Does anyone or has anyone owned a dog such as a Dogo Argentina or Japanese Togo etc?

Could someone also expand on the Dangerous Dog Act and why these dogs are banned, to what extent etc? What would happen if you owned a dog that hadn't done anything wrong but became a banned species?

There are several breeds in the UK legislation regarding dangerous dogs. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, bans the ownership, breeding, sale (both national and international) and exchange of certain types of fighting dogs – the ban currently covers pure breeds and cross breeds with the same physical and behavioural characteristics as the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero. The maximum fine for having a banned dog is £5000 and/or 6 months in prison and the dog may be destroyed. Dogs that are owned must be microchipped and / or tattoed, castrated and kept on a lead and muzzled in public places at all times!!

i have never owned but i have volunteerd for a shelter that had a dogo argentina and he was the sweetest dog i have ever met. i have heard that if you are caught with a banned dog then you are givin a ticket. they ban "dangerous" dogs such as pit bulls wich makes me mad. its the owners fault that the dog is aggresive. so now the country is banning these dogs

These dogs are banned under the dangerous dog act as they are frighting dog, if you own one of these type of breeds you can have you dog taken away and the dog would be put to sleep, even if it has done nothing wrong, also if you have pitt ball type, the problem with that is if you have a cross pitt ball of a dog looking like a pitt ball it will also be taken away. I would strongly advice you not to get any of the above type especially at the moment with the resent dog attacks, so the police are really hot on it.

The dangerous dogs act came in in 1989, there were only 1 or 2 Tosas ever imported & very few (if any) Dogos. As the law made it illegal for them to be bred from, there will be no more than a handful of people who ever owned the breed. At the time, if you did own one of the 4 named breeds, it had to be muzzled in public & neutered. If owners didn't comply with this law, the dog would be confiscated & put to sleep & the owner faced a hefty fine or prison.That is still true today - advertise a banned breed & your dog will be taken away & destroyed.The Act was an ill-informed knee jerk reaction which intended to ban breeds bred specifically for fighting (fair enough) but in practise caught up many innocent dogs & owners.Since 1989, the law has been amended a few time & has been slightly less draconian.

The Fila , Tosa, & DA are banned outright in this country, We had a Fila which was found when a dog fighting ring was busted in the West Country, and although it was already here (imported illegaly) it had to be deported to a rescue centre in southern Europe or destroyed. It is a shame that the government feel it necessary to ban these breeds rather than have strict licencing for them, as if they are competently trained and kept they are extremely biddable animals.However especially in the case of the Fila once the dog reaches full maturity it will not tolerate any outside attention, so cannot be kept in densely populated areas. They will protect any family members that they have known since puppyhood with stunning ferocity, and are unpredictably distrusting of anything or anyone that enters or approaches their territory. These traits are common and cannot be bred out of any of these Mollosser breeds which are on the Dangerous Dogs list, therefore making them highly unsuitable for urban living.I would love to be able to keep Filas or Tosas in this country, but sadly it's the scare mongering government tactics at their best yet again.

The dangerous dog act is a ridiculous law passed because some dogs bit some children. No dog should be left alone with a child and owners should remember that every dog has the potential to be a dangerous animal, especially if it hasn't been properly trained.Moving on, some people train their dogs to defend them or their property, these dogs can easily get confused about when they are rewarded for attacking (dog fights, defence, burglery) and when they are expected not to attack (among owners, other dogs, children) and attack at the wrong time. The breeds often trained in this way are those who look menacing, such as those you mention, and most well known Pit Bulls. This does not mean these dogs are naturally aggressive, but simply that a few individuals have treated them badly. Dublin council has just banned -BulldogGerman ShepherdDoberman PinscherBull MastiffAmerican Pit Bull TerrierRhodesian RidgebackEnglish Bull TerrierJapanese AkitaAny owners of these dogs have been given a few months to rehome the dogs outside the city and those who are not gone will be put down. Whether they have done anything wrong or not. Please write to the nearest authority to get them to get rid of the dangerous dog act and only punish those dogs who are truly dangerous.

I don't know if this will really answer your question, but Around here, when they ban certain breeds they ban "dangerous breeds" which will include rottweilers, german shepherds, akitas, doberman pinschers, mastiffs, and pit bulls. And the term 'pit bull' is generic, which includes various different breeds. This includes the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, and the American Bull Dog. And the term 'pit bull' is also used to describe any dog that resembles these breeds. So the Dogo and Tosa fall into the pit bull/mastiff category in looks, therefore may be considered a dangerous breed. But which breeds are included in a ban depends on the area. Different areas ban different breeds. That is why I can't stand BSL. You can have a breed that LOOKS like a pit bull or rottweiler, and it still falls into the breed ban. It is not fair, and I feel that it could be taken too far.

Please click on this link for a full explanation of the Dangerous Dogs Act. http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htmThere is a leaflet with pictures too. You will find all of the information you need on there. There are no plans to expand the list of breeds but the list also covers any 'type' of the dogs mentioned. This leads to conflict as sometimes even vets cannot agree on the lineage of a dog. It is very subjective. There would be consultation before breeds are added to this list.

You can't own one of these dogs in the UK they are banned, i think if you buy a banned breed the dog is taken away from you and possibly put down but i wouldn't swear to that, but if the breeder sells you a pup of a banned breed they are in big trouble, id look it up on the web if i was you