LAST MONTH ALONE 5 DANGEROUS DOG ATTACKS MADE HEADLINES.
* 2 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE ATTACKS
* 3 PEOPLE, INCLUDING A 5-YEAR-OLD GIRL, WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED
While special training for dangerous and potentially-dangerous dogs was made a legal requirement in Portugal in 2009, it may prove hard to do, as the authorities responsible for certifying the trainers have yet to put the cogs into motion.
It emerged that, despite being a legal requirement, compulsory training for dogs classified as dangerous or potentially-dangerous may be hard to find as there are apparently, as yet, no registered trainers.
Proper obedience and socialization training with a registered professional is one of several obligatory conditions to owning a dangerous or potentially-dangerous dog. Failure to do the training can entail fines. In 2010 the government made it the Public Safety Police and National Republican Guard force's responsibility to evaluate and certify trainers. Two years later little progress appears to have been made.
In a statement sent to The Portugal News, the Ministry for Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Land Planning explained:
"The General Directorate of food and Veterinary delegated the certification of trainers to the PSP and the NRG, who were asked to present a model of evaluation to be approved by the General Director of Veterinary Medicine. We are waiting for those police entities to publish dates and locations and proceeding to start the certification process.......AS THE TRAINING PROFESSION IS NOT REGULATED IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE EXERCISING THE ACTIVITY AT PRESENT."
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"POTENTIALLY-DANGEROUS DOGS" are dogs of a particular build and nature that could cause injury or death to humans or animals. There are seven listed breeds considered potentially-dangerous from the offset:
* BRAZILLIAN FILA
* DOGO ARGENTINO
* PIT BULL TERRIER
* ROTTWEILER
* AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
* STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
* JAPANESE TOSA INU
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"DANGEROUS DOGS" are those that have attacked a person, killed or injured an animal while out of its owner's possession, or have been declared so by the owner.
Owners of dogs of both categories must be over the age of 18 and have a special licence, renewed annually. Obtaining a licence requires that the animal has an antsi-rabies vaccine, a microchip, insurance and the owner's criminal record , among other things. When in public the dogs must bemuzzled, kept on a lead measuring a maximum of one metre, and can only be walked by over -16s.
AMONG THE MORE SHOCKING DOG ATTACKS TO MAKE NEWS IN RECENT MONTHS WAS AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED ON 24 AUGUST, WHEN A 46-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS MAULED AND KILLED BY HER SON'S ...............
PIT BULL/RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK CROSS IN MATOSINHOS.
ON 16 AUGUST A DOGO ARGENTINA ATTACKED A 5-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN GUIMARAES CAUSING SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES.....................
3 DAYS EARLIER.....ON 13 AUGUST A 20-MONTH OLD BABY WAS KILLED AFTER BEING BITTEN BY A DOG OF THE SAME BREED.
ON 8 AUGUST NEWS CHANNEL SIC NOTICIAS REPORTED THAT A POSTMAN HAD BEEN ATTACKED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED BY 3 BOXER DOGS WHILE DELIVERING LETTERS IN LOURINHA, AND............
ON 4 AUGUST AN ELDERLY WOMAN WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING SET UPON BY 2 DOGS IN VILA DO CONDE.
LINK
4 SERIOUS DOG ATTACKS IN 1 MONTH INCLUDING 2 DEATHS
WORLD WIDE PITICIDES