Dangerous dogs in Berlin - a comparison to the dog population - ways to reduce the dangerousness of dogs.

摘要

The law for handling and control of dogs in Berlin (29 September 2004) has been enacted to prevent the risks for humans and animals whenever they have contact with dogs. Dangerous dogs have been defined by this law. There are 10 breeds of dogs supposed to be dangerous due to specific characteristics of their breed (listed breeds). The dangerousness of a dog breed is not identical with the dangerousness of an individual dog. The aim of this study was to examine the potential dangerousness of dog breeds and not the individual dangerousness of a dog. This study referred to statistics of incidents between dogs and humans in Berlin for the years 1998-2004. The population density of a breed was based on the dogs assessed for tax purposes in Berlin on 1 January 2005 and dog registrations maintained at veterinary hospitals. The 4-fold table test was used to compare the quantity of the recorded incidents of 2 statistically independent dog breeds. Of the total population of 107 804 tax-assessed dogs in 2004, a total of 0.9% were documented as dogs involved in incidents with humans. The incidents per year decreased in the listed breeds by about 68% and in the unlisted breeds by about 41% during the last 7 years in Berlin. Therefore, the probability (the odds ratio) of a breed to be conspicuous was analysed. The values for the calculation of this probability were the number of dogs of a breed that had been involved in incidents compared to the population of this breed based on tax records. The comparison of the probability of a breed with another to be conspicuous was used to compile a cluster of breeds which had the same probability to be conspicuous in 2004. A cluster was assessed for dogs of the following breeds: sheep dogs; Rottweiler; Doberman; Pitbull Terrier; and American Staffordshire Terrier. A listing of breeds was not the right way to reduce the potential dangerousness of a dog, especially in the private domain of their owners. Most incidents with dogs occurred in the private domain which normally was not recorded in the statistics of incidents. Therefore, it was more effective to support activities which included the training of abilities of the dog owners. Training by experts could enable dog owners to avoid conflict situations with their dog, or in case of conflict, to take appropriate actions..