[geerarffe]

BRITAINS UNWANTED PETS: Last year saw a big increase in the number of stray dogs recorded as being picked up in the UK. Tom Heap goes to Battersea Dogs Home to find out why.

Have just caught the back end of todays show and next weeks was advertised. Specific mention of bull breeds as status symbols was made so might be worth a watch. You lot already know the plight of the bullys so kind of a grandmonther and egg situation but I thought I'd save the mods moving my thread!

[mummysaz21]

oooppsss coppied your thread sorry hadent seen you write this, i apologisexxx

[Rainrescue]

I have just seen this also advertised. It looks like one to watch.

Its with Panorama and Battersea - a centre that must see so much heartache and pain due to the profit, greed, cruelty and neglect of so many animals - and high on that list - is the bull breeds.

I've just watched Pittbulls and Parolees on SKY - how i just love them and wish they were all in good homes. I just wish the udjuts would stop breeding them.

[KATIEB_23]

Oh I just spotted this on Facebook so was about to start a thread...

Netherlands Boarding & Rescue Kennels Up and coming programme about abandoned dogs will probably show the true reality of the one way road (PTS) that most of these unwanted dogs face, especially a so misunderstood breed like the SBT. Fortunately Doris Banham, one of the rescues at Netherlands, strives to save as many of these dogs as they can and as Karen ...tells us: 'Doris Banham Dog Rescue did a lot of filming for this programme so fingers crossed we get a good slot'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tcfmp

Will be looking forward to this (but then will probably get upset )
Unfortunately it's the people that REALLY need to watch it that probably wouldn't bother
*The "stoxer" seller from yesterday, for example


Dunno if this will work but hopefully it's a link straight to "Remote Record" on Sky+
http://tv.sky.com/tvlistings?eventId...Query=Panorama

[mj.scuba]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10807271

This is a sad state of affairs, thousands of healthy dogs being put down, because they are too aggressive to rehome. These are mainly "status" "hard" dogs like staffies that chavvy scutters like to have to make themselves look "hard", even though in the right environment they can make lovely pets.

Is it about time they brought in dog licences for certain breeds like staffies to prevent the chav scum from having them? Nobody with a criminal record relating to violence, theft or drugs should be allowed to have one. They should all be microchipped, registered to an owner, and the owner made to pay for rehoming costs or destruction costs if it ever ends up in an animal shelter, then also banned from owning further animals.

They should also take a DNA swab from the dog, so if it ever attacks anyone or rips another dog to shreds, the saliva can be tested and traced then the owners prosecuted.


--

[Bulgarian]

Originally Posted by mj.scuba

These are mainly "status" "hard" dogs like staffies that chavvy scutters like to have to make themselves look "hard", even though in the right environment they can make lovely pets.

So can grizzly bears, sharks and tigers

[finoni9]

Although I hate that a poor dog has to be put down through no fault of his own - on keeping and eye on rescue centres - they seem to be 75% full of staffy type dogs and I can't imagine it's going to get any better and it's going to be impossible for find new homes for them all - sad

[mj.scuba]

Originally Posted by Bulgarian

So can grizzly bears, sharks and tigers

I can't really remember seeing chav scum with any of those, and the animal shelters aren't over run with them.

[finoni9]

I think until the Government brings in some kind of control of who can and can't have dogs/breed dogs - it's not going to get any better

[willman]

Originally Posted by finoni9

I think until the Government brings in some kind of control of who can and can't have dogs/breed dogs - it's not going to get any better

I think when the Governement fund control they can start to help develop a new system , whilst they do nothing and leave it private individuals and charities to fund it it'll just continue.

[mj.scuba]

Originally Posted by willman

I think when the Governement fund control they can start to help develop a new system , whilst they do nothing and leave it private individuals and charities to fund it it'll just continue.

I think if you really really want a Staffie as a family pet, a small admin fee shouldn't put them off, after all dogs are expensive things to have with all the food over its lifetime and vets bills. If they can't afford a small admin fee to get the licence, should they be dog owners?

[llamatron]

Originally Posted by mj.scuba

I think if you really really want a Staffie as a family pet, a small admin fee shouldn't put them off, after all dogs are expensive things to have with all the food over its lifetime and vets bills. If they can't afford a small admin fee to get the licence, should they be dog owners?

I think they have the licence in ireland and I read recently that it has made no difference to the situation.

I just remembered where I read it, the dogs trust magazine "wag", they suggested microchipping instead.

[Bulgarian]

Wouldn't it be a better idea to just ban breeding them, eventually they will die out.

[Rioja]

Originally Posted by mj.scuba

I think if you really really want a Staffie as a family pet, a small admin fee shouldn't put them off, after all dogs are expensive things to have with all the food over its lifetime and vets bills. If they can't afford a small admin fee to get the licence, should they be dog owners?

But the responsible owners will happily pay a small registration fee because they are responsible. The chav scutter just won't bother paying for one but will still manage to get their hands on a dog anyway.

I also think it would be impossible to police. Plod seems reluctant enough to approach the average chav in the street as it is, imagine if they were tasked with approaching every brain dead, bling encrusted scutter to enquire about their dog license?

Much better to concentrate on the breeders. Tighten the rules and issue draconian bans and punishments for irresponsible breeders.

[LitleMermaid]

A licence, in my opinion, as someone who fosters dogs (a lot of them staffs), would not make a huge deal of difference. What you would most likely find is honest people would have yet another outgoing, whilst the scrotes who are the type to train their dogs to be agressive would just not bother. It bothers me that perfectly healthy dogs are being put to sleep; of course it does. It doesn't sit easy on my conscience in the slightest. I wish there was another solution but from personal experience I can see that there are just so many unwanted staffies. Rescues simply cannot cope with the influx, and many of these poor dogs will spend months if not years in an uncomfortable kennel environment because there just aren't enough homes for them. What really needs tackling is the rate with which idiots are "breeding" (I use the term loosely) so called status dogs. It's a sad state of affairs but do you know what? The government simply do not give a crap about dogs and their welfare. Something needs to be done, that much is plain, yet I admit I really cannot see a viable solution.

It's such a shame because all owners of these breeds get tarred with the same brush when many of them have done the decent thing and got a dog from rescue. The vast majority of staffs are brilliant, loving dogs who make wonderful pets. I wish the people who let their dogs have litter after litter would come with me to the pound and see what they are causing. It's totally heartbreaking.

[willman]

Originally Posted by mj.scuba

I think if you really really want a Staffie as a family pet, a small admin fee shouldn't put them off, after all dogs are expensive things to have with all the food over its lifetime and vets bills. If they can't afford a small admin fee to get the licence, should they be dog owners?

The reason many dogs are in the pound especially the proper "pound" not rescue kennel is the cost. If your dog strays it costs to get it back - it costs more than gettig another dog out of the paper or free ads.
It only costs £76 with no background checks etc to get any dog from the pound, tends to leave the system of wanton breeding and selling open to abuse.
You'd also be surprised how many neutered dogs are overlooked.

[Bloomdido]

Are people in local authority housing allowed to keep pets? Perhaps new tenancy contracts could stipulate which pets they are allowed to keep.

[medusa]

Originally Posted by Bulgarian

Wouldn't it be a better idea to just ban breeding them, eventually they will die out.

And of course that's worked so well with pitbulls hasn't it?

The problem with any sort of legislation is implementation and enforcement. Those of us who are responsible dog owners and who take all of the steps to identify, train and care for our dogs already take those steps without enforcement.

That doesn't mean that I don't see people ignoring the already functioning animal rights laws though, so obviously there is a huge amount that could already be done to improve the lot of many animals with better enforcement.

I understand Battersea's position completely- they have a policy of never turning an animal down and that means that they are far bigger and have far better experience in what dogs are likely to get a home (and more importantly which dogs they feel aren't going to put them at legal risk to rehome because of safety) and I'm not going to judge them for that.

There are way too many dogs of all sorts in this country and we need to start addressing that. I don't believe in always keeping healthy dogs alive because a healthy dog with major behavioural problems is just not homeable and it's not fair to make them live out their years in a kennel with no love or attention, which is also horribly expensive and ties up the space which could be used for dozens of other dogs during that time.

We cannot save them all- to do that depends on both the dogs being emotionally able to be homed and there being enough suitable homes waiting for them. Neither is true and it's time we faced these facts.

[garrence]

A dead staffy is the best kind.

< dons flameproof jacket >

[willman]

Originally Posted by medusa

There are way too many dogs of all sorts in this country and we need to start addressing that. I don't believe in always keeping healthy dogs alive because a healthy dog with major behavioural problems is just not homeable and it's not fair to make them live out their years in a kennel with no love or attention, which is also horribly expensive and ties up the space which could be used for dozens of other dogs during that time.

We cannot save them all- to do that depends on both the dogs being emotionally able to be homed and there being enough suitable homes waiting for them. Neither is true and it's time we faced these facts.

Edited to suit me - too true, yet believe it or not i "work" occasionally with rescues bringing in dogs from Cyprus and Spain.