I second that

Dear

I am contacting you further to my previous email regarding the tragic case of “Bruce”, the alleged pit bull terrier type held by Northdown Borough Council. I remind you of the facts regarding Bruce.

Bruce is a friendly dog whose temperament has never been in question.
Bruce has a loving family whose only wish is to see him live.
The authorities have held Bruce for nearly two years costing thousands of taxpayer’s money.
Bruce’s condition while incarcerated deteriorated badly, shocking the world.
Bruce’s only “crime” is in his appearance.

In my previous contact with yourself, my request was that you help to intervene and save the life of a friendly pet. I would like to ask this again however it seems no longer enough to request solely for Bruce, as Bruce is one of many dogs that may be found guilty in appearance under the Breed Specific Laws in effect in Northern Ireland.

It is on behalf of all dogs, whose crime is in their appearance, that I now contact you and ask that you make a stand against the needless seizure, detainment and potential destruction of dogs such as Bruce and request that all sections within Article 25 of the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 be repealed from the legislation.

Breed Specific Legislation has been proven to been ineffective at tackling the core problem of irresponsible ownership. Its failure to increase and promote responsible ownership has meant that areas with BSL around the world have failed to see a decrease in incidents with dogs and in many areas these are reported to have actually risen. The Netherlands has noted this failure and has acted accordingly by repealing their ban on breed types.

BSL is also ineffective at reducing the barbaric “sport” of dog fighting. The Welfare of Animals Act contains provisions to deal with those guilty of this offence yet the maximum repercussions for those who abuse and kill innocent creatures are equal to those for a caring owner of a friendly dog whose only crime is in the dog’s physical appearance.

Is it not time that Northern Ireland turn their focus onto those who, intentionally or otherwise, fail to provide for the health and welfare of their pets by ensuring a responsible upbringing of those animals?

I understand that a move to repeal the Breed Specific Aspects of the Dangerous Dogs Act may be considered controversial but I would ask you to question whether or not it is also controversial to continue to back legislation that does not work, cannot work and leads to the destruction of healthy friendly family dogs.

I look forward to hearing your response on the matter

Kind Regards,

Done the emails

Are there any updates about Bruce at all?

Had a general reply from Shaun Woodwards secretary that he'd forwarded "the matter" onto the Dept of Agriculture, so a bit crap really.