Opinion: Dog owners should sit licence test to own ‘dangerous’ breeds

Aggressive dogs or sh*tty owners? Who is to blame when a child is mauled by a dog? Just like you need a licence to drive a car, Queensland should require a licence to own a powerful dog breed. VOTE IN POLL

Aggressive dogs or sh*tty owners? Who is to blame when a child is mauled by a dog?

It’s the debate that rages whenever the unthinkable happens and - unfortunately - is front of mind in Queensland this week after multiple horrific dog attacks left kids hospitalised.

A three-year-old girl is currently laying seriously injured in hospital after she was savaged in a dog attack at her grandmother’s Yatala property on Wednesday.

Two other dog attacks were reported in Queensland overnight, including a pre-teen boy who suffered a head injury after being bitten at Shailer Park and a woman with puncture wounds to her leg after a separate attack in Townsville.

Just days earlier, six-year-old girl Laquarna Chapman Palmer suffered significant injuries after she was dragged off a fence and mauled by two Bull Arabs in Woodridge.

Laquarna Chapman Palmer was injured in a Woodridge dog attack. Photo: 9News Queensland

And a Cairns man lost part of his finger when a pair of unleashed dogs attacked him and his two dogs while out walking.

After an attack, we inevitably see the offending dogs dragged out of their homes by council animal management officers and soon get confirmation the dogs have been ‘destroyed’ or ‘humanely euthanised’.

I hate this.

I hate that kids are being injured. I hate that a dog can make a split second mistake and they pay for it with their life.

This photo from the Yatala dog attack breaks my heart - one of the four dogs seized is taken away by officers. The dog looks scared, confused and doesn’t know what he’s done wrong. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Look, I’ll be honest, I generally like dogs more than most humans.

But the sad fact is, dogs can be unpredictable.

You can have the most docile and trustworthy dog in the world and they can still do something horribly unexpected.

And that risk increases when you put a kid in the mix.

Children are notorious for invading a dog’s personal space, climbing all over them, pulling their tails, being a bit too rough and not picking up on a dog’s cues that it is uncomfortable.

In a dog pack, if someone pisses them off, the dog gives the other a little ‘what for’, there’ll be a bit of ruckus and then everyone settles back into life.

But it gets fatal when big, strong dogs are mixed with little kids.

The unfortunate fact is known ‘dangerous dog’ breeds - staffies, pit bulls, bull-mastiffs and German Shepherds to name a few - are usually involved in these serious attacks.

They’re big and strong, they often have an unbreakable lock jaw and they don’t mess around when they’re not happy.

It’s a recipe for disaster.

I’ve known many staffies in my life and 99.9 per cent of the time they are the most perfect, loving dogs.

However, in that 0.1 per cent of the time that something sets them off, it can be disastrous and terrifying.

But is it their fault they respond how they’re genetically wired to do?

One of the other dogs seized from the Yatala attack sits nicely with his fate hanging in the balance. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Should there be tougher restrictions on the type of breeds we can bring into our families?

Could you imagine the outcry across Queensland if the beloved staffy became a restricted breed?

At the end of the day, it comes down to responsible dog ownership.

If you have a sh*tty owner, chances are the dog is going to exhibit sh*tty and rogue behaviour.

Any old schmuck can buy a powerful dog with little regard for the animal or the community’s best interests.

If you have a good owner who is committed to training, establishes strong boundaries for the dog and is vigilant to their social cues, we have a much less volatile situation.

Just like you need a licence to drive a car, we should require a licence to own a powerful dog breed.

The scene of a fatal dog attack on Ison Road, Greenbank were a contract Energex metre reader was killed. Picture David Clark

I’m not going to call them ‘dangerous’ breeds. Dogs aren’t dangerous if they are raised right.

Queensland should bring in a licencing system for owning certain dog breeds.

Give the owner appropriate tools to train their dog to be the best they can be, educate them to pick up problematic behaviours and - if the dog is a bit unpredictable - have the proper controls and safeguards in place to avoid a situation escalating - ensure the dog is always leashed on walks, the property is safely fenced, children are kept at distance.

It’s time we made some tough decisions to stop kids getting mauled and beautiful dogs being ‘destroyed’ for a split-second reaction.

OK, now go ahead, feed me to the dogs. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below