The Grateful Dead.....

[BillyBones]

Just popping out now to walk my Border Terrier.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I just think that dogs by law should become an extension of the owner, like an extra hand. If the dog kills, you have killed and should be done for manslaughter. If a dog assaults you in a park you the owner should be prosecuted for the assault. If your dog shits in public and you don't pick it up it should be treated as though the owner had done it.

This should create some amusement as well as justice. The dog that tries to shag your leg in the park and the owner is prosecuted for attempted rape

I think there would be less dogs, which I think would be a good thing, too many at the moment. BUT more importantly less BAD dog owners. You couldn't just take a dog on a whim, it would become a real commitment, with *compulsory* training for both of them.

[Daniel Quinn]

O dear the arguments of the semantic police .

It is quite clear which dogs have dangerous temperaments and powerful locking bites . These dogs should be bred out of existence.

All dogs bite , not all dogs actually kill in significant numbers for the state to intervene .

risk is everywhere , you do not ignore real risk by saying risk is everywhere .

And in law , Dogs are an extension of their owner , rest assured if any dog bit one of my children I would use the full force of law to have it put down and claim compensation from the owner .

[slinger]

...You couldn't just take a dog on a whim, it would become a real commitment, with *compulsory* training for both of them.

+1

[slinger]

...rest assured if any dog bit one of my children I would use the full force of law to have it put down and claim compensation from the owner .

And if it were your dog who bit your child?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The only dog I ever owned as part of our family as a kid was a poodle called Larry the Lamb. He had some daft fancy name on his certificate. He used to get beaten up by the local cats. I once saw him catch a butterfly, that being the only sign of any aggression. But back then my father would take him out for a short walk before bed to "do his stuff" as my father said. I remember our road being a minefield of dog poo, and me regularly treading in it going too and from school. It does seem a little better now, a majority of owners are picking it up now.

Am I imagining it or are dogs becoming some sort of status symbol, almost like an extension of what people want to be. Wanna be tough kid wants a tough dog. Silly little girls want silly little fluffy things etc

[Daniel Quinn]

...rest assured if any dog bit one of my children I would use the full force of law to have it put down and claim compensation from the owner .

And if it were your dog who bit your child?

When I was a child , I had a Labrador from the age of 8 to 20 . He was called Tim and he was lovely. playing with him when I was about 10 , I accidentally bit his paw were it was unbeknown to me cut . He snapped at me and caught my cheek with his incisor teeth and left rather a large hole in my left cheek. He was not put down .

the scar looks like a dimple , when I was younger women used to comment on it .

[Lurcher300b]

It is quite clear which dogs have dangerous temperaments and powerful locking bites . These dogs should be bred out of existence.

is it? Not to most people I know who have actual experience with the sorts of breeds you are probably thinking about. The fact you imagine that the "locking bite" is real indicates this is not a subject you know as much as you may think about.

As you say, owners are already legally responsible for their dogs. But as a example of how that breaks down, it now a legal requirement for all dogs to be microchipped and registered. We had someone bring a lost dog to ours on Sunday (because the dog wardens only work Mon-Fri) to scan it as we have a reader, and what a surprise, no chip, no tattoo, no identification at all.

rest assured if any dog bit one of my children I would use the full force of law to have it put down and claim compensation from the owner

I agree, but it goes both ways, what (for example) if your child had been poking the dog through a fence with a sharp stick for the last half hour, and then someone opened the gate and let the dog out. Who would you blame then?

[slinger]

...rest assured if any dog bit one of my children I would use the full force of law to have it put down and claim compensation from the owner .

And if it were your dog who bit your child?

When I was a child , I had a Labrador from the age of 8 to 20 . He was called Tim and he was lovely. playing with him when I was about 10 , I accidentally bit his paw were it was unbeknown to me cut . He snapped at me and caught my cheek with his incisor teeth and left rather a large hole in my left cheek. He was not put down .

the scar looks like a dimple , when I was younger women used to comment on it .

So in actual fact, as the instigator and the aggressor, you're the one who should have been punished as the dog was just being a dog and reacting to the pain you inflicted in the only way it knew how.

[slinger]

For the dog, and the cat, in your life...a selection of hi-tech(?) Christmas presents.

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