Ennvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council

I am writing as PRO of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We have studied the initial report from your committee’s consideration of “Dog Control and Welfare” and find ourselves totally in agreement with the general thrust of your committee in calling for firmer control on the ownership of dogs and the need to encourage and indeed enforce responsible ownership. We are not, however, in anyway supportive of the notion of adding more breeds of dog to those covered in the Dangerous Dog Act.

We oppose this on several counts. In the first place the initial legislation has proved ineffective and very costly. If the government add more Breeds to the proscribed list the anti-social people will simply turn to other breeds or start to create new mixed breeds—indeed there seems to be moves in this direction already. Any Breed can produce an aggressive individual and simply choosing to mate human aggressive dogs of whatever breed or no breed at all, together can satisfy their objectives. The Government will be on a never ending roundabout and the money this will entail would be much better spent, we believe, in providing more Dog Wardens and/or specially trained police to enforce the law and to fund educational programmes to promote responsible dog ownership. We firmly believe in blaming the deed not the breed.

We ask that you consider our views when you hold your symposium.

April 2013