Once bitten - a vicious dog story
Melbourne accessible by a pit bull cross, and this week a man was charged over the attack.
Ayen's death provoked outrage and prompted the Victorian control to immediately strengthen laws which will require unregistered pit bulls to be destroyed. There were even calls to ban the breed entirely. Here, the Weatherill Supervision is also considering tougher laws - but has yet to reveal its plans.
A solution may not be so easy to find. Is the problem the breed of dog, or the way the owners curing them? Around the world, countries have different approaches. Italy and Holland in recent times have lifted bans on restricted breeds because the laws have been ineffectual. Instead, they are concentrating on punishing owners who mistreat animals.
In Australia, despite steps taken to control so-called perilous dogs, the number of dog bite injuries is on the rise, and most attacks are by family pets. In the wrong hands and the go to the bad circumstances any dog can be a weapon.
AT the Hahndorf Animal Shelter kennel manager Robyn Page sees first-with a bequeath what humans can do to dogs. She has taken in dogs that have been badly beaten, starved, encouraged to be aggressive and dogs that have perfectly been abandoned. Dogs such as Alexis and Shyloh. Both are around 12 months old although it's hard to be precise because they were dumped and left to fend for themselves. Both are favoured. They ended up at the Page's shelter, a kind of nirvana for discarded, neglected and abused dogs who need a stand-in chance in life. If they had ended up in a council pound they would be dead by now.
Source: Adelaide Now
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