Another child dead after mauling by a pit bull terrier

There’s been another death at the jaws of a pet pit bull here in the UK. The BBC story has a link to St. Helens council’s webpage (the place where the incident happened).

6 Responses to “Another child dead after mauling by a pit bull terrier”

  1. vasilatos says:

    Goddammit, I wish they could ban those fucking pit bulls. We have obligatory neuter laws for violent breeds in San Francisco, but what the hell possesses people to need such aggressive and violent animals? Grrrr. Really pisses me off. I’ve noticed that a lot of young lesbians seem to think it’s cool to have ferocious dogs, and they are NOT THINKING.

  2. chrishansenhome says:

    There is a law here called the “Dangerous Dogs Act (1991)” which prohibits four breeds of dog including the pit bull terrier. Unfortunately, the definition of pit bull terrier is too precise, and any mix of pit bull and something else is not covered under the law.

    Here the people who keep them are young toughs and rappers and gangstas in the council estates. Dogfights are illegal but they go on anyway. I suspect that after this there is going to be some improvement in the law to ensure that dangerous dogs, no matter what their breed, are kept under control or destroyed.

  3. vasilatos says:

    Yeah, I see a lot of pits in the projects. Oh, it just infuriates me to no end. What on earth are people thinking, with the dogfights and the keeping and cultivating violent dogs?

    So what are the four breeds? Rottweilers, Pit bulls, Dobermans, and ???

    My favorite are people who say they have American Bull Terriers. Right.

  4. chrishansenhome says:

    Go to http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htm for more details. I’ve not heard of the other breeds but there are lots of details for the canophiles among us.

  5. vasilatos says:

    That is a very interesting piece of legislation. Those breeds are completely outside of my knowledge. We had some obscure African breed kill a nice gay lady here a few years ago. Sheesh. (The owners went to prison, hah.)

    I can at least be sure that Penny Lane is probably not going to kill anyone, though despite my great efforts, her manners are not what I would like.

  6. chrishansenhome says:

    The news has just reported that the scientists have determined that the dog was indeed a pit bull under the meaning of the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991). So prosecutions will (I am almost certain) follow.

    I think there will be a push to amend the Act to take the behaviour of the dog and its owner into account.