Dog Attacks, Laws and the Media

On Monday, a 4-year-old boy was killed by a pit-bull type dog that is apparently banned in the UK, and inevitably, the story of the tragedy featured heavily in the UK news.

Dogs are like children, because often, when you get idiots and numpties, bringing them up, particularly breeds such as Rottweilers and Akitas, it is a recipe for disaster. That is not a slur on Rottweilers and Akitas. No breed, even Labradors, should be left on alone with a baby or youngster. A car, alone is neither good or bad. It is just a piece of metal, but when you get nutcases, or people who can't drive controlling them, they become dangerous weapons.

When tragedies like this occur, moral panics arise, particularly whipped up by newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Sun. There are simply some people who aren't fit to bring up either animals or children. By all means, if a dog attacks someone without provocation or reason, destroy it, but punish the deed, not the breed. An individuals background should be looked at before they are allowed to buy a dog. Never mind banning certain breeds of dogs, what about banning certain types of people from owning them?