Outrage as police 'executioners' seize and kill 22 pet dogs

Sagz_2

As usual, the dog suffers for the action (or inaction) of the irresponsible owner.

Very sad for the dogs, not a lot of sympathy for the owners though.

krlyr

zaksmum wrote: »

if it meant the difference between life and death for my dog...I would KNOW EXACTLY where the paperwork was.

But if you'd followed the rules to the tee, why would you expect the police to drop in and want to seize the dog out of the blue? My important paperwork is generally in one place, but I'd need to look through it to find the right thing. Not to mention the stress/panic at the situation

meritaten

Doesn't a dog need to have bitten someone to have a 'destruction' order put on it by the courts?
Yet on another thread a poster was bitten by a dog and the police merely paid them a visit? is it me or is that the wrong way round?

k12479

meritaten wrote: »

Doesn't a dog need to have bitten someone to have a 'destruction' order put on it by the courts?

Reading a few articles suggests these are banned pitbull-type dogs which are allowed to be owned under an exemption provided that certain conditions are met, insurance appears to be one of the conditions. I guess failing to comply with the conditions voids the exemption and therefore makes the dog illegal and subject to destruction.

The original article posted also seems to have a very one-sided view. Other news sources mention letters being sent out beforehand, a dog being uninsured for a year, an owner awaiting trial for supplying class-A drugs, and so on.

meritaten

Yes, I get that - but it does seem very heavy handed by police. yet another dog not 'pit-bull' type has actually bitten someone and no action is taken. this seems wrong to me.

Pollycat

k12479 wrote: »

Reading a few articles suggests these are banned pitbull-type dogs which are allowed to be owned under an exemption provided that certain conditions are met, insurance appears to be one of the conditions. I guess failing to comply with the conditions voids the exemption and therefore makes the dog illegal and subject to destruction.

The original article posted also seems to have a very one-sided view. Other news sources mention letters being sent out beforehand, a dog being uninsured for a year, an owner awaiting trial for supplying class-A drugs, and so on.

Hey! Why should the Daily Express let objective reporting get in the way of a 'good' story?

Yes, the article was in Sunday's (20/4) edition but it also says

Each of the dogs destroyed on March 27

22 dogs (allegedly) destroyed and the Police statement says this:

Last night Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm the force has received a pre-proceedings letter in relation to a judicial review of the decision to destroy six dogs following an operation on Thursday March 27.

Does this mean that only the owners of 6 of the dogs are taking legal action?

Whatever - I'm sure there's a lot more to this story than in the Daily Express article.

In fact, here's Merseyside Police's version:
http://www.merseyside.police.uk/news/latest-news/2014/03/27/dangerous-dogs-in-breach-of-contingent-destruction-orders-seized-by-police.aspx


ETA:
that is where the quote in Mojisola's post #9 has come from

BJV

Totally agree that the dates don't stack up but i do think it is sad.

These dogs where either pit bull or a derivative of the breed. Personally not a bread i would want but everyone has the right to choose. I have two children and while I know that these dogs are not inherently nasty or aggressive i know that when they bite it can be devastating. Yes in theory a miniature poodle could kill some one but I would rather my chances with that than a pit bull.

18 months ago after the death of my 16 year old lab we went to the council dog pound and nearly all the dogs where pit bull or a mixture of pit bull and "A" another.

I do not agree or condone what the police have done in anyway but some of those poor dogs in the pound where in a terrible mess. They had been used for some kind of fighting. Shame that they where not so quick as to be able to stop those poor animals from having to endure who knows what.

zaksmum

I do feel really sorry for these dogs because nothing is their fault.

They can't help being pit bulls or pit bull type.

Once again it's the owners who are to blame. It's a certain type of owner that wants a pit bull in the first place. If I was going to get a dog I wouldn't think "I know...I'll get a pit bull"!

Around here you can see a guy with an innocent looking staffie and he will tell anyone who wants to know that it's a pit bull. It's a weapon dog and an intimidation tool for idiots.

And you would need to be pretty stupid to not comply with the conditions for keeping your dog to the letter!

Fosterdog

BJV wrote: »

18 months ago after the death of my 16 year old lab we went to the council dog pound and nearly all the dogs where pit bull or a mixture of pit bull and "A" another.

The dogs in the pound would not have been pit bulls or pit mixes, any possible "type" dog that ends up in the pound has to be assessed after their seven days and if they are deemed "type" they are destroyed. They have regular visits from the police to assess the dogs they currently have in and they have a duty to report any possible "type" dogs to the police so the officers from the correct department can verify whether they are "type" or not.

These dogs are generally kept in an area the public are not allowed to visit unless they are there to collect their own dog.

The dogs you saw at the pound would have just been run of the mill staffs and staff crosses/other bull breeds. Most people wouldn't even be able to pick a pit bull out of a line up and don't know what one actually looks like. They would either point at a staff or at an american bulldog and say it was a pit bull.

spacey2012

I had the same issue, they seized my pet alligator and destroyed it, twiddles was lovely, ok he ate the odd postman or two, but hey what do people expect a 15 foot alligator to do all day ?
Why should I not be allowed my family pet of my choosing ?