‘Pit bulls are on the banned list for a reason’ – Minister

Following the decision to euthanize the pitbull dog “Hershey” last week the Minister of Environment and Planning the Hon. Sylvan Richards JP MP wishes to remind members of the public the Pitbull is, by law, a prohibited breed of dog in Bermuda.

“The decision to euthanize the dog was made by the Department of Environmental Protection,” said Minister Richards.  “I, as Minister of Environment and Planning support this decision as it is consistent with the department’s policy and within the powers prescribed under the Dogs Act 1978.

“Under current policy the Pitbull is a prohibited breed and regardless of ownership, the animal was unquestionably illegal.  The public should be reminded that Pitbulls were placed on the banned list for a reason. While small breeds of dog can bite, it is the power and severity of a Pitbull attack that is the most concerning.  It only takes one tragic incident involving a child and this would be a totally different conversation.  As Minister this must be my concern.”  

There have been attacks locally on animals and people by this breed and some of the offending Pitbulls have been reportedly, socialized, ‘family’ dogs.  For instance over the last six days there have been four pitbull attacks reported while two people reported chasing and threatening behavior by a pitbull, and a female and her dog were attacked on the railway trail by a pitbull. Additionally, a family dog was attacked and killed by a ‘socialized’ family-pet Pitbull, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. “The principle law of the Dogs Act 1978 is to not to allow continued ownership of an illegal dog in Bermuda,” explained the Minister. “Therefore euthanization or possible relocation are the only two options available. Local adoption is not an option for an illegally bred and prohibited dog.

“To date relocation of an illegally bred dog has been offered three times in the last two years.  One person took advantage of this export option whilst the other two declined. While I recognize that there may have been considerable public support to send this particular dog overseas, this is not a sustainable nor consistent policy. As such the department acted in a consistent and responsible manner in order to protect the public’s interest.”