Dog Fighting on the Up

Thu, 21 May 2009

The RSPCA has revealed that an increasing number of dogs are being treated for stab wounds, burns and broken bones as a result of street fighting. There were 284 reports of dog fighting in the UK in 2008, an increase of 1200 per cent on the 24 reported in 2004.

The animal charity is concerned that pets are increasingly being used as weapons of intimidation. That claim is lend credence by the fact that two thirds of reported cases of street fights in the UK in 2008 involved youths. Moreover, there was an increase of more than 40 per cent in the number of youths using animals to intimidate people.

David Grant, from the RSPCA’s Harmsworth animal hospital in North London, revealed that London was a hotspot for dog fighting on the street, whilst Merseyside, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire have also been pinpointed as problem areas.

The RSPCA has called on the government to review the current legislation to give dog owners greater responsibility. Those who fail to abide by the law should then have their pet confiscated, say the RSPCA, with Metropolitan Police figures revealed 719 dogs were seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act in 2007/08.

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