In previous years the Kennel Club has held a record of individual experts in identifying breeds of dog and assessing individual dogs, who are also willing to testify in court cases. In recent times a number of these experts have retired and the resulting lack of available expertise has meant that many dogs have to wait months to be assessed.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 it is an offence to be in possession of a type of dog known as a pit bull terrier and many dogs are seized by police as being such dogs. We are therefore keen to find more breed judges, in particular in the bull and terrier breeds and those who may have judged American Staffordshire Terriers and similar breeds overseas, but also those involved with Boxers, Labradors, Bulldogs and other similar breeds, to come forward with the aim of assessing, in their expert view, what type of dog has been seized. If a dog has been wrongly identified then this expert would be invited to attend court on behalf of the defence and to prepare a report. It may be that this expert will agree with the initial police assessment, in which case a short statement confirming this would be of assistance.

So called ‘dangerous dogs’ cases are notoriously subjective as the onus falls upon the owner to prove their dog is not ‘of type’, rather than the prosecution proving that it is. A number of cases have seen dogs with proven pedigree heritage being found to be 'of type'. Primary responsibility for the fate of the dog falls on the ‘breed expert’, showing the huge importance of this role.  Whilst some of these have had proven pedigrees, a vast number of dogs seized are simply crosses of recognised breeds. It is important that a dog has been correctly identified due to the stringent conditions imposed on this dog if it is a pit bull type, and also to ensure that short haired crossbreeds or genuine pedigree dogs are not incorrectly categorised.

The standard by which is dog is identified is that of the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) guidelines, which requires expertise in the structure and skeletal features of a dog and the resulting attributes flowing from this.  The dog is assessed to see whether or not it conforms substantially to the conformation of a pit bull type of dog. Behaviour is important, but only to a minor extent, though it is relevant to what happens to the dog if it is found to be a pit bull type.

If you feel you could assist in this important task of identifying breeds and present evidence in a court environment, please contact Victoria Brown, Senior Public Affairs Officer by emailing victoria.brown@thekennelclub.org.uk. Please click here for more information on the Kennel Club’s campaign to rewrite current dangerous dogs legislation. 

ENDS

14^th February 2011
[050.11]

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