Dog fighting on the rise in UK

[RealPitBull]

Dog fighting crimes 'increasing'

Animal health workers have reported treating dogs for stab wounds,
cigarettes burns and broken bones as reports of street fighting soar.
Two-thirds of phone calls about dogs fighting are linked to young people who wield them as weapons, said the RSPCA.
The
animal charity said the number of reports of dog fighting has increased
ten-fold from 2004, when there were 24 reports, to 284 last year.
Of the reports received last year, 188 related to "macho" dogs such as bull terrier-type breeds and Rottweilers.
David
Grant, of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Animal Hospital, north London, said
the capital is the nation's hotspot for dog fighting. But he said
colleagues face young people who use dogs to fight and intimidate in
Merseyside, West Yorkshire, and the West Midlands.
Mr Grant 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."
Police figures showed 494 dangerous dogs were
seized in London in eight months last year, compared with 43 in the
four years leading up to March 2006. The RSPCA has renewed its call for
the Government to look more closely at dog legislation and hand more
responsibility to dog owners.
Mr Grant said part of the problem
is indiscriminate breeding by people who charge up to
£500 for puppies
and sell them to young people with little idea of how to care for them.
He
said many of 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: "Things are worse now than when the
Dangerous Dogs Act was passed 18 years ago and I'm seeing more status
dogs coming in for treatment than ever. 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. "

www.google. com/hostednews/ ukpress/article/ ALeqM5gHSfoZirZo ZZPKg1Vv893- 2h6QKQ

[RealPitBull]

New RSPCA Figures Show Shocking Rise In Dog Fighting On Our Streets

RSPCA logo for press releases

Thursday, 21, May 2009 12:00
New RSPCA Figures Show Shocking Rise In Dog Fighting On Our Streets


Shocking new statistics show two-thirds of all dog fighting
reports received by the RSPCA are now directly connected to youths
using their dogs as weapons in streets and parks.


Sixty-six per cent of calls to the RSPCA about dog fighting last
year related to instances where youths were mentioned fighting their
animals in public places. This compares with 37 per cent in 2007.


The worrying rise in reports of impromptu public scraps and ‘rolls’ saw
188 people contact the RSPCA in 2008, compared with 132 the
previous year. In 2004 the Society received just 24 calls about all dog
fighting.

The figures tie in with the increasing trend amongst teenagers
and young males for using stereotypically macho-type dogs as weapons of
intimidation in urban areas of England and Wales.


The figures have been released ahead of the BBC Three
documentary My Weapon Is A Dog which will tonight (21.5.09) ask whether
dogs have become the new weapon of choice on our city streets. The
hour-long programme, showing at 9pm, will highlight the RSPCA’s
growing concern for the welfare of animals such as bull terrier types
and Rottweilers being used by gangs.


David Grant, Director 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.â€

The Society has again appealed for the Government to look closer
at current dog legislation and put more emphasis of responsibility on
the dog owners, rather than the animals.


“Things are worse now than when the Dangerous Dogs Act was
passed 18 years ago and I’m seeing more status dogs coming in for
treatment than ever. 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,â€
added David.


London has emerged as a hot spot for people using dogs as status
symbols. In 2005 there was not a single call to the RSPCA in the
capital reporting impromptu dog fights in streets and parks. The same
year there was just one report concerning youths with status dogs. By
2008 there were 77 and 45 respectively.


This is backed up by statistics from the Metropolitan Police
Service which show that between April 2004 and April 2005, they seized
38 dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act, including banned types and those
dangerously out of control. This compares to the period between April
2007 and 2008 when 719 dogs were seized by the Met.*


The problem is far from being limited to London though. Areas
including Merseyside, West Yorkshire, and the West Midlands have also
seen a trend for young people using dogs to intimidate or attack other
people and animals.


“A big part of the problem is indiscriminate breeding. People
can charge anything up to £500 for a Staffie or Rottweiler puppy and
not declare a penny of it. A lot of people see it as a quick and easy
way to make money.


“I can’t claim to have the answer to all of this, and I
don’t want to tar all young dogs owners with the same brush, but
something has to be done to tackle what is more than just an issue of
animal welfare,†said David.


Many of the status dogs treated by our animal hospitals have
been abandoned by their owners when the novelty wears off and the
responsibilities associated with owning a dog hit home. These dogs then
end up in RSPCA animal centres that are already full with bull breeds,
Rotweillers and mastiffs looking for homes with caring new owners.


RSPCA branch support advisor Becky Kenny said: “The sad
reality is that there are too many of these status dogs being handed
into rescue centres and the bad press they have also encountered means
that even the most friendly family pet is finding it hard to find a
home if they happen to be one of these breed types.â€


-ends-


Notes to editors:


* Figures from the Metropolitan Police Service


RSPCA figures are taken from The Welfare State 2009, which is
due to be published in October 2009. The annual RSPCA report is an
important collection of facts and figures covering the full range of
animal welfare issues in the UK. For the current report see
www.animalwelfarefo otprint.com

Reports of animal fighting given to the RSPCA between 2004 – 2008:
2004 = 24, 2005 = 36, 2006 = 137, 2007 = 358 (132 relate to street fighting), 2008 = 284 (188 relate to street fighting).


Interviews with members of RSPCA staff and inspectorate can be
arranged by contacting the national press office on 0300 123 0244.


Case studies, images and footage are also available by contacting the press office.
RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13
9RS Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: [phone]
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel [phone] and ask for
pager number 828825

[suziriot]

I somehow missed this when you first posted it. Very interesting. And so sad. Yet another example of how BSL doesn't work... restrictions and prohibitions on so-called "dangerous dogs" in the UK are obviously not doing much to stop underground breeding. Ugh.