Should owners face harsher penalties for out of control dogs?

  Quite simply, yes. Dogs (like children) are a product of their upbringing and training, they aren't born bad so the fault lies with the owners. And let's stop pussy-footing around the issue: there is a trend among the scummy thugs and jeremy kyle-ites to have status dogs (staffies, rottys, dobermen) so because the vast majority of these breeds are owned by berks and raised to be vicious, snarling, antisocial animals (much like their owners), they are all getting tarred with the same brush. And maybe if these losers thought they might have to spend some of their benefits on fines if their dog misbehaves (instead of Mcat, fags, booze and trainers) then they might think twice about how they raise it, or even owning it in the first place.

 Just look at this article about those morons that set their dog on Emmerdale actress Roxanne Pallett. They have these breeds of dog for the sole reason to intimidate and they 'train' them accordingly. Some people have suggested putting the dogs down as punishment but get a clue people- these bums don't give a flying fudge about their dogs! They are merely an accessory/weapon to them. One of my ex-employees who, to be honest is a skank and a half, had a staffy that got run over, they opted to have it's leg amputated rather than treated as it was "cheaper." Dog homes and rescue centres are overrun with Staffies because these moronic yobs either can't handle them eventually or realise that they actually have to look after them, spend money on them and have a little responsibility.

 How about a stupidly simple system of needing a license to own an animal, surely the cost between this and all these other hare brained schemes is minimal? You must be deemed fit to be a responsible owner and give reasons as to why you want an animal. You should be working or able to prove you can provide for the animal (NOT with benefits), able to provide decent shelter and dedicate time to training and walking a dog. Then give the police the power to stop anyone on the street with a dog and ask them to produce their license, no questions asked. Crack down on people selling puppies in the classifieds so that potential dog owners will have to go to a reputable breeder and produce their license.

  Maybe this system should also be implemented for potential parents so poor, poor children like Baby P aren't born to sick, sadistic, twisted, evil, abusive people that should never never ever be allowed to breed.