Episode 29 - dangerous dogs, pampered pooches and more

The Dog News Show

In the U.K. we're used to Pitbulls hitting the news but this week a breeder of another banned breed had his home raided and his dogs confiscated. The Dogo Argentinos were taken from a house in Grimsby, and included a litter of puppies. Debbie points out how heartless it is to breed dogs of a breed that is banned and also the intricacies involved in identifying a dog as being of a certain breed or type. Currently in the U.K. four breeds are banned - the Pitbull, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and Fila Braziliera. Unfortunately media handling of banned breeds is not always helpful - all this and more is discussed.
A case went to court recently of a man who threw his dog into the sea. Paul Sanders, the man in question, hurled his Border Collie down a fifteen feet drop into twelve inches of water very near some rocks, saying, "This is the way to teach a dog to swim." Onlookers were horrified, but despite Paul Sanders being unrepentant - asserting, "They're my dogs I can do what I like with them!" - a judge ruled he could have his dogs back. The RSPCA is disappointed, and so is Julie - what do you think? Should Paul Sanders be given a second chance or should his dogs be taken away from him?
Too often when a dog attacks through to his owner's bad handling, it's the dog who bears the brunt of any punishment dished out, but when Raul De Abreu's American Bulldog, Rio, attacked his neighbours' dog, it was Raul, not Rio who was brought to justice. Rio knocked over Pauline Marline and then attacked her dog Charlie, as well as injuring Pauline's partner who came to her aid after hearing her screams. Raul was fined a total of £610 and must now keep Rio muzzled and on a lead when in public places - so let's hope Raul sticks to that arrangement, but Debbie has her doubts. .
Meanwhile Julie would like to ban the word "pampered" from any reporting about dogs, as the media constantly misapplies it. The latest example of this is an article featuring, "the most pampered dog in Scotland", about a Pug called Mr Darcy who is a show dog who sleeps on his own antique bed, eats sirloin steak and travels first class. This article is a mix of confused ownership and irresponsible reporting, and calls into question again what would really constitute pampering to a dog and what would be irrelevant from a canine perspective.
In a story from Woolloomooloo, Australia, Debbie has the tale of an owner of whom she really disapproves. The owner and his friend were play fighting with the dog, a Labrador Rhodesian Ridgeback mix when the dog became so riled it attacked the owner. The media approach to the story is more balanced than often seen, and the police treatment of the two dogs involved in this story is also worthy of interest. Sadly though the owner does not want the dog back as he fears another attack - but the question is, who is really to blame here, the owner or the dog?
In a week when there has been a lot of bad news in the dog world, we've never been more in need of Schmaltz Corner and a smile. This week Julie has the story of dog lovers and their dogs who gathered to raise awareness of and funds for American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life event. They have the strong message that dogs can survive cancer and live a happy life, and money raised goes towards research that will benefit both people and animals.