Dog training classes aimed at creating a safer and friendlier community are being held in North London by Wood Green Animal Shelters with the help of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

The new approach to tackling dangerous dogs is taking place in London following a donation of £5,000 from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust to Wood Green Animal Shelters to help them hold free training classes for Bull breeds of dog and their owners.

With dog attacks frequently in the media, Wood Green and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust are keen to demonstrate that the best way to tackle unsociable dogs is through training and education for both the dog and the owner.

The often demonised Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of the more popular breeds attending the free training classes, which are designed to help with training and guidance on responsible pet ownership and ultimately tackling the issue of dangerous dogs before a dog becomes dangerous.

Katie Wickins, Manager of Wood Green’s London shelter said: “A lot of people who have dogs sadly don’t know how to look after them properly. In some cases this can create tension between the dog and the owner and lead to dogs being neglected, abandoned or potentially creating a dangerous dog. With correct training for both the dog and the owner, these problems can be averted.”

The new training classes will support the idea that responsible dog ownership will lead to safer dogs and a nicer environment for all. Dog attacks, though infrequent, are of major concern and the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) has lobbied against the inadequacies of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for many years. Members of the group, which includes both the Kennel Club and Wood Green, are now backing a new Dog Control Bill which would put the onus on the owner rather than the dog.

The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act has failed to reduce the number of dog bite incidents in the UK, which have risen in the past five years by 79% in London and 43% nationally*.

ENDS

3^rd November 2010
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*Figures quoted from London Dangerous Dog Forum Evidence Base Research Paper and available on request.

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