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(UK) Dangerous Dogs Act, based on how dog looks, is wholly unscientific (pet hobbies)

#1
C C Offline
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2022/05/the-d...cientific/

EXCERPTS: . . . Staffordshire Bull Terriers are big muscular dogs with wide jaws, they can look a little scary. But does that mean they should be treated differently to other dogs?

The experience got me wondering about other dogs who are treated differently purely because of how they look – dogs that are regulated by breed specific legislation.

In the UK, this is the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) which was enacted in 1991. Under the UK law there are four breeds of dogs that are prohibited: the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, and the Fila Brasileiro. In the UK the legislation means that it is illegal to sell a banned dog, abandon a banned dog, give away a banned dog, or breed from a banned dog.

The decision on whether your dog is one of the banned breeds depends on how it looks and can be assessed by a Dog Legislation Officer. There is an index of exempted dogs for dogs of a banned breed which are considered by the courts to not be dangerous, but the dog and owner will be subject to restrictions for the length of the dog’s life.

Once a dog is registered as exempt, the owner gets a certificate for its lifetime, but must ensure the dog is neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public, and kept in a secure place so it cannot escape. The owner must also be over the age of 16, take out insurance against the dog injuring other people, show the Certificate of Exemption when asked by a police officer or council dog warden, either at the time or within 5 days, and let the Index for Exempted Dogs know of any change in address, or if the dog dies.

This legislation was introduced over 30 years ago, and at the time the UK was one of the first countries to enact such legislation – today 51 countries have some form of breed specific legislation.

However, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is widely criticised by people and organisations with expertise in animal behaviour and an interest in animal welfare. There are numerous reasons for this criticism, the biggest is that there is no evidence that the breeds that are legislated against pose a greater risk to humans than other breeds, or that breed-specific legislation works to reduce the number of dog bites or dog-related fatalities.

The first important thing to consider is how dogs are identified as banned types. This is done entirely based on appearance. And in the case of Pit Bulls, the more common of the four banned breeds, it is especially complicated... (MORE - missing details)
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#2
confused2 Offline
The heart-warming thing about the breeds of dogs normally used for fighting is the way their owners keep them for their personality. When people are keeping fighting dogs they stop seeing the scars on their body and the muzzle which just one massive scar - all they see is the personality - they aren't keeping the dog for fighting (that would be illegal) so just for the personality. If the dog accidentally has pups they go to friends and family not, of course, the dog fights that might coincidentally happen in the area. If one of the breed occasionally rips a child to shreds that's the fault of the owner not the dog.

From a local (Devon UK) news site..
Quote:Dozens of illegal dog fights have been reported in Devon in the last four years.
Figures provided by the RSPCA show there were a total of 155 cases in the county between 2015 and 2018.
..
Experts warned that the figures were just the tip of the iceberg - with most cases going unreported as the practice is driven further underground.
Dog fighting has been illegal in the UK since 1835.
Dogs are measured by the number of winning fights with the most successful being bred to produce a ‘bloodline’ of fighters.
Across England and Wales, more than four incidents of illegal dog fighting are reported every day.
More:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-new...ts-2737231
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#3
confused2 Offline
Many years ago I met Poppy. Poppy had obviously been a fighting dog and had not lost. By the look of her she hadn't exactly won either. My guess is that she had been used for breeding until she had no further value and was scheduled for termination (poison?) except someone on the fringe of the people I associated with must have said "I'll take her". To have been there not so nice but to have said "I'll take her" - well that was how and why I came to be associated with 'that kind of person'. Poppy was old and beaten and ugly and smelly but there was still a dog inside her. I took her for a walk and when I said "Come on Poppy" she made a "Woo" noise. We walked and I talked and occasionally patted her and she "woo'd". The birthright of every dog. I am sure she was loved and respected to the end of her days.
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#4
confused2 Offline
It may not be scientific but at least in the UK - where there's dogs that look like fighting dogs there's likely to be dog fighting.
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#5
C C Offline
(May 31, 2022 10:31 AM)confused2 Wrote: It may not be scientific but at least in the UK - where there's dogs that look like fighting dogs there's likely to be dog fighting.

Like scientists in the human-related and biomedical disciplines, apparently the "skepticism of a skeptic" can be compromised by personal biases (i.e., being a proponent of _X_) or recruited by good old-fashioned lobbying, or political (slash business) pressure from the administrative policies of an employer, or conformity to recent spike-trends that publishers reward for in terms of acceptance of _X_ paper, article, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull

Pit bull-type dogs have a controversial reputation as pets both in the United States and internationally, due to their history in dog fighting, the number of high-profile attacks documented in the media over decades, and their proclivity to latching on while biting. Proponents of the breed and advocates of regulation have engaged in a nature-versus-nurture debate over whether apparent aggressive tendencies in pit bulls may be appropriately attributed to owners' care for the dog or inherent qualities.

Numerous advocacy organizations have sprung up in defense of the pit bull. Some studies have argued that the type is not disproportionately dangerous, offering competing interpretations on dog bite statistics. Independent organizations have published statistics based on hospital records showing pit bulls are responsible for more than half of dog bite incidents among all breeds despite comprising 6% of pet dogs.

Some insurance companies will not cover pit bulls (along with rottweilers and wolf hybrids) because these particular breeds cause a disproportionate rate of bite incidents. Dog bite severity varies by the breed of dog, and studies have found that pit bull-type dogs have both the highest risk of biting and a tendency to produce the most severe injuries.

Pit bull-type dogs are extensively used in the United States for dogfighting, a practice that has continued despite being outlawed. A number of nations and jurisdictions restrict the ownership of pit bull-type dogs through breed-specific legislation. A pro-pit bull lobby exists that spends millions of dollars a year promoting pit bulls as family pets, funding pro-pit bull researchers, and opposing laws that regulate their ownership.
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