Australian Vets Say Banning Aggressive Breeds Is Not The Solution

Australia’s peak veterinary body, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) says adopting more stringent breed specific legislation in South Australia will not reduce the risk of attacks by aggressive dogs. Following the most recent attack on a dog by another dog at Flinders Park, there have been calls for more breeds to be included in a list of prescribed dog breeds in South Australia deemed to be dangerous. AVA South Australian President, Dr Philip Stott said that assessing dangerous dogs by breed alone will fail to prevent dog bites. “We sympathise with the owner who lost her precious companion as a result of this unfortunate incident, and we believe that dogs that have shown aggressive behaviour should be regulated strongly. But you can’t tell whether a dog is dangerous just by looking at it, or even by its breed. “We know that all dogs have the potential to react aggressively if scared or threatened but most dogs don’t bite people, so the banning of some breeds over others is not effective. We really need to tackle the things that people do that may contribute to canine aggression. “Experience in other parts of the world has shown that banning breeds doesn’t reduce dog bites. “We believe that keeping the public safe from dog bites is very important and requires a coordinated approach involving management of the dogs and education of humans. We recommend enforcement of registration and other regulations, early socialisation and training of puppies, owner education and public awareness campaigns and adult supervision of children around all dogs as a much more effective option,” Dr Stott said. The AVA is ready to work with governments across Australia to find a more reasonable and realistic solution to this complex issue. “We are currently working on a comprehensive policy for dangerous dog regulations that supports public safety and is based on proven policy options from around the world,” he said.

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