FROM the MEDICAL PROFESSION - WHY BSL IS WRONG
Sensible words from the medical profession on Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and why it makes no sense to victimize Pit Bulls...
It is better to teach children about dogs than ban breeds, according to new
research.
A study in the Medical Journal of Australia says that banning
certain breeds of dogs is ineffective in reducing the rate and severity of
attacks.
Lead author, pediatric surgeon Professor Roy Kimble, said:
Basically in the hands of a irresponsible owner, any dog can be dangerous.
Kimble said
laws which targeted specific ”dangerous breeds” were not based on whether the
breeds were inherently dangerous, but on those breeds which had been
traditionally used for fighting.
”Breed-specific legislation fails to take into account that any breed of dog
can be dangerous in the hands of an irresponsible owner who fails to provide
good and early training,” he said.
”Further, these restrictions may create the risk of higher numbers of
unregistered animals or irresponsible owners simply turning to other breeds.”
Children and some dogs, like guard dogs, just should not be mixed, he said.
And he says some people are not suited to certain breeds.
Sometimes people use dogs as status symbols and that’s often the dangerous
breeds. You know, ‘look at me I’ve got a pit bull terrier.’
Professor Kimble said the key is educating dog owners and children about how
to behave with dogs.
“All kids should be educated how to behave around dogs and that should be
done by the parents. Also, it would be great if we could have a school education
campaign for young kids,” he said.
The leading charity, the RSPCA, agreed, with its chief scientist Dr Bidda
Jones telling the ABC:
What tends to happen when a child particularly is attacked by a dog is that
governments are put under pressure to respond to that particular incident.
But actually what is needed is a long-term preventative strategy. It
involves people actually being educated about what their responsibilities are
as a dog owner.
Dr Jones says children can be taught simple things about how to behave
around dogs.
“Not to approach them for instance when they are sleeping or when they are
eating, not to pat dogs without actually asking whether or not that’s okay,” he
said.
“To know how to behave if a dog does behave in an aggressive way towards
them, so for instance, to avoid eye contact, not to run away but to stand
still,” he said.
The report recommended that children should be taught to:
- Ask permission from the
owner before slowly approaching an unfamiliar dog
- Never to run from a dog or scream
- Stand still if approached by a strange dog and, if knocked over, roll into a ball and lie still
- Avoid eye contact with the dog by looking at their own feet
- Not to disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies and
- Not to pat a dog without supervision or without allowing them to see and sniff them first.
- Never to run from a dog or scream
- Stand still if approached by a strange dog and, if knocked over, roll into a ball and lie still
- Avoid eye contact with the dog by looking at their own feet
- Not to disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies and
- Not to pat a dog without supervision or without allowing them to see and sniff them first.
This Article is from CARE 2 Don't Ban Breeds - Teach Kids
If you would like to know more about the proper way to greet a dog you do not know you can read this article To Greet A Dog You Do Not Know.
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Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld.
