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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Fighting dogs 'used as weapons' | Fighting dogs 'used as weapons' |
| (about 1 hour 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. | 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. |
| Scotland Yard said 719 dangerous dogs were seized in London last year, compared with 43 between 2002 and 2006. | |
| The RSPCA said London was a hotspot for dog fighting. | |
| The charity also identified West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Merseyside as areas where young people "use dogs to fight and intimidate". | |
| It said incidents of dog fighting had increased more than 10-fold from 2004 - rising from 24 reports to 284 in 2008. | |
| 'Simply horrific' | 'Simply horrific' |
| David Grant, of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Animal Hospital in 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 |
| 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 said 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." |
| Supt Julia Pendry said Scotland Yard was "very concerned" about the increase in dog fighting and the use of dogs in anti-social behaviour. | |
| "All dogs, especially certain breeds, need to be properly managed so they do not become aggressive," she said. "Owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control." | |
| The maximum penalty for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control is two year's imprisonment, a fine or both. | |
| The Met has launched a Status Dogs Unit to work with the RSPCA and councils to encourage responsible dog ownership. |