"Fudge was just five-months-old when he was destroyed.
His owner, Carole from Liverpool, had rescued him at just six-weeks-old and had no idea he might one day be suspected to be a prohibited type.
But a neighbour, who thought he resembled a pit-bull, reported Fudge to the police.
Carole was not aware that she could challenge the ruling and apply to have Fudge exempted by applying as a responsible owner. This would have meant Fudge could live, although under restrictions such as being muzzled and on the lead at all times when out of the house.
Carole has said: 'BSL was something I knew nothing about until the police knocked on my door late one night. Now I no longer respect the law that judges innocent dogs on how they look.
I am left with a legacy of guilt for being naive and a fear of ever owning a dog again. The law is proven not to have worked and needs radical change.'"
This is is from the RSPCA (England & Wales) website - one of their stories of real dog owners affected by the breed ban in the United Kingdom. Because the law is based on visual identification, it's not uncommon for someone to obtain a puppy or rescue a dog with no idea that this legislation can affect them, only to have their life torn apart by a neighbour's complaint or animal control officer's assessment. It's hard to feel safe if you have a dog that vaguely resembles one of the four prohibited breeds.
#endBSL #notoBill128 #Canada150 #BSLbytes
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Source:
https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/dogownership/bsl/whathappens/-/articleName/CAD_BSL_Case_Studies
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#BSLbytes is a joint initiative of Hugabull Advocacy & Rescue Society and Justice for Bullies.
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For background on the #BSLbytes campaign visit the HugABull blog: http://blog.hugabull.com/take-a-byte-out-of-bsl
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