In recent years there have been many countries that have approved a law to legislate the possession of potentially dangerous dogs, however, in very few cases is there legislation that specifically affects owners of any type of dog, this being the most important factor, since there are no dangerous dogs, only irresponsible owners
In the absence of an education that promotes respect for animals and in the face of dramatic numbers of abuse and abandonment, the province of Buenos Aires does have legislation that regulates the ownership of robust dogs, with powerful jaws and considerable size, whose possible danger is not inherent to the characteristics of their race.
In this AnimalWised article we talk about the National Law on Dangerous Dogs in Argentina - Legislation in force for 2019.
Possession of potentially dangerous dogs in Argentina
The Argentine Republic does not have a specific law that regulates the possession of potentially dangerous dogs, not at least legislation that affects the entire important territory of this country.
Yes, there is a specific regulation that affects the province of Buenos Aires and that was initially approved in January 2010 through law number 14.107, which contemplated the obligation to register the dog, security and containment measures within the home itself and certain obligations to fulfill when the dog was taken outside.
Despite the imposition of this law, during 2012 the Luis Pasteur Zoonosis Institute received 6,500 complaints of dog attacks in the province of Buenos Aires, mainly those attacks that occurred in public spaces and the largest number of people attacked were children between 5 and 9 years of age.
These data led us to reflect on the law in force up to that time, and finally in 2012 Law number 4,078 was approved, currently in force, with the aim of better regulating the ownership of potentially dangerous dogs, however, once again it is a law that only affects the province of Buenos Aires
Which dogs are considered potentially dangerous?
According to Law 4.078/12 approved by the Government of Buenos Aires, potentially dangerous dogs are those belonging tothe following races :
- Pit bull terrier
- Staffordshire bull terrier
- American staffordshire terrier
- Bull terrier
- Argentine Dogo
- Dogue de Bordeaux
- Brazilian Row
- Akita Inu
- Tosa inu
- Doberman
- Rottweiller
- Bullmastiff
- Great Japanese Dog
- Presa canario
- Neapolitan mastiff
- German shepherd
- Cane Corso
In addition to these 17 breeds, the current law in the province of Buenos Aires considers that the following dogs also belong to the category of potentially dangerous dogs:
- Any cross derived from the above breeds
- Dogs trained to attack
- Dogs with the following characteristics: more than 20 kilograms of body weight, bulky head and short neck, thoracic perimeter greater than 60 centimeters, strong muscles, large jaw, physical resistance and marked character
What are the obligations that the owner must comply with?
The owners of those dogs considered potentially dangerous based on law number 4,078 must comply with the following obligations:
- The dog must be entered in the registry before it is 3 months old
- You must identify the dog through a metal plate placed on its collar, it must indicate the name of the owner and the registration number in the register
- To take the dog out on public roads it must be tied to a non-extendible leash with a maximum length of 2 meters, in addition, the use of a muzzle is mandatory
- The home must be adequately fenced to protect people who circulate on public roads and pass near the private property where the dog lives
- If there is any incident in which the dog has caused harm or damage to its owner or a third party, the registry must be notified immediately
- The transfer, theft or loss of the dog must be reported to the registry, if a new owner is established, a new registration must be made
- It is completely forbidden to abandon dogs affected by this legislation
Reflection on the law of potentially dangerous dogs in Argentina
A law on potentially dangerous dogs is still an easy but incomplete response to the need to educate society on animal respect.
At first glance it may strike us that the abandonment of dogs affected by this law is punishable, unfortunately, animal abandonment in generic terms is not subject to law some, the register of all pets, either.
The problem and insufficiency of this law goes further, because in some regions of Argentina it is very common to have dogs outside the house without any type of containment measure, therefore, it is much the risk that our dog can attack. That said, it is obvious that depending on which neighborhoods dogs walk alone and are not used to wearing a collar and leash, another serious mistake.
It is also strange in this law that there is no adequate evaluation of the owners of these dogs, something that should be a priority, since the problem is the education given to the dog, not that it belongs to a certain breed or has certain physical characteristics.
The Akita Inu, German Shepherd or Rotweiller (just to name a few), are wonderful dogs that obviously need time, attention, exercise physical and discipline, if you are not going to meet these needs, obviously you should not have a dog with these characteristics.
