Police Officers & Council Dog Wardens General Chat

Would any police officers & council dog wardens either formerly or currently employed as such, please give us their opinions of what is currently happening where the DDA is concerned. All opinions welcome.
I for one would like to get a feel for the atmosphere, feeling`s eminating from the people who are actually at the sharp end of enforcing this law.

I dont know if any of the members on here are police officers or dog wardens :?

Im with you though if there is id like to hear from them

They still put in an order for all these dogs to be killed!
I have to agree with you about some owners making you feel as though you shouldn't bother trying to help though but I suppose that's the same in all walks of life.
Becky

They are certainly not going to admit it's been a failure are they.
The questions asked Mini were good ones but to me they still haven't given any straight answers.
Why was the advice of the kennel club and other animal organisations ignored.

Sorry the answers they gave just don't do it for me,they are worming there way out of it and it still seems as though no lessons have been learn't and any advice the Police are given is falling on deaf ears.

Mini

Not sure which owners you are referring to exactly, are they bull breed owners on dogsey?

From personal experience I know that people have been extremely worried about their pets, and as such have felt extremely vulnerable to what could happen to them. From what I have read of your posts recently, I know that you are urging people not to add to the hype by saying things like "your breed will be next". I understand your reasons for that, however it strikes me that the stance you take on this is also one of wishing to protect your own choice of breed, which is exactly what a lot of Bull Breed owners are doing at the moment. It is simply the way that people have been going about protecting them, which is where the differences of opinion lie. The fact that bull breeds in particular are constantly in the media spotlight, makes it a particularly worrying time for a lot of people and as such, threads, such as the one that was proposed to post pics of dogs with kids, are hardly going to increase hype to the extent that they will be dragged under the spotlight, as this is already the case.

The questions you asked to Inspector Davies are much appreciated by every bull breed owner on here. However if you do this without people being aware, then get caught up in a debate which happens to be with a few bull breed owners, it is a bit harsh to then say to them, well I was doing a lot for bull breeds but now you've been like that I'm not going to bother.

I also think sal was right in what she said, the inspector was very good at avoiding giving a straight answer to your questions.

Hi Mini,
I for one do truely appriciate what you have been doing behind the scenes.

I just feel with recent events and advice ignored by the Police from various animal organisations,they haven't learn't anything at all.I really hope they have learn't a harsh lesson from all this,but somehow i very much doubt it.

And as for trying to get kennel fees awarded @ £10 per dog per day,that was just disgraceful.
I for one will never trust the Police again,i think the way it has been handled from start to finish was a shambles,which was proven in court.
I feel really Sorry for the owners who were lied to and mislead by the Police that had their family pets put to sleep.

Mini,I too appreciate the things that you and others have done behind the scenes.I hope that i have not come across as a Bull Breed owner that you described above,as this was never my intention and i would hope that it was nobody else intention either.As you say we should all be looking further than our own breed of choice.But obviously at times like this as Bull Breed owners you can not blame us for being nervous.Credit where its due,your inspector got back to you and kinda answered your questions,but there is no doubt in my mind that some officers were lets just say less than sypathetic toward some families.

I'm with Mini on this one... I speak as DOG owner and I hate to see any breed being singled out. Of course we need to fight back and of course we have to oppose what we think are knee jerk reactions. But I think we have to try to do it in a non confrontational way as much as possible, otherwise we start to look as aggressive as the picture that the media has painted. We have to put our energy into showing our dogs (regardless of breed) in a positive light. And we have to be seen to stand side by side with the authorities and voice our displeasure are the real problem... which of course is those who use their dogs illegally and or irresponsibly. Of course there are times when we will get angry at certain pieces of legislation or at individuals, whether it police or politicians... but we must match that with good positive publicity for the thousands of innocent family pets out there..

I sometimes think the police have a very difficult job - they are employed to uphold the law whether they agree with it or not.

If they are sent out to check up on dogs which have been reported to them they have to do it. I personally wouldn't have a clue as to many breeds of dog and I am sure that a lot of policemen wouldn't either - especially those who have little knowledge of dogs. It is the legislation which is at fault not the people who have been instructed to make sure it is acted upon.

I pleased you asked the police the questions you did, but what
I`m after is the personal opinions of officers & wardens. I`m thinking the feedback would not be favourable because these people would deal with people on the limits of our society on a daily basis. These people sometimes have the types of dogs bullbreed owners like, so I can`t help but feel that this would have soured their views. They are quiet welcome to air them, as long as they understand I will reserve the right to express my views. Doesn`t look like there are any on this forum, so lets hear the personal opinions of any local government officers on this forum.

Hi Mini

The part of my post that you highlighted was taken in the wrong way. I would never have that attitude, a fact which is illustrated when I said that I appreciate everything you have done recently. The part you highlighted in my post is where I am suggesting that some bull breed owners have attempted to do things to help their breed in the current situation, to which you have disagreed with the way they have gone about it, been dragged into a debate, then reacted in the way that you have by saying that you will not be helping in the future.

I think its a little harsh to say to people that you get into a debate with (who have no knowledge of the work you have done), that as a result of their attitude you wont be helping anymore.

I know that I have gone off topic from the op, however I had to comment after reading mini's first post. Apologies.

Mini I aren't actually disagreeing with any of the points that you are making, however its the way that you have taking it a bit too personal (IMO) when you have become involved in a debate with others on here.

I wasn't going to get involved in this..I for one don't find what Mini has posted offensive I kinda see what she's getting at when looking at the 'bigger' picture. For us to think that BSL and the DDA only effects Bull and breeds then were wrong, BSL & the DDA effects all breeds it's right that all dog owners should be concerned us as Bull breed owners should not selfishly think that it only effects us because it does not. I don't think Mini was pointing the finger at anyone here, it's just certain everyday attitudes from people like your next door nieghbour for instance!

I am a current police dog handler and instructor.
My personnal view is that no breed should be singled out as being vicious, the owners of the dog are at fault.

Unfortunately the wrong type of person has latched onto the bull breeds and are using these wonderful animals as an extention to their limited macho ego. The same way as the same sort of people latched onto the GSD or the Rottie.
I have had first hand experience of what these people have done to their dogs, worked up so much that nothing could control them, on one occasion eating its way through a wall to get at its tormentors. And how do these people react to their dog being destroyed ?, simple go out and buy another one as if they were buying a pint of milk.

The dog is not to blame if it is and I use the word very loosely trained to be vicious, the owner should be the one to suffer not the animal.

Unfortunately like a lot of laws the innocent member of the public who doesnt have the ability to deceive or hide falls foul of the laws.
The majority of police officers do not have the experience to tell if a dog is one of the banned breeds, I think that is why so many are seized then returned, like everything else in this hectic world it is better to be safe than sorry.

Since the tragic incident in Liverpool I have not noticed any great rise in my own force area regarding banned breeds being reported and certainly my own department has not had any more requests to deal with dangerous dogs than normal.

As a dog owner, with both a proffesional and personal interest in the DDA and other like acts, I personally treat every incident I attend as individually as I can , as when you assume some thing to be right that is when it will definately go wrong.

A really good post and one on the whole i agree with.But as a serving police officer particulaly doing the specific job you do,the DDA must be a frustrating law for you to uphold.As you have said that no breed is inherantly vicious.Although i think the yobs and idiots that buy these wonderful breeds must frustrate you more.don't get me wrong I was as horrified about the tragic death of the little girl in Merseyside as the next person,but as you rightly said the owner was to blame and not the dog.We are still targeting the wrong end of the lead.

I have to say that in the role I am currently in the dogs I deal with through no fault of their own are very dangerous, trained with only one thing in mind to bite anyone or anything that comes near the idiot on the end of the lead.
There are parts of the DDA that are easy to police, but these parts relate to any dog, being out of control in public place etc etc. Its when it trys to get to clever like naming specific breeds that makes it hard to police.
The type of people who you dont want to have any dog never mind one on the list are very quick as I said before to deceive, its not a pitbull its a staffie/lab cross is the favourite one.

And we have to remember that police officers like a lot of people out there dont understand the behaviour of dogs, I have been sent to so many alleged dangerous dog incidents only to find some poor terrified animal who wants nothing more than a calm voice and some food.

There isnt an easy answer to this problem if the bull breeds are removed the idiots will just move on to the next dog that falls into the trend.

:-( That brought tears to my eyes.

Thanks for such an honest post, I wish all Police officers could feel the way you do, you obviously care very much for the dogs, and lay the blame where it should be, on the OTHER end of the lead.

Who said that what Mini put was offensive??

What I said was, is that Mini has had a disagreement with a few people, one in particular. The next stage, which is the purpose of a forum such as this, is to debate your opinion with one another. When people disagree with you, you shouldn't take it too personally and then after the debate inform them of work you have been doing (which they weren't aware of) and then state that because of their attitude you wont be doing any of that work anymore. At no point did I say that BSL or the DDA didn't affect everyone, in fact I have pointed out on more than one occassion, that I agree with what mini has said. The point I made was that a few bull breed owners have gone about their dissaproval of BSL in a way that mini objects to, then when it has turned into a debate she has taken things a little too personally.