Dog initiative loses its bite

Date: 01/03/01

By John Shelley

PLANS to introduce EU-wide controls on pit bull terriers and fighting dogs appear to have been shelved.

The proposals were being pushed by Berlin after a six-year-old boy was mauled to death last summer. Possible suggestions for Union laws included either an outright ban of certain breeds or strict registration rules for potentially dangerous dogs.

But diplomats say now that the political furore sparked by the German incident has died down the idea has disappeared.

"The Germans seem to have given up," said one. "The Commission was always deeply un-keen."

Several member states already have bans or restrictions on certain breeds of dogs, but laws vary from state to state.

Plans to introduce EU-wide controls on pit bull terriers and fighting dogs appear to have been shelved.