AU: Victoria dog laws slammed Chris McLennan | November 13, 2013 THE RSPCA has slammed the Victorian Government over its new dog laws. RSPCA Victoria said it does not support Breed Specific Legislation. Based on available international scientific evidence, any dog may be dangerous and a dog should not be declared as dangerous on the basis of its breed, the society said. It is the deed of the dog that matters, not the breed, RSPCA chief executive Maria Mercurio said. The proposed change to the legislation puts the onus onto the owners and in effect means the dogs are guilty until proven innocent, she said. This is a serious concern for the welfare of innocent family pets that havent done anything wrong and without proper paperwork, owners are unable to prove the breed of the dog. Breed Specific Legislation has cost councils hundreds of thousands of dollars because legal challenges are demonstrating that interpretation of the standard is difficult and subjective with courts finding that rangers are sometimes getting it wrong, she said. Impartial reviews have shown that seized dogs arent always American Pit Bull Terriers. Determining what constitutes an American Pit Bull Terrier cannot be accurately done based on appearance. RSPCA Victoria is again calling on the Victorian Government to urgently review the Restricted Breed Dog legislation, this time with consideration for the scientific evidence on the ineffectiveness of breed specific legislation. The RSPCA said an effective and fair approach would focus on proactive well-funded state and local level government early intervention campaign which would involve training, socialisation and good messaging to encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks. weeklytimesnow.au/article/2013/11/13/589085_national-news.html
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 15:55:31 +0000
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