In the past few years, the news broadcasts and the newspapers headlines have often featured stories of children or adults who suddenly have been savaged by aggressive dogs. These stories have spread a fear in the population and led to heated debates and demands for measures to prevent such accidents. Can we solve the problem by banning specific dog breeds and kill the dangerous dogs? Or should we place the responsibility of the dangerous behaviour on their owner?
In Text 1 Jamie Doward describes a widespread desire among the British police for a change in the law on the dog area, so as to punish the dog owners who have dangerous dogs. ”Pit bulls have certain traits but in the hands of responsible owners they would not be a danger” (txt1, ll. 33-34) To emphasize the importance of clear rules about the area, he uses a recent example from the media, where a 5-year-old girl was bitten to death by her uncle's pit bull terrier.
In Text 2 the celebrity Victoria Stilwell (known from the television program "It's Me Or The Dog") gives her opinion about dangerous dogs. The sad occasion is a highly publicized case of a little boy of 13 months, who died after being assaulted by a Rottweiler. Stilwell rejects legislation that focuses only on dog breeds and believes we should place the responsibility on dog owners “It is the owners who have the burden of responsibility, not the dog.” (txt2, l. 19). Stilwell thinks it requires responsibility and exercise of owning and raising a dog and therefore the dog training should be a requirement for all dog owners.
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