Reviewing Claire Parkinson’s (2024) article…

What constitutes a dangerous dog? How would you define dangerous? Would you consider that dogs breed or history? How about their historical lineage and connections to social class and masculinity!?

That’s exactly what Claire Parkinson does in this comprehensive account of dangerous dogs. Covering controversial but important topics related to bull breeds such as the Dangerous Dogs act 1991 (DDA), breed bias and stigma which still affects us today, over 30 years since the act was passed. 
Parkinson begins the article by covering the history of our bull breeds we know and love today, most notably the Pitbull and Staffordshire bull terrier. For those who are unaware of British bull breed history, Parkinson covers the development of the breeds and how it was intertwined with British history, noting how classism impacted the breeds development and legislation surrounding bull breeds.

She highlights the issues which remain unaddressed by the DDA such as unregulated dog breeding and the general publics poor understanding of dog behaviour. Noting how these factors play an important role in the rise of aggression cases, pointing out that animal welfare laws still deem dogs as property with their exploitation and commodification normalised.  
Parkinson moves on to remind the reader that most bites occur in the home environment by a known dog and is most likely to be a child who is bitten. Highlighting again, the ineffectiveness of legislation and the need for influencing factors such as an understanding of body language to be tackled as part of the approach to reducing bites and fatalities. 
Moving through the history of our bull breeds, the author Links to the breeds connections to masculinity and the biased narrative of Pitbull ownership being linked to social deviance and aggression. This was noted after the breed lost popularity and support from upper class and royal patronage around the 19th century. 
As history moved on, bull breed owners were further stigmatised through stereotypes such as owners being deemed to be of a lower class, typically covered in tattoos and other characteristics which were considered socially unacceptable at the time. With media regularly relating the breeds to street gangs and drug culture, and the narrative that Pitbull ownership was emblematic of aggression and violence, often related to masculinity. 

When the DDA was passed in 1991, it was noted that a breed bias existed against bull breeds such as the Pitbull. Rushed through and passed in just 6 weeks after a rise in dog attacks, the Pitbull wasn’t a recognised breed at the time of the law passing, meaning other dogs became demonised due to their physical characteristics and the way they looked regardless of breed or without any focus on the dog’s temperament, behaviour or if that dog had ever shown aggression. 
When looking back at the dog attack figures for 1991, Rottweilers and German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) were also regularly represented as the top breeds responsible, yet these dogs were not included in the 1991 ban as the Pitbull was. This is further evidence of the ban’s bias and influencing class politics with the then home secretary “Kenneth Baker” confirming that banning breeds which were Kennel Club recognised would have “upset the middle class”.

Parkinsons article goes into great detail of the contributing factors to how we view dangerous dogs in society today, with an important focus on issues which are so often avoided (such as classism). 
The article concludes by reminding us that dog bites and fatalities have increased since the Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced and that ultimately the legislation fails to protect the public. 

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What do you think? 
Have the full read here: https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/publications/defining-dangerous-dogs

Reference - Parkinson, C. (2024). Defining dangerous dogs. Anthropos: Journal of Philosophy & Psychology. [online] Available at: https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/publications/defining-dangerous-dogs [Accessed 3 Apr. 2024].