So, we've had gun amnesties, knife amnesties and now the powers that be have decided that what's needed is a dog amnesty.
According to today's Sun newspaper ( http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007060308,00.html), owners of illegal dogs have got until February 13 - just before Valentine's Day - to hand over the dogs that they should not have had in the first place.
Apparently, if you hand your dog into police, you will NOT face prosecution but your dog will be destroyed. The Kennel Club has called this a "seven-day dog cull".
According to the Sun, Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "You may not agree with the hand-in but I am sure all parents will want to prioritise the safety of their children above the affection for their dogs."
Well, of course, no one is going to argue with that BUT let's face facts here, the sort of people who have these dogs, are exactly the sort of people who don't care about anything.
These dogs are, invariably, status symbols and are used to intimidate and/or for fighting. These are people, in the main, who live on the other side of the law and they certainly are not going to care about any amnesty. Just as there are still guns and knives on the street; remember, a young boy was shot and killed when he went ice skating. I mean, ice skating; is nowhere safe?
"But police said the scheme is aimed at helping people who may not have understood the law when they bought the dog, or no longer wish to risk the £5,000 fine or six months jail term."
OK then!
It's time the authorities got real; to me this is just a knee-jerk PR stunt to give the impression that the police are dealing with the problem. That's how the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act came into being - a fatally flawed piece of legislation that really hasn't protected the public and hasn’t dealt with dodgy breeders and dealers who continue to peddle potential-killing machines on four legs.
Sadly, this amnesty won’t be the last but neither will it solve the problem. Mark my words, while anyone can still have a dog without any restrictions in place, everyone else is still at risk of being injured, perhaps even fatally. Just as they are from a knife or a gun.
Woof Woof
This is so unfair - why must innocent dogs pay the price for stupid people?
Posted by: Doggy Mama | February 08, 2007 at 02:49 AM