Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1497813
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 APRIL 2023 THE latest incident that saw pit bull owner Andre Galea attacked by his dogs has sent the long- standing debate on bully breeds into overdrive. Galea, whose grandmother was killed by his dogs in September 2020, was attacked by his bul- ly-breed canines while walking them in the early hours of Mon- day. Other dogs under his owner- ship have since been confiscated by the animal welfare authorities. The incident has divided dog-lovers. Activists and sanc- tuary volunteers argue the breed should be banned, while breeders insist it all depends on who owns the dogs. In her 2021 end of year report, Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina had called for a nation-wide ban on the importa- tion and breeding of bully breeds. She argued that bull breeds ac- count for many dogs which are abandoned by their owners and thrown out into the streets. Trying to unravel this debate is not easy because it is laden with mixed emotions as MaltaToday found out when it spoke to Ro- salind Agius from the Association of Abandoned Animals (AAA) and European Bully Kennel Club President (EBKC) Andrea Selvag- gi. But despite coming from oppos- ing poles both agreed the dogs in- volved in the Galea incident were not exhibiting normal behaviour. "Those dogs were clearly not trained, are cross-bred and were not being homed in the right con- ditions," Andrea Selvaggi said. "Dogs which are traumatised and abused, will obviously lash out in the right circumstances." Rosalind Agius said the case is shocking, but not surprising. "This is an individual whose dogs have already killed a person inside his home. The dogs turned against him, because who knows how he treated them. We were expecting it." But that is as far as Agius and Selbaggi agreed. Banning the breeds Rosalind Agius insisted Mon- day's incident highlights the need for a ban on bully breeds. "Bully breeds are falling in the wrong hands. A lot of people are impressed by their strength and energy. They have a brilliant char- acter and are very friendly when trained properly, but unfortu- nately a lot of bully breed dogs are the victims of bad breeding and bad training," Agius said. "Other countries have banned the breeds, and we have to follow in their footsteps, at least we should ban their breeding." She said bully breeds are among the breeds most abandoned by people, insisting people do not realise what they are getting into when they acquire these kinds of dogs. "To make matters worse, given their reputation, only a few indi- viduals are then willing to adopt a one- to two-year-old bully breed which has been through some kind of trauma," she said. The sentiment was not shared by Selvaggi, who said the breed has nothing to do with it. "I disagree completely with ban- ning the breed," he said. "Strength does not equal aggression, and there are a number of factors which contribute to incidents." He argued that aggression in dogs can be exhibited in several breeds. "Look at the Belgian Shepherd (also known as Belgian Malinois) for example. It is one of, if not the best working dogs there is. It needs proper training, and ways of venting its built-up energy. That dog is not right for a family which does not cater for its needs," he said. Selvaggi argued that aggression is a normal trait among dogs, and it depends on how owners tackle it. "The issue lies in controlled ag- gression. It is normal for dogs to be the alpha male or female, and for them to express aggression - the issue lies in having owners who are financially, psychologi- cally and physically able to care for and handle the dog," he said. "That is the importance of hav- ing pedigree dogs, because you can understand who their parents were and their traits. If you can only buy from breeders, that will be overcome." Curbing breeding of bully breeds Among the suggestions being put forward by activists is the out- right ban on the breeding of bul- ly dogs. They argue the situation has gotten out of hand, and this is resulting in bad breeding and in-breeding. "We have no legislation on breeding. If you have a sick dog, or a dog with bad traits, you can still breed it. Everyone can do as they please, and so people like An- dre Galea can keep on doing what they want," Rosalind Agius said. "I have a pregnant bitch [at the sanctuary] which is infected with a sandfly bite, and her owner knew she was, but still insisted on breeding it. This means her litter of puppies will all be infected, and that to me is plain cruel and irre- sponsible." She insisted legislation must be partnered up with proper enforce- ment. Selvaggi on the other hand said the road towards ensuring the elimination of bad breeding lies in ensuring breeders are registered with a kennel club. "There is no market for profes- sional breeders in Malta. People who breed dogs are mostly hob- byists and can barely cover the costs that come with the process. Breeders should be registered with a kennel club and abide by ethical guidelines as we do," he said. These ethical guidelines include a ban on breeders who impreg- nate bitches which are younger than one and a half years, as well as a limit on the number of litters the dogs produce. "If we are informed that breed- ers within the club are not abiding by these rules, they are immedi- ately removed, and will not be allowed to breed pedigree-grade puppies ever again," he said. "We had someone who was faking pedigrees with cross-bred dogs because he had a drug problem. Doggy dilemma: Ban bully breeds, or crack down on bad ownership? After a pit bull savagely attacked its owner in Msida, KARL AZZOPARDI tries to unravel the complicated relationship between bully breeds and humans Lino, a bully breed dog which was abandoned and is now being cared for by the AAA