Dangerous Dogs Act - Trinidad and Tobago

[16 cycles]

so how does one presently seek compensation from being mauled by a 'dangerous dog'?

[Rory Phoulorie]

so how does one presently seek compensation from being mauled by a 'dangerous dog'?

File a civil action lawsuit against the dog's owner?

[Habit7]

how about prevention?

[MG Man]

all you guys bawling 'oh how we supposed to protect weself now'
so there are only 3 types of dogs you can protect your property with?
what happen to pot hound? shepherd? etc
still waiting on someone to post a viable alternative to the proposed legislation.............

what do you say to the mother of a 3 year old chile who had is ear ripped off by a neighbour's pitbull? (happened to a friend of mine) 'doh worry, not all dog bad'??????

[16 cycles]

No compensation
Horse bites off boy's arm
By Rickie Ramdass rickie.ramdass@trinidadexpress.com

Story Created: Jun 22, 2011 at 11:53 PM ECT

Story Updated: Jun 22, 2011 at 11:53 PM ECT

HIGH COURT Judge Andre des Vignes, yesterday ruled that there was insufficient evidence proving negligence on the part of the owner of a horse that bit off the arm of nine-year-old David Sinanan in 2004, and therefore no compensation could be awarded to the boy.

Sinanan, now 15, through his mother Dilmatie Sinanan had sued Maniram "Bobby" Maharaj and his farm, High Clear Stud Farm, as being liable to payment.

......................


Des Vignes stated in the judgment that the issues that had arisen for determination in the matter was whether Maharaj, as owner of the horse named "Java" was "liable under the common law of scienter (intentionally) for the injuries sustained" by Sinanan, whether Maharaj was liable in negligence for the injuries sustained by the boy or "whether the claimants had established their entitlement to damages".

Sinanan had his left hand bitten off by "Java" on February 20, 2004, at the farm located at William Trace, Enterprise, Chaguanas which was owned by Maharaj. Doctors had to amputate from under the elbow because of the extent of the injury.

..........................

Des Vignes said, "In the particulars of negligence, the claimants had alleged that the defendant failed to take adequate precautions 'knowing that Java was unpredictable and had bitten persons before and was likely to attack persons coming close to him'. They also alleged that it was breeding season for horses and that Java was likely to behave in an aggressive manner and be a danger to members of the public visiting the farm".

......................

He added that "it is an unfortunate incident. It was a decision I agonised in making but I cannot allow sympathy to interfere with the rule of law".

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/No_ ... 97768.html

from the above, seems all the victim would have to do is prove negligence on the dog owner's part and wait a 5+ years for it to be aired before the courts....

this is better than the insurance system being proposed?

[Habit7]

The Dog Lobby needed to be more vocal when children and the elderly were loosing their lives to even trained dogs. It is not a ban on certain breeds but it is enforcing greater liability for certain breed owners, which starts off with three breeds but could expand.

This is wake up call not just for owners but for gov't to have proper animal welfare personnel and laws to curb the free-for-all of the past. It is just indicative of the lawlessness of the roads, housing, restaurants, etc.

[kaylex]

I am not going to get into any argument with any of the critics..
But I am an owner...
I am suggesting some alternatives to banning Pit-bulls and it could be applied

1. Owners pay a fee to get a permit to have these dogs.. renewable every 5-7 years.
2. Get your property assessed by some entity similar to the (ASPCA) for a fee of course..
with minimum requirements of well fortified concrete fence.. no wire fence...
3. Kennels with minimum safety standards Ie size,locking devices, carrying cages etc.
4. When walkin dogs ensure to have permits on you.
5. Walk with a muzzle also at all times.
6. Depending on size of yard or area where dogs are housed you have a minimum amount of dogs.. as they are high energy and you cant have 6-7 of them in a 5000 sq ft parcel of land with house.
7. Owners of dogs must own a property and not be rental.
8. No pets in buildings or premises shared by non-family members.. inclusive of tenants.
9. Any criminal or ex-convicts cannot be granted license for owning one until granted as a non liability by the court of CJS as a dog can be considered a weapon.
10. Must apply for permit to breed dogs also.

and a few more I cant think about now...

11. I personally dont mind paying a 500 $ insurance for a dog per year also..
12. Similarly, people caught teasing dogs could be fined too.. because children have a funny way of teasing your dog.. and the funny thing is... is not the teaser who gets bite you know.. is some unfortunate other child going their merry way gets the shitty end of the stick
I keep saying the problem is not aggressive dogs but irresponsible owners.

[nervewrecker]

12. Similarly, people caught teasing dogs could be fined too.. because children have a funny way of teasing your dog.. and the funny thing is... is not the teaser who gets bite you know.. is some unfortunate other child going their merry way gets the shitty end of the stick
.

When I see that happening I casually walk to the gate and start opening it. Children flee at the speed of light.
Some does be boldface enough to be poking sticks inside at the dogs.

I keep saying the problem is not aggressive dogs but irresponsible owners.

x50

[nervewrecker]

Lately I have been noticing that the pit and rott owners from on the corner by me have started walking the dogs without muzzles too. The day one of those dogs get loose I just hope my dogs and the strays that live outside nowhere around.
I do hope it brutally attacks a few people though, then the kants might learn a lesson about keeping the animals.

[MG Man]

^^^good ideas kaylex, but u still gonna have people abandoning their dogs or killing them, rather than going through all that trouble...........and re renting, again u gonna have them bawling 'poor people cya protect themselves'

so what then?

no matter the solution, u gonna have abandoned and killed dogs, simply because of the hordes of irresponsible owners................so all the beatup over this legislation is still misguided

[kaylex]

To be honest.. i don't walk my dogs with muzzles and sometimes without leads either. But at the same time when I do I hold them on the lead as short as possible.

Its not a ladii dadeee affair.. at the split second you switch off and pay no mind to your dog you could be in trouble. So i walk them either late evening, night or ridiculously early morning.. when human traffic is scarce.. I mean you'd half to be an idiot to go around the savannah with your dog at 5pm when ladies running and little children around..

Again, it all comes down to training.. how you socialise your dog. my female cant see people.. my male could be in a crowd and not interfere with anyone unless he is given the command to do so.

[MG Man]

^^^u din answer my question
how does your solution resolve the argument against this legislation, which is dogs being abandoned and killed?

[kaylex]

Well.. I mean the abandonment issue I haven't really personally seen it happening.. but Adoption Drives could be started for real owners to adopt some of these dogs I see these idiots walking.

And well putting dogs to sleep (which I dont personally like) is an option albeit the last option. You cant get away from it sometimes.
But as I said I don't mind, I just not going to pay any exorbitant fee. Will to pay as much as 800 a year per dog to be honest. But the systems have to be in place.

[Habit7]

^^^you talk the most sense in all these 8 pages

[MG Man]

at the end of the day, there is no solution that would prevent dogs being abandoned, so people who beating up need to take a break and understand the end result, which is minimizing injury and loss of human life

If someone can show me a solution that will resolve their arguments, I'll rock back and keep quiet......

[kaylex]

Mg man.. you know.. honestly in all honesty.. there are many other things right now in this country that causing much more havoc... and we do nothing about it.. dogs could be controlled easily... outlawing them.. isnt the answer..
and why is it that we don't impose stricter penalties on harsh crimes.. but you know what... is all about perception.. shaping and attempting to mould and play with public perception.. The legislative on nothing but games in my humble opinion.
while i agree with dealing with the issue of dogs.. it being dealt with the wrong way.....

[MG Man]

so what is the right way?

[Pretender]

I am not going to get into any argument with any of the critics..
But I am an owner...
I am suggesting some alternatives to banning Pit-bulls and it could be applied

1. Owners pay a fee to get a permit to have these dogs.. renewable every 5-7 years.
2. Get your property assessed by some entity similar to the (ASPCA) for a fee of course..
with minimum requirements of well fortified concrete fence.. no wire fence...
3. Kennels with minimum safety standards Ie size,locking devices, carrying cages etc.
4. When walkin dogs ensure to have permits on you.
5. Walk with a muzzle also at all times.
6. Depending on size of yard or area where dogs are housed you have a minimum amount of dogs.. as they are high energy and you cant have 6-7 of them in a 5000 sq ft parcel of land with house.
7. Owners of dogs must own a property and not be rental.
8. No pets in buildings or premises shared by non-family members.. inclusive of tenants.
9. Any criminal or ex-convicts cannot be granted license for owning one until granted as a non liability by the court of CJS as a dog can be considered a weapon.
10. Must apply for permit to breed dogs also.

and a few more I cant think about now...

11. I personally dont mind paying a 500 $ insurance for a dog per year also..
12. Similarly, people caught teasing dogs could be fined too.. because children have a funny way of teasing your dog.. and the funny thing is... is not the teaser who gets bite you know.. is some unfortunate other child going their merry way gets the shitty end of the stick
I keep saying the problem is not aggressive dogs but irresponsible owners.

They man outline a lot in the direction of doing it the right way an you will still ask "what is the right way"? Geez

[MG Man]

read what I said before
how is his plan going to stop slackers abandoning dogs or putting them to sleep????????
sheesh
I give up
*goes out to play with my pothound and weird shep/rot/dob mix girls*

[Pretender]

The issue is not abandoning dogs or paying for permits or insurance. A responsible dog owner wud accept that. The issue is targeting a specific breed of dog.

[16 cycles]

Why were specific breeds of dogs targeted in the legislation?

[Pretender]

If someone wud believe that were they to kill all the pitbulls, fila and tosa in T&T tomorrow that there wud never be an incident of biting/mauling then you are the naivest of the naive.

I wud like to see your face when someone breaks the news that there is no santa clause, easter bunny or honest politicians.

[Pretender]

Why were specific breeds of dogs targeted in the legislation?

Specific breeds were targeted because those who drafted the legislation were uninformed, uneducated about the real issue and too lazy to do their own research so they copied an outdated piece of legislation from another country.

[dread_2002]

This is my opinion.
This legislation is faulty and it does not make sense to implement a faulty decision.
Things should be done right the first time.

I cant see this legislation only affecting the Pitbull Terrier, Fila Brasiliero and Japanese Tosa.
Cause in a lot of foreign countries the list is much longer. Includes Doberman, Rots, Akita, Chow chow, Shar pei Etc.

Owning a dangerous dog is just like owning a gun. So you have to ensure certain measures are taken to protect yourself and the public. And if your dog attacks someone you should be charged for negligence and what not.

I am all for the license and insurance. But not for the Neutering/spading, no importation of such dogs and putting animals who have a loving home in a pound or to sleep.

Many dog owners can tell you neutering your dog affects their mood. They look and act more depressed.

The facts are don't punish the dog punish the owner. Owners need to be charged.

With power come great responsibility

[MG Man]

every dog I've owned has been spayed..........only change is the pothound got fat
the others carried on business as usual

[16 cycles]

Specific breeds were targeted because those who drafted the legislation were uninformed, uneducated about the real issue and too lazy to do their own research so they copied an outdated piece of legislation from another country.

so what are the stats in Trinidad to refute the legislation?

-how many 'dogs per capita' are there in T&T?
-of the population - which of the dogs are involved in attacks to other pets and humans?
-of the attacks, which breed of dog carry out the most damage?

etc
etc

[dread_2002]

Well if your dog goes in the pound it will be put to sleep if it cant find a home.
When u neuter the dog. Cant produce and what not.
And u cant bring new ones in from foreign.

[Halfbreed07]

for those that are so inclined here is the petition please sign.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/figh ... es/page/33

[rollingstock]

Killed by pits while on her way to work, and dogs owned by none less than a Police Officer.
A Husband/kid/s left without her.

Realise the fact that these dogs are dangerous, NO! not by nature by nuture.

Of all the persons posting here about how great these dogs are very few in fact a miniscule amount have properly trained pits.

I am a former pit owner, and i loved my dogs, had them from pups and died in my arms from old age, but seeing now what has become of the breed in T&T I totally agree with the legislation.

For too long these dogs has been treated as status symbols and boasting points without proper research of the breed and the needs of these dogs to properly assimilate.

[slimshiney]

read what I said before
how is his plan going to stop slackers abandoning dogs or putting them to sleep????????
sheesh
I give up
*goes out to play with my pothound and weird shep/rot/dob mix girls*

actually........really can't.......so maybe.........to control these bastards who have pitbull and using the dogs to boost their little egos by walking down d road............Everybody doing ah wine to d side as dey coming tru..(might as well dey badge d front of d dogs TTPS)...............we need apply some sensible restrictions in a way that wouldn't "wild" them (those already capable of doing such) into just killing out the dogs or even releasing them by the nearest dump or neighbourhood........then u'll hear about maulings galore