"I wish those vicious creatures could be banned." ***WARNING: GRAPHIC***

[The Straight Story]

52. They have less pit bull attacks in France - because they have laws against those dogs

Just like they have strict gun laws.

PARIS, Jan. 6 – As everyone knows, the French love dogs and don't mind what they do on the sidewalk. Starting today, pit bulls are an exception to the dog-loving part.

A new law requires all pit bulls, said to be the most dangerous of dogs, to be sterilized, muzzled, registered at city halls and kept out of public places. The District of Columbia and other U.S. jurisdictions are considering or already impose various controls on pit bulls, while a number of European countries have enacted their own limitations.

In the Netherlands, for instance, breeding of pit bulls has been forbidden since 1993, and they are required to be sterilized. The country expects the breed to be extinct there in two more years. And an "aggression test" is required for five other breeds; dogs that fail must be muzzled, sterilized and kept on a short leash.

In France, pit bulls are responsible for relatively few biting deaths. But, as in some other countries, they tend to be mostly owned by alienated young people in low-income neighborhoods who raise them for fighting – a bad sign for potential enforcement of the new law.

"In ghettos where the police don't go in already, I don't see why they will go in because of this law," said Paris city councillor Jean-Michel Michaux, a veterinarian. In fact, France is a country with many laws no one obeys, and this threatens to become another one. The police have been given no special training or increased resources to enforce it. According to Gerard Boyer, head of the police union, nine bureaucrats will administer the law for all of Paris.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/pmextra/jan00/06/pitbulls.htm

France, since January 2000, has required that all pit bulls and dogs of several other high-risk breeds be neutered, with the intention of eliminating them entirely by 2010.
http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/dogFight1100.htm

Getting a permit/licence

It is obligatory to register the dog at the Town Hall (Mairie) and receive a licence (Permis de détention). Any dangerous dog owner without a permit may be fined and imprisoned. A form must be completed and submitted to the town hall along with the following documents:

A behavioral assessment of the dog, performed by a veterinarian
A certificate of competency of the owner, issued by a certified trainer following a training course (the mairie can provide the contact details of certified dog trainers in a region)
Proof of identification of the dog,
Proof of valid anti-rabies inoculation
Proof of third party public liability insurance for the owner or handler of the dog
Proof of sterilisation (in the case of a category 1 dog)

If the dog is not yet eight months old, a provisional permit is issued and the dog must undergo a full behavioral evaluation at one year of age before the full licence can be drawn up.

The registration forms can be downloaded online:

Category 1 dog: Relevant documents for registration: Click here
Category 2 dog: Relevant documents for registration: Click here

Dog owners' responsibilities

Any dog, regardless of its category, which bites or injures a person must be reported to the town hall by the owner. The dog then undergoes a behavioural evaluation by a vet who will advise what the next steps will be.

Category 1 dog:

Acquisition, sale, purchase and importing these dogs is banned
Sterilisation of male and female dogs is compulsory (must have a veterinary certificate to prove this)
Access to public transport, public places and common areas in apartment buildings is prohibited
The dog may be taken to wide open places but must be kept on a lead and muzzled

Category 2 dog:

It must be leashed and muzzled in public places and on public transport

http://riviera.angloinfo.com/information/family/pets/restrictions-on-animals/

Dogs are like guns. Blame the item people own, not people.