A Paragraph written by Kenneth Baker................... The recent tragic death of a five year old girl has shown yet again that there is no place in the dog-loving community of our country for pit bulls or pit bull-type dogs. Not all the pit bulls are worth the death of one little child. I also think the Act could also be strengthened as regards certain other breeds. I believe the owners of Rottweilers - two Rottweilers killed a baby last year - and all types of bull terriers - Bill Sykes' dog in Oliver Twist - and German shepherds should be registered so there is a record of who owns them and where they are based. Orders could then be made to ensure that when these breeds are in a public place, such as a park, they are muzzled. Children have a right to play in safety in our public spaces. Legislation on dogs is never easy because the relationship between a dog and its owner is very close and affectionate. In over 95% of cases there is no evidence of a dog being anything other than gentle. But one cannot escape the fact that over 4,000 people were admitted to hospital last year with dog bites, so there must be a much greater responsibility shown by dog owners to ensure the safety of the public. Source = http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kenneth_baker/2007/01/post_859.html So if we are all running scared for nothing,why is the man that started the DDA coming out with comments like that?
I couldnt agree more mate Just editing because i didnt want people thinking im agreeing with the statement i was agreeing with stamford, just thought id clear that up! lol
I agree with children playing safely but that is also down to the responsilbilty of Parents too,how many kids approach strange dogs without asking the owner first,I'm sorry you can't blame just the dogs........ That man is a disgrace!!!
Exactly - I have taught, and constantly remind my boys to aways ask before stroking a dog no matter how friendly it seems. Hollie is friendly, and cute to look at - I have had parents say to their child thing like "Aaaw look at the cute doggie, go say hello" - cute lookig yes but they don't know her temperament do they?!! Yes children have a right to play safe, but our dogs have a right to be treated with respect.
I've said it in another thread! HEADS IN THE SAND! they will not be happy untill we have a DDA list like Italy! please people WAKE UP it will be your breed next!! although I feel I must add, I really hope not! i
In my years helping severely disturbed dogs and cats, injuries to myself from : Dog bites = 0 Cat bites = 1 The cat bite meant a months hospital treatment for septacaemia and coming close to losing two fingers [ possibly more ], from that one single bite. Perhaps I should keep quiet though before the power mad ignorant idiots who would`nt know a dog from an Elephant start an equivalent with a Dangerous Cats Act Who the heck voted these dog hating maniacs in anyway ? Isn`t there such a thing as a vote of no confidence to get them out of positions of power before they do even more damage to our canine society than a tiny handful of stupid owners and a few neglectful parents could ever do ?
Obviously Children have a right to play safely anywhere.Obviously everybody was horrified when that poor little girl died in Merseyside.But people listen to idiots like this and everything snowballs.The reason i posted this,is because as responsible dog lovers we have got to wake up and smell the coffee.How he can want to include all Bull Breeds,Rotties and GSD's is beyond me.For gods sake what will be next?
The blokes an idiot, If you add rotties and gsd, what next do you add yorkies and labs. I know out of all the gsd i have met none have gone for me or scared me, ffs my old lab scared me more. Again the breed does not make a jot of difference, its all down to how the dogs taught and trained. Kenneth Baker should p*ss off back into obscurity because no one took him seriously in the past and no one will now.
Agree the guys a plank and talks from where the sun doesn't shine. Pity the paper gives him the time of day, let alone allows him to write the nonsense he does. Media hysteria, some people read and some people fear.:-(
what I don't understand it the muzzling in public bit. Both little Ellie and the baby before christmas, were killed in the house, yes? So what difference does it make that your dog is muzzled in public, when it is in your own home that you are unable to supervise you child and dog, and make sure they are never left unantended?? I don't think I recall an incident of a child being attacked in the park, it is always in their own home, at the neighbours or some relative. People who think it is fine to leave dog and child together are not likely to muzzle their dogs at home anyway, are they? So it won't make a significant difference to any bite statistics in the long run.
This man is an old fool!!!!!!!!!! the only thing he has right is "children should be allowed to play safely in parks" Dont have a problem with that, and I doubt any responsible dog owner would. If there are children running loose, my dogs go back on leads, for their own safetly. But how many of these attacks happen in the park??
I read that statement yesterday. It led on to a discussion where so many members of the public who haven't got a clue about responsible dog ownership and how ridiculous this law is voiced their opinions. Some of them were so abusive towards dog lovers, one went as far as to call us "wa**ers". The forum was closed after 3 days, so I was left fuming without the chance of putting my point across. Idiots like this man, and the comments he has made do register with like minded sponges across the country. People want something done about the situation, we do to (a fact they never seem to listen to), but strengthening a ridiculous piece of legislation like that lacks basic common sense. Idiots exist, they desire a dangerous looking dog, if the govt are successful in removing their breed of choice from the streets, they will hijack another breed, incidents will continue and more breeds will be dragged into it. Where will it all end if people like him are able to introduce legislation like the dda.
This article was written on January the 3rd, it is not a recent article. I heard the comments made at the time by Kenneth Baker who was speaking on the BBC, he had been asked for his opinion because in 1991 he was the minister responsible for the DDA and the incident with the little girl had just happened when this piece was written . Does this mean because one person expressed an opinion over a month ago we all need to panic and assume other breeds will be added to the DDA, no it doesn't. Some people are not looking at the situation rationally and all this over hyping the matter doesn't help . In my area alone the local rescues has seen an 80% increase in the number of strays handed in most of them Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Staffordshire cross-breeds and Boxer crosses. It is not just politicians who over react. I believe all this over hype is not helping and is in fact harming some dogs. What can the rest of us do, we can make sure our dogs are well socialised, trained and behave well in public.Not everyone likes dogs and many people are afraid of them, it is up to us the resposible owners to set a good example and to teach others dog owners how to do the same.
I know when the article was posted, however it still caused me to become rather annoyed by it. Like I said, the forum was closed as it was over 3 days old so I was unable to post anything on it. Due to the fact that the whole issue regarding dangerous dogs is never far from the news, and the also in light of the tragic incidents over the last few months, I'd say the article (3rd January) is quite recent, and I'm sure his opinion hasn't changed since then. The man still has the platform to deliver his opinion publicly, and what is clear from the comments in response, others share his view. As such, people are of course, concerned.
