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The tragic death of baby Jadon Smith after being attacked by family pets should be taken to heart by all dog owners.
While it's also tempting to demonise certain breeds — such as the Staffordshire bull terrier, one of which was involved in this killing — we need to acknowledge that the most lethal canine is actually a weird inter-species chimera: the aggressive dog and his irresponsible owner.
I say “his” advisedly, because if you live in London you'll be only too familiar with the sight of angry young men and angry dogs patrolling the streets and parks.
While deaths such as Jadon's have been increasing, the most frightening statistic is that casualty departments in London have seen a doubling in the number of under-18s treated for dog-inflicted injuries in the past 18 months.
Experts in the field, such as David Grant, director of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Animal Hospital, see the huge increase in the keeping of dogs that are either poorly trained, or positively encouraged to be violent, as a function of social deprivation. I agree. A snarling bull mastiff or Staffie is only another weapon but, unlike a knife, its possessor sees no requirement to conceal it.
Moreover, the young men who acquire such dogs are in exactly the same psychic space as their knife-wielding mates. They are insecure, anomic, disempowered — and seeking the most blatant way to appear powerful.
I've lost count of the number of times either I or my kids have been intimidated by these owner/dog creatures.
Granted, because we have a small dog of our own we're a magnet for such attention, and it's also true that often, when I engage the brute on the end of the lead in conversation, he turns out to be curiously bashful. But none of this discounts from the fact that there is a class of person who is allowed to brandish a sharp-toothed weapon in public.
The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act is widely regarded as a botched piece of legislation, placing the emphasis on the breed rather than the owner.
I'm not so sure that new laws are required but there has to be some move by police and councils to control the ever-burgeoning numbers of irresponsible dog owners. It could be the reintroduction of licensing, the fees to pay for mandatory dog classes; or it might be that owners of obviously aggressive dogs are required to demonstrate that they can control them. The police need no stop-and- search powers to find such malefactors — they are in plain view. If the owner can't control his dog, the dog should be destroyed.
It can only be a very English sentimentality about animals that is preventing such measures, given the four child killings that have occurred in the past year.
It's time to put an end to that, for our sentimental attitude to dogs is the flip-side of the cruelty we all too often unleash on our own species.
Drug Nutt upsets the horses
Poor old David Nutt, the academic who sits on the Home Office's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. He might have thought his assessment of the relative dangers of ecstasy and “equasy” (compulsive horse-riding) would pass unnoticed but was reckoning without the Home Secretary.
Jacqui Smith cracked down on Nutt this week — after all, there's nothing like a little jingoism in the soi-disant War on Drugs to make a minister sound resolute.
As to the substance of Nutt's claims, the exact relative number of deaths from ecstasy vs equasy is a matter of debate.
But surely it's the long-term genetic damage from sustained equasy that it makes it so dangerous? The evidence was only too clear when the Home Secretary sat down and a veritable stable of Tories sprang to their hooves to neigh agreement.
Curry favour for Brangelina
Apparently, Brangelina slunk away for curry after the Baftas, to a Kensington restaurant called Noor Jahan. I'm amazed they managed to get a table that late. I've pitched up there twice in the past year at 9.30pm and been told “the kitchen is closed”.
The second time I passed by half an hour later and saw people having their orders taken — the truth was the maître d' didn't like the cut of my jib, specifically my nylon cagoule.
Do I feel aggrieved? Not a jot, because the nosh is no better than your local balti house.
Next time Brangelina are in town I'll take them to an Indian where the staff don't judge you on appearance alone. Then again, they probably wouldn't like that at all.
Reader views (7)
We should bear in mind that the other dog involved in the attack was a Jack Russell. The French woman: Isabelle Dinoire who was the first person to undergo a partial face transplant was attacked by a labrador. Dogs are delightful, loyal companions but all dogs are capable of this kind of behaviour in the same way that most human beings have the potential to cause harm to others. This is why no responsible parent should leave a dog alone with a small child.
- Louise, Cambridge, UK, 12/02/2009 13:23
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my son of 20 yrs old, begged me for a dog, as the fact is of a young age he couldn t even look after his hamster! when my dad became ill 4 yrs ago , i thought lifes too short, and considering my son has cf(cystic fibrosis, and was diagionised to die at 15, ) i thought it would be special for him to have a special friend. when i read your peice, my stomach turned coa you as evertone else sees staff owners as invisable knife welding thugs, who are insecure,anomic, amongst other words. my son has been mugged 2x, beaten up, and harrased by other 20 yr olds even when he s had his dog with him. the only way his dog could kill you is by licking you to death! we call him the puff dog, as he acts like a girl. im so , so sad for what happened to jadon smith, but im sure even if my sons dog was with him whilst he was getting mugged and beaten , he still would be there wagging his tail thinking it was some kind of game, as thats the way he s been brought up. Dont tar all us staff owners with the same brush!!!
- Babs Allen, london, 12/02/2009 00:32
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Ronnie like you i agree, I am an owner of a rescued Staff/English Bull that was bred for fighting. He had a sad start in life but now he is safe and happy. Much as we love our dog we would never ever leave him alone with any young child. Just common sense unlike these people that goes around with their dogs as status symbols.
- Joe, Swanley Kent, 11/02/2009 16:48
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Only one problem Will, its the other one who should be destroyed!
- Colin, London, UK, 11/02/2009 12:56
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I agree completely. I am a dog owner and I think we should take more care in the training and socializing of our dogs. But, parents of very small children(which I am one, as well) need to be more aware of the danger that ANY dog poses to babies and small children. No child should be left alone with an unfamilar dog for any amount of time. I hope these sort of sad accidents become less frequent with so much media coverage bringing them to our attention.
- Kath, Sunningdale, UK, 11/02/2009 12:32
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What's going on with Will Self? There were times in the past when I could't bring myself to read, even glance, at his column, knowing full well that I would not agree with his opinion. He being a full on snearing politically correct dyed in the wool leftie, and me being probably ever so slightly right of centre!.. But now I find myself more and more agreeing with his well argued sentiments, like the piece about aggro dogs being used as weapons.
Of course this is true. Where I used to live Pit Bulls were still being bred as recently as last year, and hardly any other breed appeared in our local shopping centre. To see the inadequate idiots swagger is to see a potential attack. Why else bother to seek out and buy an illegal dog?
Blimey, am I moving closer to Will, or is he in fact "coming home?"
- Ronnie, Brantome France, 11/02/2009 12:03
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As usual Will, your succinct and pertinent comments on dog ownership are spot on. I am the responsible owner of a rather beautiful English Bull Terrier and here in Germany, there are a myriad of procedures one has to endure before legally owning what the Germans mistakingly refer to as a 'Kampfhund'or 'fighting dog'. First a visit to the Vetinary department of the local council where the dog is photographed, chip checked,weighed and details verified. Next, a police criminal records test. Then, it's off to a dog behaviour expert for a 'temperament test'. The owner has to sit a written exam too. Then as with all dogs in Germany, you can then pay the annual dog tax. My dog has to wear two discs on his collar; one to indicate the dog tax has been paid, the other to prove that he has undergone the temperament test. I agree in principle to these procedures, although I draw the line at him wearing a muzzle, which is also part of this legislation. There are many Berliners(not reknowned for their friendly temperament)where muzzle wearing should be compulsory!
Total cost: Euro 500.
Because of the cost and beaurocracy involved, this acts to deter most people from owning such a dog. Only genuine 'Bully' lovers need apply.
- Robert Early, Berlin, Germany, 11/02/2009 11:56
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