Local vet Dr Mark Adam says just a week after the Government decided to enforce the Dangerous Dogs Act, he and several colleagues have been asked to euthanise pit bull terriers. Adam says he has refused all requests so far to put the dogs to sleep since he believes it is too early for action.
"I told my clients that they should hold off until it's official...I don't think it's justified to euthanise a healthy dog," he said. The act will take effect on August 1, and will put numerous restrictions on the owners of pit bull terriers, Fila Brasilero and Japanese Tosa.
Adam was in favour of regulation but concerned about its direction. He feels the fee for dog licences is too steep and that the mandatory spaying and neutering stipulated in the act will make the listed breeds extinct in T&T within ten years. Sita Kuruvilla, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA), says there is no way to determine the size of the local pit bull population, which some estimates put at 500,000.
Kuruvilla's organisation has received numerous euthanasia inquiries in the past week. As the owner of two pit bull dogs, T&T Guardian columnist Debbie Jacob said she is willing to comply with all the act's regulations, although she finds it misguided.
"As a responsible owner of two pit bulls, I wholeheartedly agree that irresponsible and abusive dog owners who purposely turn their dogs violent need to be held accountable for their actions," she said. "What Government needs to crack down on are those people who engage in aggression training."
Jacob described her dogs as "loving" and "friendly," and said any breed of dog can be harmful if trained to be aggressive. Adam said pit bulls' jaws have stronger grips than other breeds, which is why they are mistakenly thought to be more dangerous. "Anatomically speaking, once a pit bull bites, it's almost impossible for it to let go," he said.
"Pits can inflict more damage, due to their makeup. But any dog can do harm if aggravated." Tim Lum Kin, a certified dog trader, breeder and handler, says the act will hurt the dog trading/breeding economy, in which pit bulls are in high demand. He believes that the 500,000 dog estimate is close to accurate.
He said: "The pit bull is the biggest breed in the country. Two-thirds of the dogs in each household are pits, simply because people are into the breed for protection." Kathryn Cleghorn, president of the animal rights NGO Animals Alive, an organisation founded in 2008, takes in 25 stray dogs a week at its sanctuary in Oropouche.
Cleghorn says they have received on average about ten "dumped" pit bulls a year as a result of the act. Kuruvilla said the TTSPCA has only received two abandoned pit bulls since the Cabinet announcement.