The return of the pitbull menace?
From Hansard:
"Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs in England and Wales have been placed on the register of exempt dogs under section 4A and section 4B procedures under the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [272366]".
We are talking pit bulls here, plus the marvelously named 'dogo Argentino', inter alia.
But instead:
The 2009 figures are up to April, so one might reasonably anticipate that 2009's figures will mark a new high. Anyway, what does this tell us? That some puppy farm has hired a particularly crafty lawyer, that DEFRA is getting more credulous - 'This is Fang. 'e wouldn't 'urt a fly and he loves kids'. 'Absolutely, you've convinced me' - or the law is just being ignored. Meanwhile, there must be at least 600 of them available for your neighbourhood crack dealer, junk yard owner etc to avail himelf of.
"Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs in England and Wales have been placed on the register of exempt dogs under section 4A and section 4B procedures under the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [272366]".
We are talking pit bulls here, plus the marvelously named 'dogo Argentino', inter alia.
I have no more desire to own a dog than I have to own a musk ox, but each to their own. Doubtless that guarantees me a lifetime's supply of hate mail and interesting parcels. Anyway, one would expect the numbers to be fairly consistent over time, as a DEFRA-defined dangerous breed is a dangerous breed is a dangerous breed. Isn't it?
But instead:
The 2009 figures are up to April, so one might reasonably anticipate that 2009's figures will mark a new high. Anyway, what does this tell us? That some puppy farm has hired a particularly crafty lawyer, that DEFRA is getting more credulous - 'This is Fang. 'e wouldn't 'urt a fly and he loves kids'. 'Absolutely, you've convinced me' - or the law is just being ignored. Meanwhile, there must be at least 600 of them available for your neighbourhood crack dealer, junk yard owner etc to avail himelf of.Labels: furry creatures and similar
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on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 8:30 am.
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It might just be that the recognisable breeds have all been weeded out, while we now have crossbreeds that are every bit as potentially dangerous (possessing the same number of teeth) but for whom a hell of a lot of legal wrangling ensues when the State wants to claim Fido's really a 'pitbull type'?
I believe Roger Mugford makes a nice living out of this...
Julia - Good point.
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