Abstract
This chapter explores the way in which dogs have been harmed as a consequence of their use as a status item. While historically ‘status’ dogs have taken many forms, as fashion items and national icons, more recently the use of this term in the UK has specifically referred to a trend amongst young people to own aggressive bull or other illegal breeds/types of dog. The nature of this abuse and prevalence of the problem is examined. In particular, through their treatment as commodity, status symbol, bodyguard or weapon, these dogs are subject to behaviour frequently resulting in torture and death. The complicated motivations for status dog ownership and the means by which these dogs confer status are explained using labelling and subcultural theories. Finally, the chapter presents the formal and informal responses to the status dog phenomenon and considers how this has exacerbated the harms experienced by dogs labelled and used as status dogs. Leading on from this, the authors question the approach of breed specific legislation and examine how effectively other approaches have prevented the victimisation of these dogs.
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Notes
- 1.
As is commonly promoted in the purchase of other status items such as cars, clothes and food.
- 2.
See also ongoing research which aims to evaluate this issue further: www.liverpool.ac.uk/dog-aggression/about-the-project/
- 3.
other breeds have more recently been identified as status enhancing for young people—the television show Game of Thrones is linked to a new trends in the ownership of huskies and wolf-like dogs for status and the subsequent abandonment of these breeds, which has tripled over the past four years (Times, 14 March 2015)
- 4.
For example, Pit Bull Terriers are not a recognised breed in the UK, they are a type (by definition a category broader than breed—see case law ‘R v Knightsbridge Crown Court ex parte Dunne; Brock v DPP (1993)’).
- 5.
The DDA was amended again in 2014 and, under section 3, it is now a criminal offence for the person in charge of a dog to allow it to be ‘dangerously out of control’ anywhere—that is in a private place (e.g., a neighbour’s house or garden) or in the owner’s home, not just in a public space, as was the situation previously. This extension to the law was a response to dog attacks in the home and on private property. A dog is considered dangerously out of control if it injures someone or makes someone worried that it might injure them. The recent Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 also contained a number of clauses concerning dangerous dogs (see Bennett, 2016) including increased penalties.
- 6.
Domestic legislation has seen Scotland ban all tail docking, various exemptions are provided for in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. See http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/sites/bva-awf.org.uk/files/user/tail_docking_guidance.pdf
- 7.
Bourdieu (1980, 1986) and Coleman (1988) are commonly credited with the introduction of the concept of social capital—which generally describes the resources gained through social relationships with other humans. An absence or weakness in legitimate social relationships has been linked to increased criminality.
- 8.
The proverb suggests that a person’s plight is hopeless once his reputation has been blackened
- 9.
attaching a name or a signature to someone or some behaviour
- 10.
See for example the Policing and Crime Act 2009 prohibits ‘status dogs’ taken out in public by ‘gang members’
- 11.
The Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes [England and Wales] Order 2015 which came into force 3rd March 2015 closes the loophole for the transfer of ownership of a s1 prohibited dog. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-dangerous-dogs-exemption-schemes-order-2015
- 12.
As previously stated, legislation has been passed by the UK Government for England (2015), the Welsh Government (2015) and Scottish Government (2016), all in force for April 2016. Northern Ireland has retained a dog licensing scheme which includes mandatory microchipping.
- 13.
Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs)(Wales) 2014 were passed by the Welsh Government and came into force in 2015. This is the first legislation in the UK which requires socialisation, enrichment and enhancement measures at licensed dog breeding establishments.
- 14.
- 15.
The DDA, as amended, is in force in all three nations within GB, with the very similar Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 in effect in the fourth nation of the UK. Additional dog welfare and control measures differ, however, as this policy area is devolved to each of those four nations. The respective administrations should be referred to for details of these.
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Maher, J., Pierpoint, H., Lawson, C. (2017). Status Dogs. In: Maher, J., Pierpoint, H., Beirne, P. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Animal Abuse Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43183-7_7
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