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Dog Education Programs A Matter Of Urgency: AVA

Author: AVA
Posted: Wednesday 26th July, 2006. 00:00:00

The President of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), Dr Kersti Seksel says the latest tragic dog attack in NSW demonstrates that education initiatives into the handling and management of dogs need to be implemented across the nation as a matter of urgency.

“Most dog attacks can be prevented by educating the community as well as the pet owner and enforcing the current legislation,” said Dr Seksel, who is a registered veterinary specialist in animal behaviour.

“Tragically, we have again seen that breed specific legislation has little or no effect on the occurrence of dog attacks. In fact breed specific legislation can serve as a distraction to tackling the real issues,” she said.

“International research shows that the socialisation, training, care and management of all dogs has a much greater influence on whether or not a dog will be involved in an attack than the breed. People who would ordinarily seek to have a dog on the restricted list will get other types of large and powerful dogs and the risk remains. Meanwhile the public is lulled into a false sense of security that there are no more dangerous dogs,” she said.

“The failure of owners to responsibly care for and control their dog is one of the major underlying problems. We believe that most dog attacks can be prevented with a concerted effort for pet owner education and better enforcement of current legislation.

“New education programs were announced by the NSW Government in the last budget. The AVA wholeheartedly supports this initiative and urges other states to fund similar programs in an effort to minimise these tragic circumstances.”

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