10 October 2000

Discover Dog Holocaust UK

Plans to hold a protest event against German breed specific banning legislation reaching the UK, look set to go ahead at the annual Discover Dogs show in Earls Court on 4th & 5th November. The Kennel Club who organise the show have asked members of the Dog Holocaust e-mail group and others to put forward speakers condemning proposed EU legislation supporting the banning of breeds. The Kennel Club estimate that there are at least 100,000 people likely to attend. According to Pet Behaviour Specialist Janet Sykes of Problem Dogs who is organising the event, Joanna Lumley will be presenting a letter of protest to the German Embassy and there is planned a vigil outside the embassy on the day. She said: "We need volunteers to man the stand [at Discover Dogs] and hand out fliers and get signatures on the petition that was set up on www.fordogs.co.uk ." "..there is planned a vigil outside the embassy we may need volunteers for that, in advance can we say that we want people but not your dogs there will already be every breed of dog at Discover Dogs represented should the camera crew need to see any breeds." Temperatures were raised at the weekend following unconfirmed reports that in response to a request for clarity on the British situation, a letter was issued by the Prime Minister Tony Blair's office stating that: "As we are part of the European Community we will have to do what Europe wants. We have to have legislation to get rid of dangerous dogs as people have been bitten and killed by them, it is in the best interests of all concerned that we have harmonisation in Europe" However it was also reorted by Nick Mays of Our Dogs that in a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 28th September, Britain opposed a proposal br German representatives to support Germany in its call on the European Commission to propose legal instruments that would make it possible to curb or curtail the imports of 'dangerous dogs' into EU states and control the breeding of such dogs in EU states. British representatives said that it was not up to the EU to say whether EU countries should ban the dogs or not. The movement in opposition of the spread of legislation is growing and ever more web-sites can be seen carrying the red and black ribbon condmening the German laws. Copyright 2000 Steve O'Malley (UKPets). This article may be reproduced with permission of the author and correct attribution to the source.