Vicki
Administrator
Group slams Act: Govt trying to wipe out pitbulls
Aabida Allaham
Monday, May 25th 2009
THE Government is barking up the wrong tree by implementing the current Dangerous Dogs Act, a group called the Responsible Dog Owners of Trinidad And Tobago (RODTT) has said.
Spokesman for the group Ganesh Khoon Khoon told the Express last week that while the members had no problem with the idea of legislation to prevent acts of violence by, and to the dogs, this Act sought to wipe out the dogs completely.
"If you look at the Act carefully, you would see that they are trying to get rid of them by spaying and neutering. These dogs have a life span of about ten to 12 years, so basically in the next ten to 12 years, we will not have any pitbulls or tosas and that is not right or fair," he said.
The Act, which was passed in 2000 by the then-UNC administration, but has yet to be proclaimed, prohibits people from importing or breeding dangerous dogs, such as the pitbull terrier or any dog bred from the pitbull terrier and having the dominant characteristics of that dog, the fila brasileiro or any dog bred from the fila brasileiro and having the dominant characteristics of that dog and the Japanese tosa or any dog bred from the Japanese tosa and having the dominant characteristics of that dog.
Additionally, it seeks to regulate the manner in which dangerous dogs are kept by their owner or keepers and ensures that people who own any of these get that dog spayed or neutered by a veterinary surgeon within three months of the coming into force of this Act
Khoon Khoon said only irresponsible dog owners should be affected by implementation of the legislation.
He said these dogs were capable of being social once they were trained and treated humanely.
"When people get any of the dogs as a puppy, they should try to get basic obedience training for the dogs, and try to help them become more socialised with other dogs and people by muzzling them and taking them for short 30-minute walks," he advised.
Khoon Khoon said this was necessary because when the dogs were ill-treated or chained, they developed a heightened territorial instinct.
So when they were confronted, they responded with a "fight or flight" attitude.
"The little three-year-old girl that got attacked by the pitbul was partly the parent's fault because they left the child alone in the yard. But more than that, it was the owner's fault because they failed to build a decent kennel or train the dog," he said.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index...s?id=161481590
Aabida Allaham
Monday, May 25th 2009
THE Government is barking up the wrong tree by implementing the current Dangerous Dogs Act, a group called the Responsible Dog Owners of Trinidad And Tobago (RODTT) has said.
Spokesman for the group Ganesh Khoon Khoon told the Express last week that while the members had no problem with the idea of legislation to prevent acts of violence by, and to the dogs, this Act sought to wipe out the dogs completely.
"If you look at the Act carefully, you would see that they are trying to get rid of them by spaying and neutering. These dogs have a life span of about ten to 12 years, so basically in the next ten to 12 years, we will not have any pitbulls or tosas and that is not right or fair," he said.
The Act, which was passed in 2000 by the then-UNC administration, but has yet to be proclaimed, prohibits people from importing or breeding dangerous dogs, such as the pitbull terrier or any dog bred from the pitbull terrier and having the dominant characteristics of that dog, the fila brasileiro or any dog bred from the fila brasileiro and having the dominant characteristics of that dog and the Japanese tosa or any dog bred from the Japanese tosa and having the dominant characteristics of that dog.
Additionally, it seeks to regulate the manner in which dangerous dogs are kept by their owner or keepers and ensures that people who own any of these get that dog spayed or neutered by a veterinary surgeon within three months of the coming into force of this Act
Khoon Khoon said only irresponsible dog owners should be affected by implementation of the legislation.
He said these dogs were capable of being social once they were trained and treated humanely.
"When people get any of the dogs as a puppy, they should try to get basic obedience training for the dogs, and try to help them become more socialised with other dogs and people by muzzling them and taking them for short 30-minute walks," he advised.
Khoon Khoon said this was necessary because when the dogs were ill-treated or chained, they developed a heightened territorial instinct.
So when they were confronted, they responded with a "fight or flight" attitude.
"The little three-year-old girl that got attacked by the pitbul was partly the parent's fault because they left the child alone in the yard. But more than that, it was the owner's fault because they failed to build a decent kennel or train the dog," he said.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index...s?id=161481590