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| After the death of Jade Anderson, what should we do about dangerous dogs? | After the death of Jade Anderson, what should we do about dangerous dogs? |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Jade Anderson was 14 years old when she died on Tuesday after being attacked by dogs, at the home of her friend Kimberley Concannon. Certain facts have yet to be established – there were two Staffordshire bull terriers and one bull mastiff, but it is unclear whether a fourth dog was an American bulldog or another mastiff. | Jade Anderson was 14 years old when she died on Tuesday after being attacked by dogs, at the home of her friend Kimberley Concannon. Certain facts have yet to be established – there were two Staffordshire bull terriers and one bull mastiff, but it is unclear whether a fourth dog was an American bulldog or another mastiff. |
| The trigger for the attack will never be known; family, friends and the country at large wait to see if a prosecution will be brought against Bev Concannon, the owner of the dogs. If no criminal case can be lodged against her, it will seem strange and wrong – that the person responsible for the dogs that caused such an horrific tragedy faced no comeback. Already, the Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, as well as the CWU, the union for postal workers, have said, respectively, that this is a "wake-up call" and that it "highlights again the danger posed by dogs and the need to tackle irresponsible ownership. How many more lives must be lost before action is taken?" | The trigger for the attack will never be known; family, friends and the country at large wait to see if a prosecution will be brought against Bev Concannon, the owner of the dogs. If no criminal case can be lodged against her, it will seem strange and wrong – that the person responsible for the dogs that caused such an horrific tragedy faced no comeback. Already, the Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, as well as the CWU, the union for postal workers, have said, respectively, that this is a "wake-up call" and that it "highlights again the danger posed by dogs and the need to tackle irresponsible ownership. How many more lives must be lost before action is taken?" |
| The question is, wake up and do what? In February, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced compulsory microchipping, but before that, the only action taken had been the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991. It is now held up as the best, briefest example of bad legislation, and is never mentioned in the context of dangerous dogs without the preface "discredited". Professionals never believed at the time that demonising particular breeds of dog would improve matters. But what nobody predicted, was how much worse things would get over the following two decades. Since 1991, there has been a 551% increase in hospital admissions for dog bites. | The question is, wake up and do what? In February, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced compulsory microchipping, but before that, the only action taken had been the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991. It is now held up as the best, briefest example of bad legislation, and is never mentioned in the context of dangerous dogs without the preface "discredited". Professionals never believed at the time that demonising particular breeds of dog would improve matters. But what nobody predicted, was how much worse things would get over the following two decades. Since 1991, there has been a 551% increase in hospital admissions for dog bites. |
| Children are disproportionally vulnerable to dog attacks for many reasons: they don't recognise threat display; they do clumsy things; the nought to fours are most likely to be bitten in the face because of their height, and a baby bitten on the neck is extremely at risk, not from the bite itself, but from the windpipe swelling. This loads the issue with a particular emotional import – random acts of violence are not normally directed at children, and society understandably revolts when they are. Most people will have no difficultly comprehending why, in the wake of a child's death, we call for action. But why is it that the action, when it does happen, is so wildly off as to make everything worse? | Children are disproportionally vulnerable to dog attacks for many reasons: they don't recognise threat display; they do clumsy things; the nought to fours are most likely to be bitten in the face because of their height, and a baby bitten on the neck is extremely at risk, not from the bite itself, but from the windpipe swelling. This loads the issue with a particular emotional import – random acts of violence are not normally directed at children, and society understandably revolts when they are. Most people will have no difficultly comprehending why, in the wake of a child's death, we call for action. But why is it that the action, when it does happen, is so wildly off as to make everything worse? |
| People who don't care for dogs wonder why we'd allow something as seemingly dangerous as a bull mastiff in normal society at all – if we can frame legislation that disallows the keeping of lions, surely it's not beyond our wits to do the same with these massive, 10-stone creatures that appear so unpredictable. People who love dogs say there's no such thing as a dangerous breed, only a bad owner. It is unsettling how close this is to the pro-gun lobby argument in America, that guns don't kill people, people kill people. In a gun debate, I'd say: yes, but if the people didn't have a gun, they might have some vital time to reflect on their course of action. In the context of a dog, though, I'm on the other side; I don't believe in a dog that's born bad, and I'm not surprised when Ali Taylor, head of canine welfare and training at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, says, "You rarely see dogs that are immediately aggressive. It's more often that they haven't had the right guidance." In fact, the only difference between a pro-gun lobby and a pro-dog lobby is that loving a gun is a sad and alienated thing, while loving a dog is the opposite. But I would say that. | People who don't care for dogs wonder why we'd allow something as seemingly dangerous as a bull mastiff in normal society at all – if we can frame legislation that disallows the keeping of lions, surely it's not beyond our wits to do the same with these massive, 10-stone creatures that appear so unpredictable. People who love dogs say there's no such thing as a dangerous breed, only a bad owner. It is unsettling how close this is to the pro-gun lobby argument in America, that guns don't kill people, people kill people. In a gun debate, I'd say: yes, but if the people didn't have a gun, they might have some vital time to reflect on their course of action. In the context of a dog, though, I'm on the other side; I don't believe in a dog that's born bad, and I'm not surprised when Ali Taylor, head of canine welfare and training at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, says, "You rarely see dogs that are immediately aggressive. It's more often that they haven't had the right guidance." In fact, the only difference between a pro-gun lobby and a pro-dog lobby is that loving a gun is a sad and alienated thing, while loving a dog is the opposite. But I would say that. |
| Concannon clearly did not intend for this to happen, but equally clearly, we hold that there is a moral responsibility here, and it does not lie with the dog. She had remarked on her Facebook page that the mastiff, Neo, didn't like children or loud noises, but she'd had him castrated to calm him down. This is an idiot's mistake, and I know, because I've done it. I have a staff crossed with a ridgeback, 66 pounds of now pretty docile dog, but once a dog probably not unlike Neo. | Concannon clearly did not intend for this to happen, but equally clearly, we hold that there is a moral responsibility here, and it does not lie with the dog. She had remarked on her Facebook page that the mastiff, Neo, didn't like children or loud noises, but she'd had him castrated to calm him down. This is an idiot's mistake, and I know, because I've done it. I have a staff crossed with a ridgeback, 66 pounds of now pretty docile dog, but once a dog probably not unlike Neo. |
| Donna Saunders, from a dog behaviour bootcamp called In the Dog House, says, "Sometimes you can castrate the dog and make the problem 10 times worse. A lot of aggression is fear-based, and neutering does nothing to address fear." Other times, the dog is not scared, but the dog's aggression was nothing to do with sex; so you've had its balls off, and it's still the same dog, now with no distractions. | Donna Saunders, from a dog behaviour bootcamp called In the Dog House, says, "Sometimes you can castrate the dog and make the problem 10 times worse. A lot of aggression is fear-based, and neutering does nothing to address fear." Other times, the dog is not scared, but the dog's aggression was nothing to do with sex; so you've had its balls off, and it's still the same dog, now with no distractions. |
| There is a sentimental indolence about the owners of powerful breeds who think that it's OK, because the dog will (usually) obey them – it just doesn't like anybody else. The profundity of that carelessness, to have a hobby that poses a threat to everybody but yourself, is incredible and maddening; but from the other side, you often don't realise how inadequate you are as a dog owner – how much more to a trained dog there is than obeying a few key commands, how the process will go on for life, and how much you have to know to get it right – until something bad has happened. My dog bit my mother. So that was a whole can of Freudian worms, even before he bit my uncle. | There is a sentimental indolence about the owners of powerful breeds who think that it's OK, because the dog will (usually) obey them – it just doesn't like anybody else. The profundity of that carelessness, to have a hobby that poses a threat to everybody but yourself, is incredible and maddening; but from the other side, you often don't realise how inadequate you are as a dog owner – how much more to a trained dog there is than obeying a few key commands, how the process will go on for life, and how much you have to know to get it right – until something bad has happened. My dog bit my mother. So that was a whole can of Freudian worms, even before he bit my uncle. |
| Taylor, in the end, states Battersea's endorsement of the Scotland's anti-social behaviour order for dogs (the Dog Control Notice, or "Dogbo"), but concludes that we should look at dog ownership like driving – we need to educate ourselves before we start doing it, pass the test, and above all, take it deadly seriously. | Taylor, in the end, states Battersea's endorsement of the Scotland's anti-social behaviour order for dogs (the Dog Control Notice, or "Dogbo"), but concludes that we should look at dog ownership like driving – we need to educate ourselves before we start doing it, pass the test, and above all, take it deadly seriously. |
| Instead, we had this ban on pitbulls – but why would that have made the problem worse? Why did anyone think banning pitbulls would work in the first place? | Instead, we had this ban on pitbulls – but why would that have made the problem worse? Why did anyone think banning pitbulls would work in the first place? |
| A Kennel Club spokesperson points out that our perception of "problem dogs" is based mainly on fashion. The dog that everyone has is the dog that gets into most trouble, ergo, that's the dangerous dog. "When I was growing up, it was the German shepherd that was seen as the problem, and before that, maybe the doberman. I know now that German shepherds are the most loving dog. You can't imagine that they had that reputation." The Kennel Club, along with the Dog's Trust and Battersea, take a "deed not breed" approach, which avoids the "blame the owner not the dog" line that doesn't entirely work. Taylor points out that you can have good owners, but the dog might fall in with the wrong company, or simply have a very exciting pack that leads to their all having high arousal levels – like teenagers. | A Kennel Club spokesperson points out that our perception of "problem dogs" is based mainly on fashion. The dog that everyone has is the dog that gets into most trouble, ergo, that's the dangerous dog. "When I was growing up, it was the German shepherd that was seen as the problem, and before that, maybe the doberman. I know now that German shepherds are the most loving dog. You can't imagine that they had that reputation." The Kennel Club, along with the Dog's Trust and Battersea, take a "deed not breed" approach, which avoids the "blame the owner not the dog" line that doesn't entirely work. Taylor points out that you can have good owners, but the dog might fall in with the wrong company, or simply have a very exciting pack that leads to their all having high arousal levels – like teenagers. |
| So it just happened that, in the early 90s, pitbulls were the bete noir of the popular imagination, and they were banned. Simon Harding, author of Unleashed: The Phenomena of Status Dogs and Weapon Dogs, points out that the perception of pits as dangerous is not entirely unreasonable – they have powerful jaws, as we all know (though the much-mentioned lock jaw of the bull breeds is a myth), but there's a behavioural legacy of the fact that they were bred for dog fights. Other dogs will stop fighting when its opponent goes limp or shows its neck, whereas pitbulls will fight on. Harding offers this chilling observation: "A pitbull bite can result in tissue loss, as the dog will shake until whatever it is holding in its mouth comes away." | So it just happened that, in the early 90s, pitbulls were the bete noir of the popular imagination, and they were banned. Simon Harding, author of Unleashed: The Phenomena of Status Dogs and Weapon Dogs, points out that the perception of pits as dangerous is not entirely unreasonable – they have powerful jaws, as we all know (though the much-mentioned lock jaw of the bull breeds is a myth), but there's a behavioural legacy of the fact that they were bred for dog fights. Other dogs will stop fighting when its opponent goes limp or shows its neck, whereas pitbulls will fight on. Harding offers this chilling observation: "A pitbull bite can result in tissue loss, as the dog will shake until whatever it is holding in its mouth comes away." |
| The problem is, not all pitbulls have these traits, and some labradors are vicious; the pariah status is a bit random. It's determined by sight, and many "pitbulls" could just be a staffie cross. The law was poorly enforced, so that it effectively only applied to people who took their dog-owning responsibilities seriously in the first place. And precisely by conferring illegality upon these dogs, the law made them popular with people who actively wanted a dog as a symbol of their threat, power, aggression and lawlessness. | The problem is, not all pitbulls have these traits, and some labradors are vicious; the pariah status is a bit random. It's determined by sight, and many "pitbulls" could just be a staffie cross. The law was poorly enforced, so that it effectively only applied to people who took their dog-owning responsibilities seriously in the first place. And precisely by conferring illegality upon these dogs, the law made them popular with people who actively wanted a dog as a symbol of their threat, power, aggression and lawlessness. |
| The first recorded case of a dog being used a weapon was in 2009, when 16-year-old Seyi Ogunyemi was killed in a gang attack in Larkhall Park, south London, that started when two staffs were set upon him. The incident came at the climax of an explosion in backstreet breeding, and following complaints of dog fights, the Metropolitan police's Status Dog Unit was set up. According to Piers Claughton of the RSPCA, there are different sorts of dog fights. "Chain rolling" takes place between dogs on leads, and results in horrific facial injuries to the dogs. Organised dog fighting on the other hand, "requires the dog to be incredibly well trained, and only fight on command". | The first recorded case of a dog being used a weapon was in 2009, when 16-year-old Seyi Ogunyemi was killed in a gang attack in Larkhall Park, south London, that started when two staffs were set upon him. The incident came at the climax of an explosion in backstreet breeding, and following complaints of dog fights, the Metropolitan police's Status Dog Unit was set up. According to Piers Claughton of the RSPCA, there are different sorts of dog fights. "Chain rolling" takes place between dogs on leads, and results in horrific facial injuries to the dogs. Organised dog fighting on the other hand, "requires the dog to be incredibly well trained, and only fight on command". |
| But it is like any other arms race – if the ban on pitbulls led to a surge in their use as status symbols, the popularity has moved on, to the mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux and to the akita, described by dangerous dog expert Carl Semencic as "a fearless game breed that can become a very useful man-stopping dog". Of all the jargon used of dangerous dogs, the terms that really ram home, how dangerous they can be are "man-stopping" and "gameness" – meaning they'll stick at the task until it's done, but in reality, until it's dead. | But it is like any other arms race – if the ban on pitbulls led to a surge in their use as status symbols, the popularity has moved on, to the mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux and to the akita, described by dangerous dog expert Carl Semencic as "a fearless game breed that can become a very useful man-stopping dog". Of all the jargon used of dangerous dogs, the terms that really ram home, how dangerous they can be are "man-stopping" and "gameness" – meaning they'll stick at the task until it's done, but in reality, until it's dead. |
| You can see the change at Battersea; I was there less than a year ago, and every dog was a staffie-cross, with one Alaskan malamute. On Thursday, there were akitas (including one named Kita, which I think is a statement of neglect in itself, if you can't even be bothered to think of a name) and a number of huskies (including one called Rizzler). There were a few mastiffs, one a puppy called Dot, who demonstrated how heartbreakingly docile they can be. The weapons have changed. "Sometimes people just want a dog because it's expensive," Taylor suggests. "It's like having a Lamborghini." | You can see the change at Battersea; I was there less than a year ago, and every dog was a staffie-cross, with one Alaskan malamute. On Thursday, there were akitas (including one named Kita, which I think is a statement of neglect in itself, if you can't even be bothered to think of a name) and a number of huskies (including one called Rizzler). There were a few mastiffs, one a puppy called Dot, who demonstrated how heartbreakingly docile they can be. The weapons have changed. "Sometimes people just want a dog because it's expensive," Taylor suggests. "It's like having a Lamborghini." |
| The observation of the status-trend cannot blind us to the point that Claughton makes: "There are a lot of young people who get a particular type of dog because it may look a certain way, but they would never dream of engaging in any criminal activity with the dog. You always have to ask, 'Are they actually doing anything wrong with their dog?'" And this conversation is impossible without considering why people need this kind of status in the first place. As Simon Harding notes, "status dogs may act as a totemic symbol of the increased visibility of the underclass, now 'tooled up' with dogs purposefully bred for aggression; an inverted symbol of what the British public holds most dear – the domestic family pet, or a symbol of a society that no longer cares or nurtures (either animals or people) and has become atavistic and primordial or even post-apocalyptic". | The observation of the status-trend cannot blind us to the point that Claughton makes: "There are a lot of young people who get a particular type of dog because it may look a certain way, but they would never dream of engaging in any criminal activity with the dog. You always have to ask, 'Are they actually doing anything wrong with their dog?'" And this conversation is impossible without considering why people need this kind of status in the first place. As Simon Harding notes, "status dogs may act as a totemic symbol of the increased visibility of the underclass, now 'tooled up' with dogs purposefully bred for aggression; an inverted symbol of what the British public holds most dear – the domestic family pet, or a symbol of a society that no longer cares or nurtures (either animals or people) and has become atavistic and primordial or even post-apocalyptic". |
| This is not to say, "do nothing", but it is certainly to say, "do nothing that hasn't been very carefully considered". | This is not to say, "do nothing", but it is certainly to say, "do nothing that hasn't been very carefully considered". |
| • This article was amended on 2 April 2013 to correct the name of the dog breed Alaskan malamute, from mamulet as the original said. | • This article was amended on 2 April 2013 to correct the name of the dog breed Alaskan malamute, from mamulet as the original said. |
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