1 REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FOOD VETERINARY ADMINISTRATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA Dangerous dogs and relevant legislation Slovenian experience Mitja Šedlbauer, DVM MSc

2 Dangerous dogs dilemma Breed-specific legislation: dogs of certrain breeds are considered dangerous. Posession, breeding, trade of such dogs are either banned or limited. Dog-specific legislation: a dog is deemed dangerous if it attacks a person or an animal. Additional limitations for owners of dangerous dogs

3 Most common dangerous breeds AST – american Staffordshire terrier APBT - American pitbull terrier SBT – Staffordshire bull terrier EBT – English bull terrier

4 Most common dangerous breeds Bullmastiff Japanese tosa Fila Brasileiro

5 Breed specific legislation comparison DE, UK, PT, NO, HR – banning certain breeds FR, IE, PO, ES, NZ, DK – imposing limitations

6 Breed specific limitations Breeding certain breeds (DK) Spaying& neutering dogs of certain breeds (FR) Licencing (FR) Mandatory leashing & muzzling (IE, NZ) Tests & psychological evaluations of owners (RO) Singapur: ban on import of dangerous breeds Existing dangerous dogs registered based on the proof of insurance covering at least $ for expences of treatment of injuries.

7 Breed specific limitations Singapur: ban on import of dangerous breeds Existing dangerous dogs -registered based on the proof of insurance covering at least $ for expences of treatment of injuries. -Spayed/neutered if older than 6 mths -Authorisation issued based on a downpayment of $5000 If the dog is catched unleashed or unmuzzeled, the state keeps the downpayment

8 Sins from the past… One of major human objective in the production of dog breeds has been the creation of animals more aggressive than their wild ancestors. This has been done to provide protection through selection on inter-specific aggression (most guarding breeds) and for »entertainment« (dog fights) in the form of increased intra-specific aggression of fighting breeds (pit bull type)

9 Dog »aggression« Biological factors (basis) Biting – key component of predatory behaviour in canides Most social canides show low intraspecific aggression

10 Why do dogs bite? Aggression occurs in several contexts Expresion of dominance Territorial defence, Food competition Protection of young or other pack members Pain elicited aggression Fear elicited aggression

11 Why do dogs bite? Tendency to aggression can be influenced by animal's age, sex, reproductive status (intact vs. spayed, neutered) overall health

12 Why do dogs bite? Likelihood that individual dog will attack is strongly influenced also by variables such as: training of the animal extent to its socialization to people, quality of animal supervision and restraint, behaviour of the victim

13 The deciding factor This all makes it difficult to base predictions of a particular animal's aggressive behaviour on a single characteristic such as breed.

14 What’s dangerous about a dog? Growling? Jumping at someone? Making people feel uncomortable? Biting?Scratching?

15 Biting – a vicious deed. Easily defined: Bite: a discontinuation of skin or mucose membrane by dog’s teeth Technical definition – a “no-brainer” Important for both dangerous dog procedure as well as protection against rabies.

16 Dog specific legislation – Slovenian case Dangerous dog: a dog having bitten a person or an animal. As dangerous dogs shall not be considered: – the police service dogs or military dogs, whose bite results from carrying out an official duty; – dogs, whose bite is due to an unauthorised entry of a person into the premises or an enclosed piece of land which is market at the entrance by a notice of warning.

17 DOG BITE DANGEROUS DOG

18 The bite and its consequences A dog bite triggers two separate administrative procedures (normally carried out at the same time): -Rabies protection procedure -Dangerous dog procedure

19 Normal procedure BITE Doctor GP / ER anti-rabies outpatient clinic Data entry to CRD Veterinarian 10-day observation 3 examinations day Official veterinarian Dog declared as DANGEROUS

20 Procedure in case of severe injury or death BITE Doctor GP / ER Data entry to CRD Isolation 10-day observation 3 examinations day Official veterinarian OV Severe body injury or death? Dangerous dog NO YES EUTHANASIA

21 Slovenian case for Dog specific legislation Occasional calls for amending the legislation and banning breeds Gathering relevant data from the Central dog register. Interesting statistics

22 BreedNo. dogs% X-bred29349,2 German shepherd10217,1 AST132,2 Rottweiler122,0 Golden retriever101,7 Šarplaninac (Yugoslav shepherd)101,7 Bernese91,5 Kraški ovčar (Slovenian Karst shepherd)91,5 English cocker spaniel81,3 Labrador81,3 Pitbull terrier81,3 Staffordshire bullterrier81,3 Dobermann61,0 Miniature pinscher61,0 Malinois50,8

23 Breed Total no of dogs Dangerous % dangerous within the breed STAFFORDSHIRE BULTERRIER393112,80 DOBERMAN718111,53 Karst shephard (Slovenian breed) ,36 PITBULL TERRIER60281,33 American Staffordshire terrier ,31 Šarplaninac (Yugoslav shepherd) ,97 German shephard ,82 ROTTWEILER ,65 No data ,63 Cross-bred ,50 English cocker spaniel ,39 Bernese mountain dog ,31 Golden retriever ,28 LABRADOR ,18 ALL REGISTERED DOGS IN SI ,49

24 Dangerous breeds in Slovenia? No breed had a prevalence of dangerous dogs greater than 2.8% American Staffordshire terrier less dangerous than authentic Slovenian breed. What breed do we ban then?

25 Compulsory training of a dangerous dog Training of dogs under Animal Protection Act shall be compulsory: Training of dogs under Animal Protection Act shall be compulsory: – where a dangerous dog has by biting caused an injury, which is not a particularly serious injury. – where a dangerous dog has by biting caused an injury, which is not a particularly serious injury. – for a dog which lives or will live in the same environment as the keeper, whose dog had been euthanized for causing severe body injury or death. – for a dog which lives or will live in the same environment as the keeper, whose dog had been euthanized for causing severe body injury or death.

26 Compulsory training of a dangerous dog Training of the dog shall be carried out no later than the completed second year of age of the dog, and if the dog is already two years old, within a period of six months from dog bite or the killing of the preceding dog or purchasing of the new dog.

27 Compulsory training of a dangerous dog Training performed according to a program, approved by the competent authority (expert commission) Efficiency of the training performed verified by a commission. The keeper of the dog shall submit evidence of a successfully accomplished training to the competent veterinary organisation, which shall enter this information in the Central Register of Dogs.

28 Central Register of Dogs To keep track of dangerous dogs and measures imposed to the owners. CRD includes: -Records on annual vaccinations against rabies -Data on the owner -Data on the dog -Dog status (dangerous or not) -Measures imposed

29 Conclusion Aggression in dogs is multicausal – breed is not a good indicator of aggression Breed specific legislation vs. Dog specific legislation Various aproaches to dealing with dog aggression in legal systems