The problem with BSL

Determining a dog’s likelihood of aggression by “breed” rather than basing it on their actual behaviour continues to see pets seized from peoples homes who have never caused a problem for their owner or their community.

Take the story of 13 year old Royce (13! A dog who should be enjoying his twilight years at home), who had lived with his owner in Blacktown without complaint. Royce was not found wandering, the council and police came to his home and seized him from his distraught owner. The most disturbing part of this whole story? Royce has lived most of his life as a staffordshire x bull mastiff, until Council deemed him a restricted breed;

Mr Coulter fought back tears as he described how pound officers, accompanied by police, came to his door and demanded his dog.

“They said he’s a dangerous breed; they say he’s a pit bull,” he said.

“I said: “No he’s not; I can prove that’.”

He said Royce has never harmed any person or any other animal.

“He’s so timid, he’s scared of his own shadow,” Mr Coulter said.

….
Blacktown councillor Russ Dickens, who is also a veterinarian, said taking Mr Coulter’s dog from him was an outrage.

“It’s reprehensible and draconian that this still happens in Blacktown,” Cr Dickens said.

He said he has treated Mr Coulter’s dog over the years and was unaware of any complaints about him.

“I’ll be following this up,” he said.

A Blacktown Council spokesman said Royce was alive and in an animal holding facility.

“The dog was seized because it was deemed a restricted breed and the owner had failed to comply with the legislated requirements for housing the dog,” he said. (ref)

When a 13 year old dog can be seized for simply looking a certain way, leaving an owner who’d done nothing wrong devastated, we have to realise we’ve been lead into this by people whose whole careers are built on killing without compassion.

Hugh, Graeme? is this what you had in mind?