Concern at status pets’ surge in popularity (From The Argus)

Bring back the Dog Licence.

May stop some shananigans and bring a bit of revenue in to the treasury.

I reacll 37 and a ha'penny years ago.

Now, say £15 ??

Over 18s only with welfare checks carried out by government officials.

Big Brother society?? Not a problem as we are dealing with the dog loving puplic who will not mind and utter scum who we will be trying to control.

you see loads of lazy jobless chavs with dog that think it make them look hard standing on streets drinking . Be a man have a wash and shower go get a job be a real man you might get some status then. shows they get to much money from the hard working tax payers to have dogs.

A lot of these dogs will suffer real cruelty and suffering through being used as status symbols.

Your average family dog, treated with kindness and respect, will not harm anyone. What we should be talking about is a certain type of person and how we deal with them. As a dog owner I would welcome the return of the dog licence, for starters.

This needs to be sorted by legislation - make it extremely expensive and easily traceable to own certain dog types.

My small dog was attacked by an off the lead Staffie 3 weeks ago in a local park. The police were not able to seize the dog because it was a dog on dog attack. My dog was so badly injured he had to have his leg amputated at a cost of £500, it seems the owner of the out of control Staffie is unable to pay this bill.
The animal welfare wardens are involved and have been very helpful, but at the moment this dog is still freely running around to attack again. The incident with my dog was not the first attack, but if they are not reported then nothing will be done. I urge all dog owners to report dog on dog attacks, if this had happened my little dog would not now be minus his leg.

i had a staffie for years--and i no way,shape or form was my dog aggresive to other dogs,or kids.
all dogs have teeth,and bite"it's how you treat them and train them".
having them chipped and licenced should be mandatory.please dont pigeon hole staffies as being dangerous they have a great temprament.

ruberducker wrote:
i had a staffie for years--and i no way,shape or form was my dog aggresive to other dogs,or kids. all dogs have teeth,and bite"it's how you treat them and train them". having them chipped and licenced should be mandatory.please dont pigeon hole staffies as being dangerous they have a great temprament.

Please don't think I meant all Staffies were dangerous, after what happened to my dog I was just trying to point out that some dogs are owned by people who are not responsible and don't have the means to pay for the consequences of their dogs actions. Also that there needs to be something in place that allows for dangerous dogs who attack other dogs to be removed or at least have instant muzzle orders imposed, if this had happened after the first reported attack my dog would still have all its legs.

What a lovely looking dog handler!

My partner was bitten by a German Shepherd at the start of the year - the owner walked off. And my dog was also bitten by one two weeks ago. I was very annoyed - this obviously violent dog should be wearing a muzzle and not being left alone outside a shop held by a very small child who couldn't control her, poor thing. Her Mum should know better. I have met some lovely staffies, German shepherds and dobermans in the past. It's not the dog's fault - it's the way the owner has treated them and trained them - or lack of training in most cases.

kerryfee wrote:

ruberducker wrote:
i had a staffie for years--and i no way,shape or form was my dog aggresive to other dogs,or kids. all dogs have teeth,and bite"it's how you treat them and train them". having them chipped and licenced should be mandatory.please dont pigeon hole staffies as being dangerous they have a great temprament.

Please don't think I meant all Staffies were dangerous, after what happened to my dog I was just trying to point out that some dogs are owned by people who are not responsible and don't have the means to pay for the consequences of their dogs actions. Also that there needs to be something in place that allows for dangerous dogs who attack other dogs to be removed or at least have instant muzzle orders imposed, if this had happened after the first reported attack my dog would still have all its legs.

the very large majority of dogs owners are very responsible,and if this person actually cared about"dogs"they should do the sensible thing and not own one,there not toys,they take commitment,i hope your dogs recovers from its attack.

I couldn't agree more. There are too many thugish looking skinheads with wild looking dogs.
Hang on, thats the cop I'm looking at.....whoops!

Muzzle all dogs when in a public place, bring in licensing, crb checks too, people come first, not deluded dog owners with their substitute children.

when renting a private landlord property the tenant will need permission to keep an animal from the landlord, therefore the same should be done for council homes. If the tenant had to get permission then the council could have a policy where a criteria had to be met. also all dogs should be licenced and microchipped. it costs a lot to own a dog responsibly so how are the underclass affording to keep them. I recently heard that homeless people actually get paid extra if they have a dog, surely they should not be considered in a position to responsibly own a dog.

As always, the problem isn't certain dog breeds but certain cretinous examples of human beings. I think it's almost comical that these idiots think that having a dangerous looking dog gives them "status". All I think when I see some oik trying to look hard by walking around with a staffy is "what an idiot". Kind of like seeing a short man wearing platform shoes. Who do they think they are kidding? Dog licensing is definitely an option, but then these idiots will think it even more "cool" to acquire a "dangerous dog", because they become hard to get. How are you going to police it, other than having loads of police going up to every single dog owner asking to see a license? The answer is always the same - as it is for virtually all the world's problems - sterilise thicko's - you'll soon see the world become a much better place for everyone, including the dogs!

Bring back the dog licence and make microchipping and dog insurance compulsory. That way, if dogs get injured, the owners won't struggle to pay the bills or decide to put them down based on cost alone.

Training is also essential. I trained mine at home because I'm used to dogs but dog training classes should be compulsory for all first-time dog owners. That might save their dogs from becoming out of control and giving all dogs a bad name, especially certain breeds who thrive when they're trained properly.

bug eye wrote:
when renting a private landlord property the tenant will need permission to keep an animal from the landlord, therefore the same should be done for council homes. If the tenant had to get permission then the council could have a policy where a criteria had to be met. also all dogs should be licenced and microchipped. it costs a lot to own a dog responsibly so how are the underclass affording to keep them. I recently heard that homeless people actually get paid extra if they have a dog, surely they should not be considered in a position to responsibly own a dog.

you do need consent to have a dog in a council flat/house

banargustrolls wrote:
This needs to be sorted by legislation - make it extremely expensive and easily traceable to own certain dog types.

what do you class as expensive ?

ruberducker wrote:
i had a staffie for years--and i no way,shape or form was my dog aggresive to other dogs,or kids.
all dogs have teeth,and bite"it's how you treat them and train them".
having them chipped and licenced should be mandatory.please dont pigeon hole staffies as being dangerous they have a great temprament.

not my kinda of dog but they are a lovely dog like any dog ,there are no bad breeds just bad owners .

KarenT wrote:
As always, the problem isn't certain dog breeds but certain cretinous examples of human beings. I think it's almost comical that these idiots think that having a dangerous looking dog gives them "status". All I think when I see some oik trying to look hard by walking around with a staffy is "what an idiot". Kind of like seeing a short man wearing platform shoes. Who do they think they are kidding? Dog licensing is definitely an option, but then these idiots will think it even more "cool" to acquire a "dangerous dog", because they become hard to get. How are you going to police it, other than having loads of police going up to every single dog owner asking to see a license? The answer is always the same - as it is for virtually all the world's problems - sterilise thicko's - you'll soon see the world become a much better place for everyone, including the dogs!

are you first in the queue ?

kerryfee wrote:
My small dog was attacked by an off the lead Staffie 3 weeks ago in a local park. The police were not able to seize the dog because it was a dog on dog attack. My dog was so badly injured he had to have his leg amputated at a cost of £500, it seems the owner of the out of control Staffie is unable to pay this bill.
The animal welfare wardens are involved and have been very helpful, but at the moment this dog is still freely running around to attack again. The incident with my dog was not the first attack, but if they are not reported then nothing will be done. I urge all dog owners to report dog on dog attacks, if this had happened my little dog would not now be minus his leg.

Our little Bichon Frise was badly attacked last year in his own garden by a Staff cross Rhodesion Ridgeback that had escaped from its garden,it was killing our little dog,3 adults could not prize the jaws open it was locked onto our dogs neck,in the end we had to stab the Staffie once,so it would let go,the police wouldn't do anything,like you say,because it was a dog on dog attack.The staffie cross had to be put to sleep the day after,then WE had the RSPCA wanting to prosecute us !! Our Bichon had to have a drain in his neck,2 nights in the vetinary hospital,and his ear stitched back together £801 worth of vetinary fees.We are now in the process of taking these people to court that owned the other dog(it was a fostered dog) and they are wanting us to pay THEIR vetinary bill,as they are denying everything!So it's all kinds of people that own these "tough dogs".Not just chavs.I agree that all dog owners should pay a dog license,but then again,you would get the ones who would get away with not having one.I hope your dog makes a full recovery Kerry,ours is very wary now,of going out.

plumface wrote:
What a lovely looking dog handler!

Funny I was just thinking - what a lovely looking GSD!!!

jackie1959 wrote:

kerryfee wrote: My small dog was attacked by an off the lead Staffie 3 weeks ago in a local park. The police were not able to seize the dog because it was a dog on dog attack. My dog was so badly injured he had to have his leg amputated at a cost of £500, it seems the owner of the out of control Staffie is unable to pay this bill. The animal welfare wardens are involved and have been very helpful, but at the moment this dog is still freely running around to attack again. The incident with my dog was not the first attack, but if they are not reported then nothing will be done. I urge all dog owners to report dog on dog attacks, if this had happened my little dog would not now be minus his leg.

Our little Bichon Frise was badly attacked last year in his own garden by a Staff cross Rhodesion Ridgeback that had escaped from its garden,it was killing our little dog,3 adults could not prize the jaws open it was locked onto our dogs neck,in the end we had to stab the Staffie once,so it would let go,the police wouldn't do anything,like you say,because it was a dog on dog attack.The staffie cross had to be put to sleep the day after,then WE had the RSPCA wanting to prosecute us !! Our Bichon had to have a drain in his neck,2 nights in the vetinary hospital,and his ear stitched back together £801 worth of vetinary fees.We are now in the process of taking these people to court that owned the other dog(it was a fostered dog) and they are wanting us to pay THEIR vetinary bill,as they are denying everything!So it's all kinds of people that own these "tough dogs".Not just chavs.I agree that all dog owners should pay a dog license,but then again,you would get the ones who would get away with not having one.I hope your dog makes a full recovery Kerry,ours is very wary now,of going out.

Jackie, so sorry to hear about your dog. Mine is recovering well, but obviously he will never be the same happy little chap who liked chasing about with his brother.
To my horror I have learned that whilst the owner of the dog who attacked mine is being taken to court, they are only going to insist it is kept on a lead.As Brighton already have a by-law which insists dogs are on a lead on pavements and highways he is already flouting this and nothing has happened, so I doubt a court order will make any difference. The article stated police were concerned about dangerous dogs, obviously not concerned enough to enforce the by- law !!

I have two German Shepherds, both are under strict control at all times. One is a big softy and loves all dogs and people, the other can be bossy with little dogs so she has to go on a lead if we see any. It is surprising how many dog walkers are happy to let their own dogs run up to the one I have on a lead and then stand by while they jump all over her face! When she tries to retaliate they get quite upset!
It amazes me just how little attention walkers pay to their dogs when they’re out, one woman I see, walks her dog whilst reading a book – I stood and watched her for some time and not once did she look up from the page! That’s hardly being in control, is it?

Firstly, let us not stigmatize all staffies, I have met plenty of soft well trained ones.
I do however agree there are others that due to irresponsible or ignorant owners can present a problem. I do believe the first thing to do is to ban all advertising of puppies for sale, especially as there are so many dogs needing homes in overburdened animal shelters, putting immense strain on charities trying to help and rehome these poor dogs. It frankly horrifies me to see greedy selfish unregulated breeders are still selling puppies this must be banned
immediately and stricter regulation for registered breeders. This would remove the incentive of cash to those who care little about dog welfare! Of course there would need to be a rollover period for dogs already pregnant but something on these lines needs to be put in place to make owning a dog a privilege rather than a right! In time we would see a reduction in 'certain' breeds and potential responsible pet owners would rehome rather than buy a pet from ads which simply fuels the problem! People would 'only' be able to acquire a certain breeds from heavily regulated breeders who would have a legal duty of care to ensure the new owner is suitable for that particular breed, along with follow up checks. I hope to see more and more people abandon the idea of buying a puppy and rescue one of the many dogs desperate for a home. Mandatory training as is in place in Switzerland for all new dog owners
may well be a good idea in this country,
teaching the basics of dog ownership and socializing puppies from an early age which is 'key' to preventing antisocial problems downline. If these measures were put in place promptly along with rolling out microchipping to all dogs not just puppies. Finally, owners of dogs that present problems should be swiftly banned from public parks and recreation areas without leads and muzzles and ordered to attend training classes. I firmly believe if these measures where put in place it would have a significant impact which would be evident immediately and even more in a few years time.

with out of control or badly behaved dogs, the problem is almost always the owner.
all dogs should be microchipped and DNA profiled, all owners should be licensed, and all you owners who still let your dogs cr4p everywhere you are as much an anti social menace as any chav with his off the lead mutt, before any dog owners begin to comment they should clean up their own act and that includes securely restraining rover when in a vehicle,not driving with pooch on your lap

with out of control or badly behaved dogs, the problem is almost always the owner.
all dogs should be microchipped and DNA profiled, all owners should be licensed, and all you owners who still let your dogs cr4p everywhere you are as much an anti social menace as any chav with his off the lead mutt, before any dog owners begin to comment they should clean up their own act and that includes securely restraining rover when in a vehicle,not driving with pooch on your lap