Should a death sentence mean death??

Just read this is today's metro:

Film legend Brigitte Bardot has sparked outrage by trying to save the life of a bull terrier which ripped open the face of a four year old girl and had tried to eat a previous dead owner. The 76 yr old actress called for the french family pet to be given a 'pardon' and said it should be held in prison for life rather than be put down. 'We have abolished the death penalty for humans, so why should it continue for animals?' A paper which dubbed the dog a 'monster' called Bardot'd actions 'shocking and sad'. Prince, a family pet in Boulogne, is being held in a secure kennel ahead of a lethal injection following the attack on the girl in July. It savaged the child in her sleep, leavving her with serious facial injuries. It had later emerged the dog had tried to eat his previous owner, a pensioner who died of old age

Soooooo is Bardot right?? Should death mean death or life imprisonment for dogs??

This is ridiculous, the dog would be better of pts, after all its not going to learn anything from being locked up is it ! its bloody cruel if you ask me, whatever next ! a dog is an animal not a human being

Dogs won't understand the consequences of their actions like humans. IMO a dog should be given 3 chances to change - after the first incident it goes to training classes, if there is a second a behaviourist should be brought in and a third go and it's time to PTS. I am the last person who wants to see a dog die for it's actions but I do think that once is enough and if the owners aren't forced to do something about the dog then it is doomed.

Of course with the 3 chance thing there has to be precautions put into place like it has limited supervised periods with others, it is muzzled in public etc...

Life imprisonment for a dog is worse than an injection that puts them to sleep - can you imagine treating them like we do with people - 23 hours in a cage and an hours exercise - mental torture for an animal who doesn't understand if you ask me.

Firstly, I hate that it's being brought up that the dog tried to eat it's elderly owner after she died, it's just totally been thrown in to hype up the situation even more. The dog didn't have anything to do with the owner dying, it just did what many other dogs would do if their owner died and they were left in the house without any food!

As for the matter at hand, I think Bridgitte Bardot, although well meaning, is being totally stupid. Better to have a dog kenneled for the rest of it's life than be put down? What sort of a life is that for a dog?

One of the main reasons I do not support The Dogs Trust etc is because they will happily condemn a dog to a life sentence rather than PTS.

If we condemn owners who never exercise their dogs, how can it be right for the same lifestyle to be endured by a rescue/stray?

There are THOUSANDS of nice dogs out there, put those who are not really able to be rehomed down and spend the money thus liberated for better behavioural modification for those that languish in prison for at least 23/24 hours.

I could never agree to "life imprisonment" for dogs. Dogs require exercise, stimulation and companionship. It would be far more cruel to keep a dog like this for the rest of its life than to have it PTS.

This, but with the proviso of depending how severe any injuries caused were as e.g. muzzles are not infallible and someone still has to get it on the dog.

If a dog is seriously aggressive to it's owners, assuming they are not abusive to it, then it may not be safe for anyone to try to manage or handle the dog.

Absolutely.

Welfare is a matter of opinion rather than fact.

IMO a quick painless PTS is better than lifelong incarceration for a dog. They can hardly pass their time with tvs, laptops and playstations like humans.

One of the problems with BSL is that some dogs do not kennel well for the enforced extended periods awaiting court decisions. Bardotte was trying to "rescue" those too.

Well meaning but misguided, I would say.

BB has done a great deal for animals over the years and her heart is in the right place - however this time I think that she is totally wrong. Poor dog; the only kind thing to do is put him to sleep.

I remember a work colleague who had previously owned a Bullmastiff, telling me about a Bullmastiff dog that had to be kept in solitary confinement in kennels as if it ever encountered anoher dog it would kill it. It would give no warning signals apparently.

I thought it would have been better off put to sleep than live life caged up and the same with the dog in this story.

No I agree with others - a dog condemned to life incarcerated in a kennel is no life at all.