“People who have nothing positive to say about a breed of dog,should say 0! its obvious all of these dim people who read a little bit about a breed of dog, points out aggressive traits and twists the facts. The fact is these people who believe this rubbish are either easily mislead or are the exact types of people who are incapable of owning a large powerful breed, i myself have alot of knowledge of the Akita, and the truth is this breed should only be owned by a proper dog people, they are stubborn, loyal, protective and the list goes on, any good breeder of any powerful dog breeds will not sell to- inexperienced or seemingly stupid, or weak willed, types of people so that counts for most of the population, the facts are you need to study hard, read ask questions to experience dog owners or breeders of these breeds, go to dog shows, anaylize the positive and negative draw backs and ask yourself a serious question am i the right person for this amazing breed have i enough commitment and knowledge and money- time, to be able to Socialize, Train, feed and love the dog, if any of this is neglected then you can and probably will run into problems, the fact is most people can't commit to this.
say for instance your dog is well trained meaning good manners listens well to owners good on the lead and loves kids and most people knows the difference between a friendly stranger and a threat! then you will more than likely have a great well balanced family guarding dog, thats right you will not only own a well behaved pet but a pet that will protect you from a real threat say someone trying to abduct your kids or rape your wife, then the people trying to make out that a protective dog is a bad thing? would be shouting and screaming telling the world what a brave incredible life saving dog they have!
the bottom line is i can handle dominant breeds and alot of people can't- the same goes for me buying a car i wouldn't buy a super car because i can't afford one and can't handle one.
So i would like to see common sense laws, ie we as humans have a choice to own any breed of dog, must have Dog licence, dog Education, and enforcement of this with the most important- people mistreating a dog or any animal- prison a proper sentence banned from owning animals, if a dog of any breed kills a child or human then, owner charged with Murder dog destroyed.
The only reason a dog and owner would not be charged would be the dog can bite/attack or even kill but only under extremely serious circumstances ie dog protecting owner from being attacked or someone breaking into the dogs/owners home.
Thats all we need, we are the worst animals, we all know this wild animals in zoos, drug problems, violent problems, amazon being destroyed and everything being ruined, so the only natural amazing things we still haven't destroyed yet are dogs! lets not ban them just because of a few idiots. Alcohol destroys everything but thats legal? lots of money?

P.S
Good breeding, Good ownership< Great dog! FACT

By the way watch the dog Whisperer-- Exercise. discipline then affection.”

“"They bond strongly with their immediate families and show extreme loyalty and protectiveness towards them. They live to protect their loved ones, including children and other pets"

Thats part of the description for a Fila Braziliero - one of the 4 breeds banned in the uk.
It is banned not because it is a fighting breed but beacuse it is extremely large and fiercely protective of its family.
When owners of certain breeds say but my dog won't hurt a fly - my children play with it etc., they are missing the point. Its exactly because they are so loving to you that often makes them a complete danger to strangers.”

“liz

Whats the problem with leather coats?”

“Nothing wrong with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, if brought up properly. They are just about the best family dog you can have.”

“Many stupid comments and some good ones, i owned two akita's many years ago and they were the most loving dogs around. Understanding the characteristics is fundamental to a dog owner and in the case of akita's it is there defensive and protective nature.
Both my children were raised with them and the dogs would give there lives to defend them and both me and the wife, and our property including our 4X4 we owned at the time. Both dogs were broken at an early age, and understood there role in the family, this is a fundamental issue with this breed and the children would play with them for hours, sometimes pushing them past the point where many dogs would have snapped. The dogs never offered to harm them despite any reservations we had, but would not let anyone they didn't know near the children or the wife unless they were instructed to do so.”

“karen......why do you own a 4x4?.....is it because you feel your only child needs to get to school in a tank?....i bet you park outside his school on the double yellows with your hazards on......ffs.”

“Errrr liz - I own a 4x4 BECAUSE I have dogs! I get the point of your comment but please don't tar everyone with the same brush because of the car they drive!”

“Whilst a dangerous breed of dog will be much less dangerous in the hands of a responsible owner, we shouldn't forget that they are labelled dangerous for a reason.
The most viscious dogs I have ever come across were all lap dogs - small terrier breeds, toy poodles etc. However when they turn bad they are not particularly dangerous. They may fetch blood on your hand or ankles but they aren't going to really hurt you.
The listed dogs however, can cause real damage and are potentially life threatening. These dogs and other breeds such as staffies may not be as likely to snap as one of those toy breeds but when they do we could be talking about fatalities.
Hand guns were banned in this country. Most owners were responsible club members but when they fell in the hands of a baddun, the gun was devestating. Dangerous dogs are like guns - a loaded weapon. Perhaps safe in some peoples hands but much too dangerous to let just anybody have one.

We can't legislate for peoples stupidity but we can legislate about what weapons they can legally have.
To my mind the dangerous dogs act does not go nearly far enough. Whatever people say there is enough empirical evidence to show that some breeds are much more dangerous than others. Red setters, labradoodles, old english sheep dogs or even your common and garden mongrel are not appearing in the news daily for savaging another pet or child - but some are. The evidence is clear, it is NOT just the owners to blame, it is also the breed.

Think of it this way - a three part formula. Breed Instability x Owner Responsibility x Potential Damage.
When you get 2 of the 3 you're ok. i.e. Bad owner + unstable breed + wimpy bite = no damage.
Good Owner+ unstable breed + dangerous bite = probably ok when under control of owner.

Bad Owner+ Stable Breed (e.g. St Bernard) + Big Bite = probably ok

But when you get all 3 Bad
i.e. Irresponsible Owner + Unstable Breed + Big Bite then you are heading for trouble.

Unfortunately legislation has no control over the Owner Hence the only option is to legislate against the breed based on the breed character and the potential damage.”

“That's just what I am saying Debs.

Which is where I think the Dangerous Dogs act falls down.”

“There are dog owners, and dog lovers.

These thug dog owners are obviously the type of people who own 4 x 4 cars, leather coats, lots of bling etc.

They know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

Including the true value of owning, caring, and loving a dog.

All dogs should be micro-chipped and licensed.

More power to the Dog Wardens, who in my experience do a good job under difficult circumstances.”