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| Fighting dogs 'used as weapons' | Fighting dogs 'used as weapons' |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Dogs are being treated for stab wounds because youths are using them as weapons, the RSPCA has said. | Dogs are being treated for stab wounds because youths are using them as weapons, the RSPCA has said. |
| The animals are also being treated for injuries such as cigarette burns and broken bones amid an increase in reports of street fighting. | |
| Two-thirds of reports of dogs fighting are linked to young people using them as weapons, the charity says. | Two-thirds of reports of dogs fighting are linked to young people using them as weapons, the charity says. |
| It says London is a hotspot for dog fighting. Scotland Yard is setting up a unit to deal with dangerous dogs. | It says London is a hotspot for dog fighting. Scotland Yard is setting up a unit to deal with dangerous dogs. |
| The RSPCA report also identified West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Merseyside as areas where it faced young people who "use dogs to fight and intimidate". | |
| It said incidences of dog fighting had increased more than 10-fold from 2004 - from 24 reports that year to 284 in 2008. | |
| 'Simply horrific' | 'Simply horrific' |
| David Grant, of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Animal Hospital, north London, said: "My staff are treating more dogs than ever for fight wounds and injuries sustained as a result of them being kept as status symbols by young people who think having a dog makes them look tough. | |
| "I've had to treat dogs with stab wounds, broken bones and even cigarette burns to their heads. The torture some of these poor animals have suffered is simply horrific." | "I've had to treat dogs with stab wounds, broken bones and even cigarette burns to their heads. The torture some of these poor animals have suffered is simply horrific." |
| Dogs are being abandoned in record numbers, the charity says | Dogs are being abandoned in record numbers, the charity says |
| Scotland Yard figures showed 494 dangerous dogs were seized in London in eight months in 2008, compared with 43 in the four years leading up to March 2006. | Scotland Yard figures showed 494 dangerous dogs were seized in London in eight months in 2008, compared with 43 in the four years leading up to March 2006. |
| Almost 300 seized dogs are being kept in kennels awaiting court proceedings at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £1m a year. | Almost 300 seized dogs are being kept in kennels awaiting court proceedings at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £1m a year. |
| Mr Grant says breeders charge up to £500 for puppies which are then sold to young people with little experience of caring for them. | Mr Grant says breeders charge up to £500 for puppies which are then sold to young people with little experience of caring for them. |
| He said many dogs are soon abandoned by their owners, adding to the large numbers of bull terrier breeds, Rottweilers and mastiffs in animal homes. | He said many dogs are soon abandoned by their owners, adding to the large numbers of bull terrier breeds, Rottweilers and mastiffs in animal homes. |
| Mr Grant said: "These latest figures only prove what the RSPCA's inspectors and animal hospitals have suspected for a long time, that more and more people are using dogs as a means of intimidation." | Mr Grant said: "These latest figures only prove what the RSPCA's inspectors and animal hospitals have suspected for a long time, that more and more people are using dogs as a means of intimidation." |