An expert has warned dog owners against buying a Belgian Malinois.
Jacob Morgan expressed concerned this breed may be the next added to the UK list of banned dangerous dogs. The founder of YorkshireCanineAcademy.co.uk has trained over 2,500 dogs and owns five himself.
The trainer owns a Belgian Malinois, but warned the dog "was not a family pet". He added: “Just this week I have seen five Belgian Malinois dogs looking to be re-homed via Facebook. This is frightening to see as it shows people are buying this breed of dog and not being able to care for them," as The Daily Record reports.
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“My Belgian Malinois puppy, Stark, is 15 weeks old, and I’m with him most of the day while I train our clients' dogs. But I also have members of staff who can also make sure Stark is getting stimulated by giving him an activity to do every hour. Even as a dog trainer, if it was just me looking after Stark, I’d struggle.”
There are currently four breeds of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. According to the legislation, these are:
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Brasileiro
However, new data has revealed an increase in children under the age of 15 having to attend hospital for dog-related injuries between April 2021 and March 2022. This increased by 7.5 per cent to 1,516, which is the second highest figure since records began in 2007.
Becky Thwaites, head of public affairs at animal welfare charity Blue Cross urged the government to update the legislation. She said: "Many dogs that are seized as illegal breeds are in fact well-behaved dogs with responsible owners, who just have the misfortune to have the wrong measurements."
"Nearly as many dogs - not banned breeds - were seized under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act as under section 1 last year for being dangerously out of control, highlighting how important it is for government to change the legislative focus from what a dog looks like to dealing with irresponsible owners of any breed of dog to keep our communities safe."
It is against the law to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned dog. Government guidance states that, whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name. If your dog matches many of the characteristics of a Pit Bull Terrier, it may be a banned type. This means a dog could simply be put down should it look a certain way.
However, there is a little-known exemption. A dog which looks like a banned breed is allowed to live, should it pass a court behavioural assessment and prove it can live happily and peacefully in the community.
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