Dangerous dogs — where now?

There are almost weekly reports of both adults

There are essentially two separate but related issues about aggressive dogs: there are the dogs that are trained to be aggressive, often for personal protection, or for status, or to guard the proceeds of crime; then there are the more ‘ordinary’ aggressive dogs that are seen so often in veterinary practices. The common factor is the dogs but the potential solutions are, I believe, quite different.

The dogs trained to be aggressive are, in most cases the result of the society in which their owners live. These are often areas of social deprivation, high unemployment, and frequent drug misuse. While most are in metropolitan areas, there are also pockets spread across the country. Because they are confined to specific areas many practices will never see such dogs whereas those at the heart of deprived areas see them on a daily basis. David Grant, Veterinary Director of the Harmsworth Animal Hospital in London, speaks eloquently of his daily diet of severely injured dogs. While the majority are Staffie crosses, usually feted as Pit Bull Terriers, the type of dog is quite irrelevant to the social issues.