Could you be cuddling a killer?

2:29pm Thursday 4th January 2007

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Police have confirmed that the dog which fatally attacked a five-year-old girl in Merseyside this week was an illegal breed. But some campaigners, including the RSPCA, warn that all dogs are potential killers, and the danger lies in "deed not breed." EMMA CLAYTON reports.

Last week, as I was putting out the bin before setting off for work, I heard a sniffling sound. I turned to see a Rottweiler staring up at me.

It was 7.15am, dark, and there wasn't a soul around. There was a wheelie bin between me and an unaccompanied rottweiler. Trying not to panic, I told it in a small voice to go away and, after sniffing the bin a bit more, it charged off - only to charge back again as I wheeled the bin down the path.

Who knows what can set off a dog attack? I was doing my best not to look at this dog, while wondering whether the sound of a moving bin could make it snap and go for me. Thankfully it raced off again and I got into my car, shaking.

This dog was wearing a collar and looked well cared for, it clearly belonged to someone. So why wasn't it with its owner and on a lead?

According to campaigners who want tighter laws on dog ownership, encountering potentially dangerous dogs is becoming all-too common, .

The devastating dog attack in the early hours of New Year's Day resulting in the death of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in Merseyside has once again highlighted the danger of dogs. The child was attacked by her uncle's pit-bull terrier-type dog which police have confirmed was a prohibited breed.

The attack has prompted dog attack victims in Bradford to renew calls for the Dangerous Dogs Act to be updated. The act was introduced after Rukhsana Khan was mauled by an American pit-bull terrier in Manningham in 1991 when she was six.

Critics believe the legislation is flawed and the Telegraph & Argus is lobbying Home Secretary John Reid to strengthen it through our Curb the Danger Dogs Campaign which is calling for: l Compulsory registration for all dogs, rather than the current system which limits it to certain breeds.

l All dogs to be micro-chipped to allow ownership to be traced.

l Mandatory life bans from dog ownership to be introduced for anyone convicted of having a dangerous dog.

l A record of control orders to be kept on every dog's registration.

l A specific offence of allowing a dog to stray to be added to the Act with fixed penalty fines for owners to prevent dogs being out of control at any time.

Last September five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon was fatally mauled by two Rottweilers. The attack led Heaton-based community safety campaigner Elizabeth Hellmich to organise a 1,000-signature petition calling for tougher laws.

This week, following the death of Ellie Lawrenson, Mrs Hellmich launched a further petition which she plans to distribute around supermarkets. The focus of this petition, she says, is on tighter clampdowns on dogs roaming free.

"Dangerous dogs are affecting people's quality of life, they're making our streets unsafe," says Mrs Hellmich, who founded the Safe Areas for Everyone project. "I know of one family who are afraid to go out because of dogs. When Bradford's dog warden service was based in a stand-alone unit you knew there was always someone on the end of a phone who would come and round up nuisance dogs. Now that service has been reduced.

"Criminal prosecutions are few and far between. This petition is calling for the dog warden service to be reinstated to what it was.

"Bradford is becoming a place where dogs rule. I'd like to invite the Home Secretary to Bradford to walk around and see big packs of dogs wandering around, most of which are latch-key pet dogs' left to roam. It only takes a child to wander into a pack for another tragedy to happen.

"Any dog is a potential killer, I don't think it's down to breed. It's up to owners to keep dogs responsibly."

Mrs Hellmich, who is a dog-owner, has been contacted by hundreds of people affected by dog attacks.

For the RSPCA, it's also a case of what the dog is capable of, not what breed it is.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "The Dangerous Dogs Act goes against the RSPCA's belief that that the focus should be on the deed, not the breed. Any dog has the potential to attack, but it is the training that should be questioned, not the type of dog. We urge owners to be responsible and keep their dog under control at all times.

"Dog owners should train their pets to be sociable, and by doing this, potentially dangerous situations can be avoided. If dogs and children are sharing the same environment, everyone needs to be aware of the potential risk. Some dogs are wonderful with children, others might react if provoked."

• Anyone wanting to back Elizabeth Hellmich's petition, or any business wanting to distribute it among staff, is asked to contact her on (01274) 495684 or elizabethsafe@blueyonder.co.uk

'Dog owners get too complacemt'

Bradford Council's Dog Warden Service manager Terry Singh says dogs are a pack animal and can be unpredictable regardless of breed, so they should be supervised responsibly.

"We always say we are a nation of animal lovers but are we a nation of animal keepers?" says Mr Singh. "People get dogs and, sadly, become complacent.

"Everybody has to look at a dog on its appearance. Initially a dog may be okay and friendly but one can never be sure. Any dog can be unpredictable and should never be left unsupervised."

Mr Singh says that under the Dangerous Dogs Act, owners of certain breeds, namely pit-bull terrier types, Japanese Tosas, Dogos Argentinos and Fila Braziliero have to register their pets.

But the problem, he adds, is that crossbreeds are difficult to define and don't have to be registered.

Mr Singh says the solution is for all dogs, whatever the breed, to be registered and micro-chipped. "That way we can cover any potentially dangerous dog and make its owner accountable," he says.

HOW YOU CAN SIGN OUR PETITION

You can back our Curb the Danger Dogs Campaign by signing our petition, which will be sub-mitted to the Home Secretary, John Reid.

We want to collect as many signatures as possible in the next month to show Mr Reid the strength of feeling in the district about the inadequacies of the Dangerous Dogs Act and to put pres-sure on him to better protect the public against dog attacks by acting on the changes to the law we have outlined on the petition.

You can support our campaign simply by adding your own name on the petition online at our publication's website www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk. Or you can print out the petition and ask family, friends and colleagues to sign as well. The more signatures we receive, the stronger our message.

But whatever you can do will add weight to our campaign and help to make it clear to Mr Reid the strength of public feeling regarding the desperate need to change the current law.

Remember, you need to return copies of the petition to the T&A (the address is at the foot of the form) by Thursday, October 12.

We will then submit all the forms we receive to the Home Office.

• Click here to sign the petition on-line

• Or click here to download a copy of the petition to print out

• Start or join a debate on this issue in our online forum - Click here