I cannot be the only viewer who felt very depressed after watching Death row dogs on the BBC recently.
This exemplified all too clearly the legal loophole in the Dangerous Dogs Act that allows a friendly, pit-bull-type dog – who didn't stop wagging its tail even when put into a van by a stranger – to be killed because he came from a home that was less than immaculate. Another dog was condemned to a similar fate when it wasn't keen for a stranger to put a rope around its neck.
As a GP who has worked in large council estates, I have seen a lot of well-loved dogs from similar homes and feel it is very wrong for the police and lawyers to make a judgment of destruction without exploring all other options.
From Dr Rosemary Alexander, Brent, north-west London
