By Zoisa Fraser
Over the last few years, many living in various parts of the world have grown to fear Pit bulls and have labelled them as vicious. But dog experts have painted a different picture saying that they make good pets, provide protection, have unending loyalty to their owners and are protective of their territory, just like any other breed of dog.
In Guyana, there has been an ongoing debate over these animals following several mauling incidents and in one case death, by either purebred pit bulls or mixed breed dogs.
Pit bulls are readily linked to the dog attacks that occur here and it is believed that this is so because of their body makeup, jaw strength and the deadly reputation that they hold across the world.
A study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and published in 2000, revealed that between 1979 and 1998, one third of all fatal dog attacks were by Pit bulls. The number of fatal attacks by this breed was listed as 118, followed by Rottweilers at 67.
Unfortunately, there is no up-to-date statistics on this feared dog, but from reports of fatal attacks, Pit bulls head the list followed by Rottweilers, German shepherds and chows, in that very order. Huskies, Malamutes, Dobermans and Saint Bernards have also been associated with attacks over the last few decades but on a very small scale.
Pit bull attacks have prompted many countries, to draw up legislation to ban or restrict them.
They have been banned from Canada, parts of the US and Europe as well as Trinidad and Tobago because of their physical make up and their predisposition to attack. Other countries such as New Zealand have opted to have the animals sterilized, muzzled and leashed in public.
Amend dog legislation
In Guyana, the Dog Act remains outdated and many have called for amendments to it. Under this law, the owners of these animals could be fined or serve a short jail term if found guilty of negligence in a dog attack. From all reports the latter has never been done. There are no provisions for the injuries persons receive from these animals and victims have no choice but to take civil action, a lengthy and tedious process that many opt not to take.
On a few occasions, owners have paid victims a small compensation package to avoid having the matter engage the attention of the court.
Many recommendations have been made in terms of the legislation following the recent attacks but it seems these are not being taken seriously or even considered by the relevant authorities.
Stabroek News recently spoke to President of the Guyana Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) Oliver Insanally and Veterinarian Dr Nicholas Mc Lean on this issue and they both expressed their desire for amendments to be done in the interest of all parties involved.
Earlier this year, members of the GPSCA were attacked by Pit bulls after the owners had loosed them on some children. The organization had commented several times on these feared animals.
Insanally signalled to Stabroek News that the organization’s position is that the animal legislation needs to be revamped so that it is more effective and enforceable.
“We have recognized this and earlier in the year, the GSPCA retained a lawyer to review and revamp our animal laws,” he said adding that the organization was fully funding the activity using appropriate animal legislation from several other countries as guides.
He expressed hope that the public, the legal fraternity and the police will fully support the organization’s efforts in having legislation passed as well as enforcing it.
Insanally stressed that the legislation will take a holistic approach, in that it will seek to prevent dog attacks through regulations on animal ownership.
Dr Mc Lean who has been a vet for some 20 years, during which time he has dealt with various breeds of dogs, also expressed concern about the legislation currently in place as it relates to dogs such as the Pit bulls.
Liability insurance and an increase in the penalties are among his suggestions for tackling this issue. He also urged that a public forum be held where everyone’s views could be ventilated.
According to the veterinarian, who stressed on his love for dogs, creating liability insurance is a step that can be taken to appease the situation and make dog owners more liable. He said that in the long run, the security of Pit bulls and other breeds rests on the shoulder of the owners. He said that they have to put all efforts into ensuring that the animals are safe adding that this was an area where many persons fell down because of the cost attached.
He said building a separate enclosure around the kennels and sturdier fences could help to ease the situation.
Mc Lean added that there was also an obvious need for a change in the legislation. He said a six-figure penalty for those found guilty would send a strong message to dog owners, at the same time encouraging them to focus on the importance of security.
He said though that before suggestions like these were considered, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the police and all others stakeholders, should come together and hold a public forum to hear what dog owners, victims and other concerned members of the public have to say.
Following the death of security guard, Charles Roopchand, several months ago, attorney-at-law and chairman of COPS Security Services, Gregory Gaskin had called for a proper charge to be instituted so as to send a strong message to dog owners. He said during a press conference two days after Roopchand, who was attached to COPS, was killed, that the dog legislation in Guyana and the Summary Offences Act do not directly address dog attack.
GSPCA said Pit bull owners should be made to fit some sort of criteria before they are allowed to rear these animals.
Insanally said dog breeds were the result of people’s actions and Pit bulls were the creations of their masters. He said people who want to have these animals must be responsible and of a suitable character to be entrusted with them. Added to that he said the animals need to be kept in a secure environment to prevent them from escaping. The same diligence exercised for a person who applies for a gun permit must be exercised for dog ownership as these animals are just as dangerous, Insanally stressed.
Dog fighting
Another issue of contention is that of dog fighting. Many believe that this sport trains a dog to be vicious and that any dog, whether pit bull or any other breed, will reflect whatever its owners train it to be and do.
Gaskin who has experience dealing with several breeds had said, “there is a culture that people are now training dogs to become lethal weapons and mercenaries of death… Pit bulls are particularly prone to this sort of behaviour. Once you have people training dogs to kill then they will break out and kill.”
This is a stance that dog owners continued to deny and have continuously stressed that gaming dogs would only attack other dogs and not people. One dog owner, who did not want to be named, said the dogs were trained for gaming for financial gain and not to kill.
This owner who has had about 22 Pit bulls over a 15-year period, explained that dogs are put into a ring to fight because if they win then their offspring would be very expensive; a huge financially achievement for the owner. He said this was the history behind the sport and nothing else.
“People just listening to those who say that they are dangerous but Pit bulls are good animals. They protect their owners. They are not bad and are good for security purposes,” the dog owner said adding that when gaming dogs were in public they behaved differently. He said the dogs were calm.
Meanwhile, the GSPCA described dog fighting as “a despicable and inhumane activity that is extremely cruel and causes great suffering to the animals involved”. The laws of Guyana stipulate that this is illegal and Insanally those involved in this act should be prosecuted and their retributions should be far more than the laws permit.
Insanally said Guyana should take pattern of the high-profile dog fighting case in which American footballer, Michael Vick, was indicted and jail for his involvement in this practice.
Not people aggressive
Like the dog owner, McLean said that from his experience pit bulls were not “people aggressive but dog aggressive”.
To demonstrate his point, the dog owner had said that very often he had taken his Pit bull to the sea wall and unleashed it and it had moved between people without attacking. Both the owner and Mc Lean said they did not believe that the tasting of blood made a dog vicious.
The veterinarian said he believed the problem with these animals was their tenacity and their tendency to hold on to something, causing serious damage.
“They will persist and will not let go. They are not like other dogs, they would hold on,” he said adding that these animals do not bite with significant force.
Dog experts say that Pit bulls, more often than not, were being unfairly treated when it came to vicious attacks, because of the stigma attached to them and the damage that is left.
Mc Lean said that in the case of the security guard killing, the dogs involved were pit bulls, as was reported in sections of the media but rather of mixed breeds.
The dog owner said he saw the dogs on television and they were not of the Pit bull breed. He said that those animals behaved the way they did because they were mixed with several breeds. He said that purebred Pit bulls were not dangerous but rather strove to protect their owners and their property.
The dog owner said he has found that many persons were rearing mixed breed dogs and passing them off as Pit bulls and those were the animals that were causing the problems. He said some of the breeds bore a slight resemblance to Pit bulls, but the latter were shorter and more muscular.
Life in prison?
Many people have wondered what happens to a dog that has killed or seriously injured someone. The laws of Guyana stipulate that a magistrate had to decide, after hearing a complaint, whether a dog was dangerous and should be kept under proper control. The magistrate would then make an order directing that the dog be kept by the owner under proper control or destroyed.
From reports this newspaper received a magistrate has never ordered that a dog be put to sleep following a vicious attack.
A top official at the Guyana Police Force’s Canine Division recently said that dogs that have attacked people were taken to the facility are housed there like prisoners, until the court decided their fate.
The official said that as far as he was aware, the court had never ordered an animal killed –something that would be done with a lethal dose of injection.
The dogs involved in the Ogle attack, are still being housed at the faculty and their future is uncertain.
Meanwhile, despite the increase in Pit bull attacks – five since last November that left close to ten people injured and one dead – Guyanese continue to purchase these animals for as much as $100,000 each.
