After Pfotenhilfe published a video on Tuesday of the training of brutal protection dogs at a training ground in Upper Austria, State Councilor Michael Lindner (SPÖ) of the Animal Protection Agency announced that he would consider banning the training. He was “appalled” and made it clear that training “which increases the aggressiveness and fighting spirit of animals is fundamentally impermissible under the Animal Protection Act”.
Pfotenhilfe received the video from a private individual. You can see a clearly overwhelmed woman pulling on the leash and unable to hold her “strongly pushed German Shepherd.” A man repeatedly “hits” the animal with a whip, the animal rights group said.
“The concept must be questioned”
Lindner sees videos like this as confirmation that the concept of protection dog training for private owners “needs to be thoroughly examined and questioned.” This is not only animal cruelty, but also increases the risk of people becoming victims of dog bite attacks.
On October 2, a 60-year-old jogger was mauled to death by an American Staffordshire terrier on a dirt road in Naarn (Perg district). In response, Lindner started a working group of experts to evaluate the Upper Austrian law on dog ownership. The ban on training protection dogs for private owners is an “essential cornerstone”.
SPÖ wants commission on dog ownership law
The SPÖ also wants to take into account the opinions and suggestions of all parties represented in the state parliament and that is why club president Sabine Engleiter-Neu will submit a request for a subcommittee on dog ownership law during Thursday’s committee meeting.
“Armament” is already banned in Vienna
Since 2014, a ban on “arming” dogs has been enshrined in the Vienna Animal Husbandry Act, with the only exception being police and army dogs. It literally says: “Training dogs for protective purposes (protection dog training) and other similar training of dogs that involve aggressive behavior directed towards humans are prohibited.” Animal rights activists have since been calling for a nationwide expansion of the system. the tragic incident in Naarn law.
Dog association defends biting
However, the Austrian dog association ÖKV defended the training and accused the media of a “misrepresentation”: “In the discussion about working dog sports there is always a comparison with the protection service. This equality is incorrect. The security service is intended for training to protect people or an area. In working dog sports, character strength and obedience are tested to determine whether a dog is suitable for use in stressful situations.”
However, the ÖKV could not explain why it is necessary to encourage a dog that is not used as a service dog to bite. They cited international training rules and argued that the dogs would be more balanced in stressful situations.
Source: Krone
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