Dangerous dog breeds for sale online

Breeds of dogs that are banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act are widely available to buy on the internet, an investigation has found.

The probe, conducted by BBC Radio Five Live, found more than 100 websites advertising pit bulls and other breeds banned.

The animals were on sale for between £300 and £1,000. According to the report, one seller described his dog as being “like a loaded gun”.

Former Conservative Home Secretary Lord Baker, who introduced the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991, said it was “absolutely ridiculous” to give ASBOs to dog owners rather than accept that certain dogs were dangerous by nature.

“The act should now be fully implemented to ensure we are safe from pit bull terriers and pit bull terrier types – these dogs that are bred to kill,” he said.

He the Kennel Club was watering down the law by placing blame with owners not dogs.

That is “completely inaccurate”, said Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club. She insisted pit bull terriers were not naturally more aggressive than any other breed.

However, the BBC investigation revealed recorded conversations of owners of dangerous dogs. One said, of his dog: “He can really do some nasty work. He`s got the strength to kill a child, basically, no problem.”

Sellers also described methods of smuggling the dogs into the UK, for example by hiding them in the back of a horsebox.

Ms Kisko said the Kennel Club wanted to “tighten the law” to make people more responsible for the behaviour and training of their dogs.

“This is not an issue of dogs, this is an issue of people,” she said.

Anyone convicted of owning a prohibited dog can face a £5,000 fine or six months in prison under the 1991 Act.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We are opposed to breed-specific legislation. Any dog has the potential to attack.

“We believe that the responsible course of action for the Government to take is to introduce a licensing or registration scheme for all dogs. All dogs would be easily identifiable if compulsory micro-chipping was introduced.”

Since 1991, it has been against the law to advertise, breed or sell four breeds of dangerous dog – pit bull, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileira and Japanese Tosa.