BBC1 Death Row Dogs: What does it all mean

There seems to have been a number of people jumping on the BBC before the programme even aired. Yes they may have cut Trevor Cooper and the Dogs Trust comments out but I have to say, all in all I was pleased with the content.

It was an hour of gripping TV showing people who do not work with dogs and maybe those who do but don't deal with any of these 'problems' in their work the reality of what is going on. In my mind the BBC and West Midlands Police created a programme highlighting the key issues with BSL (breed specification legislation) and the DDA:

1. We are destroying innocent dogs. The footage of Tyson's tail will haunt everyone's mind forever more. Happy bull breed tail wagging ten to the dozen to zero in seconds.

2. The owners are the issue. Fullstop.

3. We should be taking animal cruelty far more seriously. To me, this programme quite clearly highlighted that these owners cannot look after themselves let alone a dog. Depriving a dog of human contact, socialisation, food, water, light, love and discipline will destroy any dog in one way or another. And for me, the woman who owned Tyson was a key example of how we are failing dogs everywhere. Seized because he was a PBT (Pit Bull Type) but then destroyed because he could not be returned to their home due to conditions and cruetly. Plus the fact that previously she had been banned from owning dogs. So why did she once again have a dog in her home?

We all realise that BSL does not work, that humans create the demons not the dogs. We are the ones controlling the breeding, their lives, their exposure and what we teach them. You only needed to look at some of those dogs being poled out of their homes - the stress signals, the upset and fear in their eyes and body was awful to see.

West Midlands Police came across as considerate, stuck in a hard place and desperate to help the dogs. By the end they openly admitted that BSL isn't working, these people along with the dog wardens are the poor ones who have to take dogs to be put down on a weekly basis. It is soul destroying.

I really hope that the powers above don't see 'Death Row Dogs' as another programme about how bad bull breeds are. I hope it shows them that we need a complete overhaul. We can't expect for this problem to go away. We have to educate and we have to be tougher with animal cruelty, conditions and the implications of that. Some of those homes with horrific conditions had children in them, on every level it isn't right but those children are also our future dog owners and breeders.

Comments

[Helen]

Agree. It was a well rounded docu piece that highlighted the problems with current legislation. The police came across well, sympathetic towards the dogs situation, but ultimately tied to laws that they themselves say do not work. I cannot understand why Tysons owner was not prosecuted considering she was previously already banned from owning dogs for life. It's insane. A worthwhile watch, but distressing to say the least!

[laura]

Very Distressing. But it was a very informative documentary,you could see the police really did feel for these poor animals and they were frustrated by the situation.
The Law has to be changed!! They cant just keep putting all these innocent dogs down, because there owners are so incapable of looking after them, and themselves for that matter. It makes me so angry, poor Tyson and all the others like him.