my point is Hayley as i stated before that anyone who is knowingly admitting to having a pit cross etc in this country IS the WRONG type of owner as they are putting their own dogs life at risk - and you have to say that most of those people are the stereotypical chav - because a responsible dog owner would not boast about it knowing about the DDA anmd the risk to their beloved pet?? Would they ?

In all honesty. I think this is a really sad and worrying time for ALL dog owners and it's because of a few irresponsible ones.

My heart goes out to bull breed owners as you must be more worried than most...I am convinced knee jerk reaction form the government is fast approaching...scary times.

brundog your so right a good owner would never brag about owning any dog

This is a much debated subject to which I think i have something add. Im new to this thread community stuff so please forgive the length of this essay!

The DDA and DFRA Litrature seems confusing but really its not. Pit Bulls are not a recognized breed in t UK and as such can not be banned as a breed specifically so they ban all Pitbull types which obviously includes Pit bulls and any dogs that can be considered abit Pit Bull like by a judge in anyway shape or form.

They use the word 'type' which allows them to ban the breed without recognizing it as a breed but it also allows them to reserve the right to seize and destroy any dog with Pitbull type features either physical, behavioral or both which includes AmStaffs, Irish Staffs, Old Fashioned Staffs, American Bulldogs, possibly anything, as a Pit Bull behavioral feature can be extremely subjective and can include any dog with anti social tendencies. Its completely at the individual courts discretion as to what is deemed as a Pit Bull type dog at the given time. Even if the owner has comprehensive papers to show that their dog is say an American Bulldog and not a Pit Bull it is irrelevant information since the court can still decide that this specific American Bull Dog has Pitbull Type Features making it an illegal and so, seize it, destroy it and prosecute the owner for owning a dangerous Pit Bull Type dog even if it has never commited a bad deed. Although it seems far fetched that this could happen a single feature or characteristic is enough to enforce the DDA. DFRA Recommend that people shouldn't own Amstaffs etc for this reason.

This may seem an unlikely event but the point is this, if they want to do this then they can and its upto one man, the judge in the court room. Note that the Judge doesn't have to prove anything at all since he is not dealing with a recognized breed but rather features and characteristics, therefore there is no mileage in proving in anyway that your dog is not a Pitbull.

And so it becomes a matter of opinion and the owner has no defense against a judges opinion. If that's what the Judge thinks then that's what the Judge thinks and you can't argue that his opinion is wrong since his view of Pit Bull Type features rightly or wrongly may be different to yours. The Judge's word is Final. An Amstaff is certainly at risk of being seized and destroyed as it defiantly has PitBull Type Features, and is probably the easiest dog there is to accuse of being a Pitbull Type apart from from a Pit Bull breed itself.

I believe Bulldog Lover is putting her Amstaff at risk by anouncing she has one as it is defiantly a Pitbull type and could or would be considered illegal if she was reported. DFRA says as much in their Literature, although it is still a matter of opinion and only the Judges opinion counts.

Basically your not guilty of owning a dangerous dog / or Pit Bull Type until someone reports you and only then if it is decided that your dog is a Pit Bull Type or indeed any of the other three banned breed 'Types' by a Judge. If that happens the loving family Amstaff becomes a dangerous dog and will be destroyed and the owner will be prosecuted.

Really unfair I know as I am a real big fan of Bullbreeds as well, although I wouldn't swap my Border Collie for anything.

I think the Law in this respect stinks. These are very general, but specific and at the same time vague Laws. They confuse people and ultimatly are bad for dogs and their owners in general. I am interested in any comments apart from ones about the lenght of time it took to read my first ever post?

Thanks for taking the time

1Law