I also think that it would be a good idea to teach children to never touch a dog without the owners permission. I like dogs but would never stroke one before asking of if they are friendly and if the owner wouldn't mind.

The following is an excerpt from a document on keeping and owning dogs here in Spain:

"Regulated & Dangerous dogs

There are restrictions on owning certain breeds of dog in Spain. Laws are regulated by the Autonomous Communities (Comunidades Autónomas), which impose a wide variety of rules and regulations within the country. Any person owning a potentially dangerous dog (perros potencialmente peligrosos) must have an appropriate licence and insurance, and the dog must be registered annually with the municipality. Handlers and walkers of dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs must also be licensed. A licence is valid for five years.

The breeds identified as potentially dangerous are the Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, and Akita Inu. Dogs with certain characteristics of these breeds are also classified as potentially dangerous and those that have a track record of aggression to humans and other animals must also be licensed and registered. The rules are different - and stricter - in Andalucia."

As you can imagine, having the laws is one thing, enforcing the law quite another. As some people may remember, there is a pit bull at the house behind us. Their garden adjoins ours, at their side it is separated by a low wall and a very badly neglected hedge. At our side a strong metal type fence. Now they have 2 pitbulls and after anyone who ventured to the back of our house being terrorised by these dogs charging the fence, I eventually had some very strong words with the "original" owner of the dogs, who is very rarely here. To cut a long story short I told him that if I saw the dogs anywhere near the fence again I was going immediately to the police. I must have worried him, next day the dogs were literally fenced in at the front of their house and they haven´t been near the fence at the back since.

Five doors down from that house is a man who has, or had, I should say, 5 pitbulls and some other spurious breed of dog. This man had so many complaints about his dogs, which are very dangerous, the authorities removed them and he could not have them back until he had made proper provision for keeping them. He erected a very large cage thing with metal poles, the dogs, apart from one were returned to him. As soon as the authorities had checked the "cage" and returned the dogs, he removed the cage. It has transpired that this man is squatting in the house, the owner of the house has evidently died and no relatives can be traced. It´s somewhat of a long on-going story and is slowly going through the courts, but in the meantime the people who live in front of him and to the sides are having to cope with the smell from a garden full of dog crap and a green slimy swimming pool, ideal for breeding mosquitoes.

The law, being what it is, the police can´t just go in, the man (and his English partner) are never seen, they certainly never come out during daylight and evidently the police cannot simply shoot the dogs so that they can enter the property.

Yesterday the people who live directly in front of this house came up to see us. They were really distressed. They heard an awful screaming noise from the house, so they went on their roof to see what was going on. One of the dogs had got a cat, they shouted and shouted for the owner, nothing of course, there was nothing they could do and the dog not only killed the cat, it then ate it. (no doubt Pumicestone would like to have seen that). Their 6 year old, loves animals, granddaughter arrives on Monday, imagine a small child having to witness that !

The people who lived in close proximity to this house are now going to have a meeting and are hoping to go to the authorities and demand that something is done about this situation. They can but try, but somehow or other I think they will have to wait for the law to deal with it and that is definitely not speedy, unless of course the dogs get out of the property and kill or injure someone.

Over the years I have had dangerous dogs, ones that hated humans, hated other dogs etc never ever had one bite anyone because they were of a size I could control, even if I had to keep them on a lead and walk them at midnight I did it so they had a good life and they weren't a danger to anyone else. All rescues all damaged by other people so they took ages to trust us.

I have no problem with any dog if I feel the person owning it can control it, the dog that lives very near us staffie cross mastiff should be Pts and should never have been allowed to be a pet. I don't care how breedist that makes me look, no one can hold that dog back it's far too strong and has caused fear and hurt to far too many dogs, cats and people.

For me size does matter and also how serious the person owning the dog is at keeping people and other dogs safe.

It must be the way I smell-even Rhodesion Ridge backs seem to want to lick me. But joking aside what annoys me are those stupid clips of parents recording little children riding on the back of a dog-look mummy I can also pull his tail. Oh yea -who will you blame when Fido gets pissed off?

Somebody made the wrong decision here and it cost a man his life: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-37094526