Man bites police, his 'dangerous dog' runs away

LISBON (Portugal)
Apr 4, 2007

The Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias reported yesterday that a man bit a police officer following an argument over a "dangerous dog".

The 35-year-old man was walking his Pit Bull Terrier in Cova da Moura on Sunday, 10:15 am, when two police officers stopped him for not having a harness and muzzle on his dog.

The man refused to identify himself and proceeded to threaten the officers with his dog, turning the animal loose upon them. The dog ran away.

The police officers then attempted to subdue the man who fought back, breaking one officer's finger and biting the other on the wrist. Both officers were treated at Amadora-Sintra Hospital, reports the Metropolitan Command Police. ¹

The man, who was arraigned in the Criminal Court of Lisbon yesterday, has been placed under house arrest while police continue to search for the missing pooch.

Portuguese authorities have been cracking down on "dangerous dogs" since 2004 when legislation went into effect targeting the breeds "Argentinean Dogue, Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Inu Tosa and other dogs that have been crossed with these breeds." ² Portuguese law compels such dogs to be walked on a leash no longer than 3 ft. by persons no younger than 16 years old. They must also carry identification papers and wear a muzzle. (The dogs or the humans?)

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is the canine equivalent of racial profiling and has been widely criticized; yet it remains on the lawbooks of many of countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany and the UK (for a worldmap, click here).

While the USA has not adopted BSL on a federal level, about 200 cities have passed their own BSL laws. ³

However, 12 state legislatures have fought back, prohibiting BSL in their states.

The Humane Society reports, "BSL is a common first approach that many communities take. Thankfully, once research is conducted most community leaders correctly realize that BSL won't solve the problems they face ... Unfortunately, the 'problem dog' at any given time is often the most popular breed among individuals who tend to be irresponsible."