Deadline looms for danger dogs

By Kath Gannaway
THURSDAY is the deadline for owners of restricted breed dogs to register their dogs.
Under new State Government legislation which comes into force on Friday, council rangers will have the right to seize and have euthenased unregistered dogs which come within the restricted breed definition.
“The message to pitbull owners and other restricted breeds is very clear – you must act now,” Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh warned last week.
From Friday, pitbull crosses are also classed as a restricted breed.
Animal Aid Shelter in Coldstream is the pound for Yarra Ranges Council and would take in any dogs seized.
Spokesperson Debra Boland said while they would be abiding by the new law, there was still a lot of confusion within the industry and concern by dog owners, particularly of staffy breeds.
“If you look at it, a lot of the breed specifications will capture a lot of dogs that really don’t deserve to be singled out,” Ms Boland said.
“We have had a lot of concerned owners ringing for advice on how the new laws affect their dog.
“Owners are concerned that any staffy type dog, American or English, may be classified as a pitbull or cross.”
Just what testing will be done or how qualified council rangers are to identify suspect dogs is not clear.
“Historically pitbulls were restricted and crosses would slip through. Now you could have a dog such as a labrador/staffy cross which could have the broad head and slightly longer legs which could present as a pitbull, so there is room for debate in this area,” Ms Boland said.
“As long as a dog is registered, microchipped and desexed, there is no reason for owners to fear their dog will be targeted.”
Ms Boland said she believed there were avenues to challenge a council ruling on whether a dog was restricted breed, but added this was one of the areas which needs more clarification.
She said Animal Aid can help with cheaper desexing for anyone experiencing financial difficulties and advised dog owners of restricted breeds to ensure their dogs were in a secure yard.