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Old April 8th, 2002, 10:47 AM
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Get tough with dogs that bite pets or people

Get tough with dogs that bite pets or people

Times Colonist (Victoria)
Saturday, April 06, 2002


Most people in Greater Victoria like dogs, and most dogs are reasonably well-behaved and fun to be around.

A few dogs make themselves into a nuisance by jumping on people and barking too much. And some are an actual menace.

Aggressive dogs are an ongoing problem in many parts of the region, in part because most owners do love their dogs and can't imagine they'd ever do anything wrong.

Two rottweilers in the View Royal area are a case in point. They've been involved in at least five attacks on other animals, and two attacks that injured people.

The dogs' owners responded by putting up chain-link fence and paying the veterinary bills for the injured animals. The rottweilers still managed to get out again.

The owners got a ticket in mid-January after the last attack, and a week later View Royal seized the dogs.

This week a provincial court judge ruled that one of the dogs, the male, should be destroyed. The second dog, a female, was spared because the judge felt the male was the more aggressive of the two.

Which leaves one big question: why is it so difficult for authorities to put really troublesome dogs out of commission? How many times are dogs allowed to attack people or other animals before they are recognized as a danger?

In the case of the View Royal rottweilers, which are generally recognized as an aggressive breed, they were given no less than five opportunities before the municipality clamped down.

It's the responsibility of owners to ensure that their dogs are not a danger to others. And it's the responsibility of local municipalities and the courts to take action when dogs are clearly a danger.

© Copyright 2002 Times Colonist (Victoria)
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