After a dog attacked four circus camels in Mauthausen (Perg district) on Saturday evening and injured their legs, calls for stricter rules for fighting dogs are loud once more. According to witness statements, the dog that attacked the animals and the ringmaster’s 23-year-old son following the performance was a Staffordshire terrier or pit bull.
Due to the incident, OÖVP regional manager Florian Hiegelsberger renewed his calls for a muzzle and leash requirement for fighting dogs in public spaces. “The attack shows once once more that protection once morest fighting dogs needs to be improved. The most effective protection once morest bite attacks is and remains a muzzle for fighting dogs,” said Hiegelsberger.
As reported in detail, an amendment to the Upper Austrian Dog Keeping Act is currently in the works. A first draft was presented at the end of November. The fatal bite attack in Naarn in the fall was the reason for the law to be redesigned. There is no list of dangerous breeds in the proposal. Rather, a differentiation between small and large dogs is the core point of the novella. Stricter rules should apply to dogs with a height of more than 40 centimeters at the withers or a weight of over 20 kilograms than to their smaller counterparts.
Image: OÖN Graphics
At the end of November, the ÖVP called for a clear distinction within the group of larger dogs. “Dangerous dog breeds such as Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier and Tosa Inu and their cross-breeds are already the subject of specific legal regulations in the Austrian federal states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Vorarlberg,” said oö. Club chairman Christian Dörfel. A general leash and muzzle requirement for these breeds “is viewed critically from a professional animal welfare perspective,” said Lindner at the time. Discussions on amending the law will continue in the subcommittee in January.
Author
Judith Pointner
Online editor
Judith Pointner
