saw this happening yet still allowed her child to be in the presence of what she considered a dangerous dog??? The mother was a little to comfortable with the fact her daughter had been 'mauled' I think she was even enjoying the attention. The mentally is where? Now this poor dog will be put down because of stupid owner and irresponsible mother......Get the feeling that a lot of dog bites are along the same storylines no matter what the breed is.

Sasha

Yes I guess that is where it is unfair when decent dog owners like Jen who have trained their dog and it is obedient and loving, and yes puppy mills the most hideous,cruel places and back yard breeders are among the biggest contributors to this problem these need to be stopped, I cannot understand why puppy mills are still so out there especially when everyone knows what they are like.

I agree training should be a compulsory part of dog ownership because we all know in most cases it is not the dog more like the owners, who also need training/educating.
Owning a dog is so rewarding but a big responsibility too and if you do all the right things you have a friendship that will last a life time.

karen godridge

I completely agree! I have the most affectionate and well balanced American staffy because she was extremely well socialized with humans and dogs all her life. Yet because of how she looks she is always targeted at the park when she's playing by people who automatically put her in the sane basket as a dangerous dog. Yet my Irish settler is always welcomed. Yet they're brought up in the same loving home and both trained extensively. I'm worried about the new legislation that it will cause rangers and the general public to target my baby when it's completely unwarranted.

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