Posted on 04/02/2009 9:43:55 AM PDT by kanawa
Italy is to scrap its blacklist of dangerous dogs, replacing it with a law making owners more responsible for their pet`s training and behaviour, Health Undersecretary Francesca Martini said Tuesday.
The new law, which will come into effect in April, will wipe clean the current list of 17 breeds which are considered potentially dangerous, including Rottweilers, pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs and American bulldogs.
Under the current law, owners of these breeds are required to keep them muzzled in public places and ensure that they pose no danger to others, while failure to respect the law can result in the animal being put down.
The new law works on the theory that any dog could be potentially high-risk and puts the onus - morally and legally - on owners, or the person who happens to be in charge of the dog at any one time, to control the pet’s behaviour.
The new law also foresees short training courses for prospective dog owners, who will be issued with a special dog licence.
“This is a historic day because we have established for the first time the responsibility of the owner or the person who is momentarily in charge of the animal,” Martini said.
“The measures adopted in the previous laws had no scientific foundation. Dangerous breeds do not exist. With this law we have overcome the black list, which was just a fig leaf (over the larger problem), and we have increased the level of guarantees for citizens,” she said.
Under the new law, vets will be responsible for compiling a register of individual dogs who they believe may be potentially high risk, and it will be obligatory for owners to keep these pets muzzled in public.
The law also requires dog owners to keep their pets on a lead at all times in urban areas as well as to pick up their dog`s mess, and to carry a muzzle with them in case of need.
It also forbids training dogs to be aggressive using sticks and protective body gear, doping, surgery that is not for health purposes and dangerous cross-breeding.
Carlo Scotti, the president of the National Association of Italian Vets (ANMVI), praised the new law and said courses for dog owners were crucial.
“Before taking on a certain breed of dog, the owner should follow a course to understand its behaviour and how to deal with it, “he said.
Scotti added that recent cases of dog aggression were the result of “the incapacity of the owner in controlling certain breeds”.
“Choosing a 90 kg dog like a Neapolitan mastiff without being properly prepared, for example, is like giving a Ferrari to someone who has just passed their driving licence,” he said.
RDO Woof
The whole thing sounds racist.
It is odd to see a government trusting its citizens to be responsible
and that doesn’t punish the responsible for the actions of the irresponsible.
What an odd concept. Requiring people to be responsible for something....
exactly
Scotti added that recent cases of dog aggression were the result of “the incapacity of the owner in controlling certain breeds”.
exactly
“Choosing a 90 kg dog like a Neapolitan mastiff without being properly prepared, for example, is like giving a Ferrari to someone who has just passed their driving licence,” he said.
Like giving an M-16 to a chimpanzee
or
Like giving control of a nuclear plant to Homer Simpson
or
Like giving the Toastmaster podium to George Bush
or
Like giving the right to vote to Democrats to give the "football" to Obama!
I totally agree.
We have a Pit and at almost 5 months old he is already 40 lbs. I am 5’1 and small but I am the ALPHA in the relationship. Diesel minds me better then my larger and louder husband because I MAKE him mind. If he fails to obey he gets a jerk from this nifty little collar that pinches like a momma dog correcting a pup. It is not cruel, it doesn’t break the skin (it’s a smooth plastic) but it’s enough of a correction that he is starting to obey without the collar. Dogs are pack animals and respond to a leader and has a responsible owner, I MUST be the leader. Our neighbors love Diesel too - he gives lots of slobbery kisses to whoever he can!
Pits are not for everyone. I was raised on a large farm with a Grandfather who had a magic touch with animals, even the big bulls would lick his face, so I don’t have much animal fear (something dogs can sense). I can’t stand those taco bell dogs and cockers though, nasty snarky little things they are.
I have seen those in the pet supply store. If I need to, when he gets older, I will.
Have you used this type of collar?
I hate seeing those collars on pits. If you have a good alpha relationship you won’t need it. I also have a pit, who thinks my husband is his best buddy, but MINDS me right now. I raised him and I’m still the alpha. If I must get rough with him, I use one of two methods (i) muzzle punish; or (ii) ear pinches. I am forceful with both methods if I have to go there. Truthfully, you can hurt my pit’s feelings by just telling him he is a bad dog. Depriving him of our company (by sending him to his kennel) breaks his heart. If he is being a bit hardheaded all I have to say is “Do you want to go to your kennel?” I get instant cooperation. He knows that word “kennel”, just like he knows “bad dog”.
The cats love him, by the way, sleep on him all the time, play with his tail and walk all over him. He loves kids and babies and has the gentlest mouth of any dog I’ve ever known. He’s a very good boy, and I try to be an excellent owner.
Absolutely...I could not think of training a so-called PBT without one. Amstaffs, bullterriers, staffs and other "bullies" have notoriously high pain treshholds and they need pronged collars to get the right training response desired. These collars simulate teeth--what a mother dog would do to her pups when training them in the wild--but do not harm the dog. As I pointed out, these dogs have high tolerance for any stimuli but absolutely require socialization and training to become great pets (some hard-case "bullies" even must be trained with shocking devices and stunners) but, the point is: ALL CAN BECOME THE BEST PET YOU'VE EVER OWNED! They will give you unquestioned loyalty and love, protection and great satisfaction always.
Prong collars are known as “power steering” for strong dogs. Labradors are famous for pulling their owners and some owners and their dogs really benefit from using such a collar. They aren’t as awful as they look - put one on your arm and jerk it and you’ll see it’s not agonizing.
That dog’s prong collar is far too low on his neck. Leerburg has an article that shows how to fit a prong collar on a dog correctly:
http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm
I’ve been told that the owner/trainer
doesn’t pull/jerk on the lead while using the collar
rather the dog pulling is what activates the collar.
<< Breed specific legislation is a real threat to dog ownership. That said, I’ve met so many sweet pits I’ve lost count. They really are neat dogs in responsible hands. Should breed specific legislation become widespread here in the US, it wouldn’t only be the pit bull that would be in deep trouble, you can bet your bottom dollar on that.
There’s a group in Virginia called the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs & Breeders. Years ago they saw the writing on the wall and got language written into the state’s dangerous dog law that forbids using breed as a reason to brand a dog as dangerous. ONLY the behavior of the dog may be used in the designation.
The federation was also instrumental in getting a good “Puppy Lemon Law” passed. Breeders may not sell a sick pup to the public, and then refuse to take it back or give a refund, and they must give the pup at least its first vaccine. They may not sell a pup under 7 weeks old.
The organization has a website, http://www.vfdcb.org if you are curious. >>
(Chet 99 - I'm only pinging you in case you want to learn more about laws being passed based on specific behavior of an individual dog, and not based on what breed it is...that's all) / :-)
>I’ve been told that the owner/trainer
doesn’t pull/jerk on the lead while using the collar
rather the dog pulling is what activates the collar.<
That’s pretty accurate, as a rule. However, if an individual is worried about the collar being too harsh, putting on their arm and yanking it should lessen their anxiety.
But sometimes you get a really stubborn dog, who needs a pop with the prong collar to convince him that walking nicely besides his owner is a pretty good place to be (c;
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