1.
In Text 1 (Jamie Doward, ‘’Police back new law on killer dogs’’), the author discusses a proposal to overturn the Dangerous Dog Act, holding pet owners responsible for any dangerous acts committed by their dogs, rather than focusing on a particular breed of dog as a means of dog control.
In Text 2 (Victorie Stilwell, ‘’Jail owners of killer dogs”), the author also holds owners responsible for monitoring and carefully supervising their dogs at all times. The author strongly states that it is unfair to children as well as dogs to ever leave a dog unsupervised in the presence of children.
In Text 3 (Simon Heffer, ‘’If the dog is dangerous, the owner will be, too”), the author also holds the human accountable for the actions of their dogs, but he is very negative and discriminatory about certain dog breeds as well as certain classes of people. The author states that certain breeds of dogs are prized by certain classes and types of people and that with aggressive dogs comes law-breaking people.
2.
Simon Heffer, in his writing about dangerous dogs, is very critical of both the legislation regarding certain breeds as well as about their owners. It is obvious from his writing that Heffer has disdain towards people whom are impoverished, referring to them as “the underclass”. He is very negative towards certain breeds of dogs and stereotypes the people who own them. ‘’Pit bulls and their associated banned breeds are the chiens du choix of the criminal classes’’ This statement is an example of his views. The author even goes on to generalize that owners of certain breeds are “out of control’’ and are school truants, drug dealers and thieves. From there, he goes on to actually call them murderers, as they possess dogs and certain breed types which have attacked and killed humans and which they are unable to control.
Heffer adamantly blames poor people themselves for their plight in life, referring repeatedly to them as both “undeserving and an underclass”. In addition, he further criticizes impoverished people by accusing them of exploiting the social service system that is “absurdly generous to such people”.
The underlying point in Heffer’s writing is that people who are bad, whether they are drug dealers or thieves or murderers, tend to have dogs who are bad as well. These dogs are responsible for the death, according to Heffer, of many innocent children. These canines, just like their owners, are violent and a threat to society. Heffer’s final statement is to “forget about the dangerous dogs” and “let’s start getting really nasty with the dangerous humans.”
3.
The three texts used in this assignment have very different presentations of their opinions on how to address the issue of dangerous dogs. Although written in very different styles, each of the articles shares the same underlying message, which is that ultimately dog owners themselves must be held responsible for the actions of their dogs.
Text 1 is written from a legislative perspective and builds on existing laws. It suggests overhauling current legislation, doing a careful study and possibly instead of banning dogs based upon their breed, dogs would be treated as individuals and decisions would be based on their behavior. If warranted, a dog whom demonstrates viciousness would be perhaps banned or even put down when their behavior dictates. This is known as legislation based on ‘’deed, not breed” and is supported by animal rights groups. In addition, owners would be held ultimately responsible for their dogs and any aggressive acts they might commit. This change to current legislation is also welcomed by animal lovers, who claim that currently many dogs are put down needlessly.
The following text focuses entirely on the responsibility of the owner to keep dogs under control and people safe, stating that “if your dog kills someone then you should face jail”. The author writes throughout the article that owners must be held accountable for the actions of their dogs and that while dogs can be a wonderful addition to a family, they must be chosen with great care and fit into the family. Children, it is written, should NEVER be left alone with any dog, In addition, the author recommends that families with children should choose their dogs carefully from respected breeders and complete training classes with their puppy or dog.
The last text is written from an extreme perspective in both its attitude towards certain breed dogs AND the people who own them. It provides few suggestions to the issue of how to handle dangerous dogs. Instead, the article focuses on the negative characteristics of certain types of people and the dogs they own.