One of the problems with being a dog owner (and before people start shouting - I AM a dog owner - Border Collies) is that we often fail to see, either by blindness or design that we are giving a home to what is basically a wolf descendant who WILL, under the right circumstances and provocation, revert to type.

I have always defended the Border Collie as a wonderful companion dog (or pet if you prefer) but I am ALWAYS aware that it is a dog - an animal not a human!

The companionship of my Collies had always been wonderful and of signature aid during my several enforced periods of ill health.

The ones I had had always been trustworthy, gentle, playful - and then I encountered the 'one' from Hell.

I took him on as a rescue after him having lived for 4.5 years with a supposedly recovering alcoholic female. He had been purchased as a therapy dog for this woman by people who should have known better especially considering she already owned 5 cats.

What was done to him during this time we can only guess at but will never know for sure. But it is of no satisfaction to me that, after owning him for 2.5 years; having been bitten by him several times for no apparent reason; having watched his behaviour become increasingly dangerous, obsessive and bizarre, that I had to have him put to sleep for my safety, my wife's safety, the safety of my other dogs and for that of any caller at my house.

The hardest thing was that he was, without doubt the most beautiful Border Collie I have owned as well as being the smallest at about 14Kgs. But even at that weight, when he's launched an attack on you and is hanging from your arm, leg or stomach with his teeth sunk into you, he may as well be a rampaging beast from the jungle or a dog the size of an Akita.

Would he have been this way if I'd had him from a pup? Who knows? Unlike dogs who have been bred for attack, the Border Collie is probably as close to the wolf in thought and capability of deed than any other breed. That made him more dangerous to my mind as he thought things out before he did them. I learned more of canine behaviour from him in 2 years than I had in my previous 25 years of dog ownership.

The point is that he was a dog, albeit one with apparently more problems than was fair, but he was still a dog and not a human with human responses.

As other correspondents have pointed out; the dangerous dogs act does not distinguish between breed merely if that particular dog at that time was a threat for whatever reason.

However why people need an animal where, to quote one respondent "They never let their guard down" will always be beyond me.

My main point is that they are all dogs and by consequence of that one fact are unpredictable.

No matter how much anthropomorphism we apply to them THEY ARE STILL DOGS, NOT HUMANS! I will never understand the need for a particular breed of low sloping foreheaded type human to be seen being dragged around the street by some chunk of canine muscle and teeth, sporting a studded leather collar or studded leather full harness (the dog that is not the person being towed...) other than to ensure that we all know they ARE low sloping foreheaded types (The human that is, not the dog.... hmmm well maybe not anyway) Anyone who trusts their dog 100% needs to wake up - no dog is 100% trust-able on a human scale.

Sadly some dog breeds, of notably common appearance in the tabloid press appear to be even less trust-able.

Whilst I would not go the whole way on a blanket ban of the archetypical 'Dangerous Dog' I would suggest that it's time the government reintroduced a compulsory dog licence, compulsory vaccination, compulsory micro-chipping, and compulsory registration of all breeds known to have particularly regressive fighting or attack genetics in their make up.

Sadly there will always be the morons who want to own status dogs and lets face it, just looking at the price these dogs command even off "fat bloke" in the pub, we become aware of yet another reason to own status dogs.

MONEY

The back street kennel breeder can make a fortune for very little outlay. The status owner type person buying the dog won't give a twopenny damn if the dogs got a good background for intelligence just if its going to mature into a scary looking dog that they can parade around their manor.

I feel sorry for people who own and cohabit quite easily with their chosen breed of perceived dangerous dog when these sort of horrific headlines make news.

But as I keep saying - these are dogs and they are ALL animals with teeth, cunning and speed, some more so than others.

If you can't face the idea that your dog is a potential four legged killer then perhaps you need to reconsider dog ownership and consider another pet.

I've never yet heard of anyone being mauled by a goldfish!