7.8 Dangerous dogs
7.8.1 RSPCA Australia defines a dangerous dog as any dog which aggressively attacks a person or other animal causing physical injury or death, or behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses an unjustified imminent threat of physical injury or death.
7.8.2 Exceptions to this definition should be considered where a dog has been clearly provoked into attacking a human or other animal in self-defence, defence of a human or their property, or where a dog kept as a companion animal instinctively attacks an animal normally considered as prey.
7.8.3 RSPCA Australia considers that any dog of any size, breed or mixture of breeds may be dangerous and thus dogs should not be declared dangerous on the basis of breed.
7.8.4 However, it is recognised that there is a strong genetic component in a dog’s propensity for aggressive behaviour, their trigger point for aggression and their capacity to inflict serious injury. These factors should be taken into consideration when choosing a suitable dog and in their subsequent socialisation and training.
7.8.5 RSPCA Australia supports the use in legislation of the category of ‘menacing dog’ to apply to dogs that have repeatedly exhibited threatening behaviour (such as rushing at or chasing a person without provocation), but do not meet the definition of a dangerous dog.
7.8.6 Reducing the incidence of dog attacks requires the following actions:
* education of dog owners on the importance of responsible pet ownership and appropriate socialisation and training of dogs
* education of the public on understanding dog behaviour and the risks of dog bites
* early identification and appropriate management of problem behaviours
* selection of dogs on the basis of appropriate behavioural characteristics
* the implementation of appropriate control and management programs for those dogs that are declared to be menacing or dangerous.