Any of the doghouse crew watching the dangerous dogs thing on Beeb

[MmeLindor.]

I cannot help but think that people like that should be put down, not the poor dogs.

And that it is horrible that because of wankers like these that dogs are being pts.

Now they have the tape measure out.

I'm afraid I saw approximately the first twenty seconds and turned over. I'm a soppy animal lover and I couldn't stomach it tonight.

Is there a reason that the police are going in in the middle of the night? It seems very confrontational.

No wonder the dog was agitated. He was protecting his owners from invaders, as he saw it.

I am on my own, it seems but that poor dog that was living in a garden shed.

And had never been walked, going by the way it reacted to the lead. Stupid bloody woman.

I didn't know that if a dog is found to be a "dangerous breed" that they cannot be rehomed. That lovely dog was put down just because she had fuckwitted owners.

One thing that I learned from that is that the law on this is terrible.

What an unbearably sad program. I think the officer summed it up perfectly 'current legislation does not protect public safety or the rights of the animal'.

Bloody irresponsible owners

It was horrible, wasn't it.

And there does not seem to be much in the way of punishment for these arses - they will go out and get another dog.

The fuckwit woman in the top floor high rise had already been banned!! No point crying now - you shouldn't have had her in the first place!!

Sorry over use of !! makes my blood boil though

These bloody people want putting down. Do the world a favour.

I didn't see the beginning and nearly switched off but couldn't find the remote. It was a sad programme. The Dangerous Dogs Act was a bit of legislation hurried through under Thatcher in response to a number of children being savaged horribly. I do think we would have done better to put the owners to sleep.

It was crap legislation then and it still is. There were a lot of complaints at the time, even before it was Enacted, with vets, RSPCA and loads of others saying that perfectly good dogs would die as a result. And so it has come to pass. Can't believe that it is still going in its original form, it really is terribly unjust.

I agree. The dangerous dogs act is a farce and a purely reactionary piece of legislation.
I missed the program and I'm glad I did.

I'm actually a cat person, so I'm glad I saw it as it reminded me of what a bloody awful bit of legislation it was. I am also one of those really irritating constituents who emails her MP periodically with a list of questions, like Is it time the Dangerous Dogs Act was reviewed and made fit for purpose?, for instance. Which will go on the list next time. Arf.

Programmes like this are cheap tv but they do serve a purpose. It is a way of alerting people to how things work and why. More people will know about what is likely to happen to their beloved pet if they fail to take proper care of it, for instance.

Missed this but will try to catch it on iPlayer later.

Completely agree about the DDA, it's a hateful and stupid piece of legislation. I can't see what good it does or who it protects, the main outcome seems to be innocent dogs being killed simply because they look 'wrong'.

I wouldn't be complacent either if you don't have/know one of the currently banned breeds. Plenty of people would have Rottweilers, Dobermans, GSDs, Mastiffs etc on that list given a chance, basically any breed they don't like the look of . Breed-specific legislation is just plain wrong IMO.

'I can't see what good it does or who it protects, the main outcome seems to be innocent dogs being killed simply because they look 'wrong'. '

It did a brilliant job of showing that...there was a perfectly healthy, young, friendly dog destroyed near the end and the police officer was visibly upset about it - he couldn't go back to where he was being kept and of course because he'd been found to be 'type' he couldn't be rehomed, the police officer said he couldn't see the sense in it and that the act as it stands isn't doing anything useful.

I missed it. DDA - what a clunky, mad, badly thought out piece of legislation. I can't believe its not been changed yet, given the fact that no one actually seems to think its a good idea

Do cross-breeds count on this one? Excuse my ignorance, I really ought to know

Yes cross-breeds can count, if they're judged to be 'type', which is based on measurements and appearance :(

Insane. And utterly misses the point, which is making people take responsibility for their pets, so that everyone is safe

Sorry - meant to say, 'thanks' Ephiny

It was a nightmare, that dog that was never walked, and the one put down, and the rest ..And ths pup in that filthy loo..
So desperately sad.

I was never really sure what to think about the legistlation but that really brought it home to me how simply stupid it is.

The dog that was put down was a darling little thing, so trusting and friendly despite the abuse.

I finally watched it. So sad and angry.

That poor pup, who was killed at the end. Gorgeous young, healthy, happy, friendly little pup, killed for no reason other than having the wrong measurements . Did you see how his little tail was still wagging as they did the injection?

What a vile and stupid law.

Not sure the program was really so balanced though. Lots of references to 'dogs like these', e.g. when saying the dogs can bite when frightened, when strangers burst into their home etc. Surely that's true of any breed, not just the ones 'like these', i.e. bull breeds. And the sentimental stuff about the child didn't really add anything, and seemed in quite bad taste to me, as though that in any way justified killing innocent dogs who weren't even born when that incident happened.

Yes, I noted that as well Ephiny. Surely even the most docile of dogs would react with fear and aggression if strangers barged into the bedroom in the night. Even my daphne might be inclined to protect her family in that case.

I think the problem with 'those' dogs is that they are so hard to stop if they start, and that makes them very dangerous. I know any dog (like a cat) can give you a bite if they're frightened, but a Pekingese for instance, can be controlled, prised off what/whoever they are biting. I understand that pit bulls (?) are virtually impossible to stop.

I do think that the law should be changed so that dogs are dealt with individually, and can be rehomed if necessary rather than a blanket 'put it down'.

I'm sure there are many very experienced and skilled dog handlers who could retrain a badly treated dog so that it can have a good life. Those police handlers are so experienced, their recommendations on what can be done with an abused dog should surely be heard and count for something.L

Any strong, untrained dog would be quite difficult to stop when it's determined to do something (whether that's biting or something else), that goes for pretty much all medium-large breeds surely. Though my rottweilers are a fair bit bigger than pit bulls, and I know I can physically restrain either of them if need be (though I prefer to train a LEAVE! command rather than hauling them about by brute force, much easier for me that way!). And I'm a fairly small woman, not particularly strong. So not sure I believe in the almost supernatural strength sometimes attributed to pit bulls (prepared to be corrected by someone who has owned or worked with them though).

Definitely agree pit bulls etc should be allowed to be rehomed. That lovely pup on the program would have been a great little dog in the right home (I'd have had him myself if my home wasn't already full with 'dangerous' rescue dogs).

There's another problem there though - we already have the situation where rescue centres are full - young, healthy dogs with nice temperament are being killed every day simply because there aren't enough homes for them, especially the bigger or less popular/more demonised breeds. So unless that problem is addressed, the outcome may be more or less the same for the poor dog :(