Following a tragic attack by Rottweilers on a baby, the term "dangerous dog" has been dusted down and re-introduced into the English language.
No doubt, there will follow a spate of attacks for the next couple of weeks, as the bloodlust and sadism of the media will need satisfying with lurid tales of vicious "unprovoked" attacks, pools of blood and stitches by the dozens.
Stangely, this appears to be a subject where the average tabloid reader and do gooders unite. Both parties will demand bans on so-called dangerous dogs and if not that, then muzzles on them at the very least (a dangerous dog in this context will most likely be anything with four legs, teeth and a bark).
This also seems to be one of the few subjects where the media can preach blatant ignorance and prejudice and be allowed free rein.
Think about it:-
When an innocent bystander is mown down by a speeding driver, are all drivers considered as dangerous, or are there calls for speed-limiters to be applied to all cars?
When a terrorist plot by Islamic extremists is revealed, should all Muslims be considered potential terrorists?
The answer to both the above is no, of course not. Yet, all dogs of one particular breed (Rottweiler) are to be condemned as dangerous. No doubt other breeds such as Alsatians, Dobermans and various bull Terriers will be lumped into the argument, all on the strength of one horribly tragic incident.
The most annoying part for me is the imbalance in the reporting and treatment of these incidents. Every dog attack is front page news, yet cruelty to dogs is an ongoing and far more common problem (as I suspect anyone from the RSPCA would testify). How many of you would be aware of a recent case where a Staffordshire Bull Terrier was thrown to its death from a block of flats by a bunch of youths? I suspect not many, as it was only considered worthy of an inside page in a local newspaper - what's the betting that the same do gooders who condemn the dog, would want us to try and understand these youths and their behaviour, and treat them with kid gloves?
My own opinion, for what it's worth, is that a dog is like a car, gun or knife - only as safe or dangerous as the person who owns it wants it to be? My family have owned Staffies (you may detect a little bias) for over 20 years, and I can tell you that these dogs have lovely temperaments and are pretty trustworthy.
However, there are irresponsible and malicious individuals out there who do need to be clamped down on with far more rigorous investigation, and stiffer penalties required against those who are cruel to animals and those who don't look after their animals properly.
