'It's as good as having a knife'

[GrandOldTeam]

BBC NEWS | UK | 'It's as good as having a knife'

The number of illegal dogs on the streets is rising according to the Metropolitan Police, with the RSPCA warning that young men are using vicious breeds as weapons of intimidation and status symbols.
Gordon Shepherd, 25, a part-time DJ from Shepherd's Bush in west London, owns a pit bull and Rottweiler crossbreed called Rocky.
He says he likes it when he is out with Rocky and people are scared of them.
"People move out of the way. I've walked down the street, and people literally move. That makes me feel, like, yeah, I've got power."
And people have good reason to be frightened. Gordon admits he has trained Rocky to bite anyone he points out "straightaway".
"Sometimes you just have to beat it into them, so they have to do it. If you're going to actually train your dog to be violent, that's [when] you would actually hit it into him, to actually be violent," he says.
Gordon is well aware that his dog could cause serious damage.
"[It's] just as good as having a knife - the damage that that could do to a person if used in the right way."
And it is not just people that are potential victims. The RSPCA says dogs are increasingly being used in street fights, resulting in dogs having to be treated for stab wounds, burns and broken bones.

Its him who needs a beating, not the dog.

He should be prosecuted.

 

[kirkbyscouse_1989]

He was on a programme on bbc three at 9 o clock about dogs are weapons its on again at 12 15 well worth sky+ some horrible sights on there of dogs tho after being attakcked by other dogs and by its own owners.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Doesn't show dogs actually forced fighting though does it?

One thing I can't stomach.

 

[kirkbyscouse_1989]

its shows clips of dogs fighting in like a wooden pen i like dogs an some parts were horrible like someone who must of put about 40 ciggie burns on the dogs made it fight the dog had 1 ear and hlf of its body had no fair it was horrible like. they do give you warning when the parts like that are coming on so if you dont want to watch you can always not look while its on

 

[McBain]

Ive got a major problem with these kind of killer dogs.

They should be banned and bred out. Full stop. There's no need for dogs that can snap instantly and seriously maim people on a whim.

This DJ guy sounds like a real tosser, and he'll be going down when his dog does snap. Which animals quite often do.

 

[Azzbot]

Doesn't show dogs actually forced fighting though does it?

One thing I can't stomach.

I agree. It's horrible seeing it.

One of the scariest things about these dogs is that if they get hold of your leg or anything, they aren't letting go!!

 

[Azzbot]

Oh, and didn't they have a big campaign to get all these illegal dogs off our streets a year-ish ago?

Obviously that failed!

 

[bluebloodinmyveins]

The loophole seems to be that they say it is not a full breed of whichever dangerous dog it might be. I know several people who have them, and have used this loophole to keep their dogs. I'm told even a vet cant say 100% that they are a full breed.
A few weeks ago one of them was walking his dog when it attacked another, he tried to separate them and got savaged by both of them.
I'm sorry if i dont have a lot of sympathy. They know what these dogs are capable of, they cant be suprised when one of these dogs do what is in their nature to do.

 

[ToxtethBlue]

Any Dog can be taught to fight. Whether it's a Jack Russell or a Pitt Bull, I don't agree that certain breeds should be banned. It's all down to the owners in my opinion.

I've seen an arranged Dog fight on Granby street, not nice at all.

 

[Azzbot]

I agree it's down to the owner aswell....but there are also a lot of naturally vicious dog breeds!

 

[Bluelass]

A trainer can get a poodle to rip someone's arm off if they wanted to, dogs are dogs and they have an instinct that helps them to survive - well, most of them don't need to have a killer instinct these days but it's still in there. Likewise, what would YOU do if cornered or tortured into fighting to survive? The survival instinct is in every creature.
The owners of these dogs are the ones that should be put in a cage with a pack of hungry animals and see how long they last.

Many of you know that I have three dogs, all cross breeds and all potential killers but of course they are not killers because they have never been encouraged to be aggressive.
They will snap at eachother over food and will bark at anyone who comes to the door. That is their natural instinct and no amount of breeding will remove it.
People breed dogs to do what they do and bring out the instinctive behaviour, the breeding of certain types of dogs should certainly be restricted but while some see a big snarling, slobbering dog as a fashion accessory (of the violent kind) that is never going to happen.
I adore my dogs, they are part of my family but I never forget that they are animals and can only react to certain stimuli and situations as per their natural instinct so I make sure that they are never put in situations where that killer instinct could come to the fore.

 

[steevie]

A trainer can get a poodle to rip someone's arm off if they wanted to, dogs are dogs and they have an instinct that helps them to survive - well, most of them don't need to have a killer instinct these days but it's still in there. Likewise, what would YOU do if cornered or tortured into fighting to survive? The survival instinct is in every creature.
The owners of these dogs are the ones that should be put in a cage with a pack of hungry animals and see how long they last.

Many of you know that I have three dogs, all cross breeds and all potential killers but of course they are not killers because they have never been encouraged to be aggressive.
They will snap at eachother over food and will bark at anyone who comes to the door. That is their natural instinct and no amount of breeding will remove it.
People breed dogs to do what they do and bring out the instinctive behaviour, the breeding of certain types of dogs should certainly be restricted but while some see a big snarling, slobbering dog as a fashion accessory (of the violent kind) that is never going to happen.
I adore my dogs, they are part of my family but I never forget that they are animals and can only react to certain stimuli and situations as per their natural instinct so I make sure that they are never put in situations where that killer instinct could come to the fore.

Superb post mate. +rep

 

[Whitebootman]

I totally agree with Bluelass on this one, espically "The owners of these dogs are the ones that should be put in a cage with a pack of hungry animals and see how long they last". The people who organise dog fights deserve a good kick up the backside.

 

[Nebbiolo]

Like somebody said, these types of dogs should be bred out. There's no need for them. I would also introduce a licence for dog owners. They need to show that they can care for a dog, and that they are responsible people. I'm sick of all the idiots that get animals just because of a whim. Add to that the introduction of stiff penalties for people that mistreat their pets.

 

[Gerard_Francis]

A trainer can get a poodle to rip someone's arm off if they wanted to, dogs are dogs and they have an instinct that helps them to survive - well, most of them don't need to have a killer instinct these days but it's still in there. Likewise, what would YOU do if cornered or tortured into fighting to survive? The survival instinct is in every creature.
The owners of these dogs are the ones that should be put in a cage with a pack of hungry animals and see how long they last.

Many of you know that I have three dogs, all cross breeds and all potential killers but of course they are not killers because they have never been encouraged to be aggressive.
They will snap at eachother over food and will bark at anyone who comes to the door. That is their natural instinct and no amount of breeding will remove it.
People breed dogs to do what they do and bring out the instinctive behaviour, the breeding of certain types of dogs should certainly be restricted but while some see a big snarling, slobbering dog as a fashion accessory (of the violent kind) that is never going to happen.
I adore my dogs, they are part of my family but I never forget that they are animals and can only react to certain stimuli and situations as per their natural instinct so I make sure that they are never put in situations where that killer instinct could come to the fore.

That's a good post Bluelass

The most dangerous breed in this report is the owner, along with the rogue breeders. The dogs probably already half off it's trolley before it’s even been sold.