According to a Barnet councillor, Andrew Harper, it is not just youths but also dog breeders who incite their animals to destroy trees. "Pitbulls are being trained up for fighting and these dogs are being encouraged to hone their aggressive instincts on trees. It is a very stark version of antisocial behaviour which we are trying to deal with," he said.
Many newly planted trees have been completely destroyed, but mature trees can swiftly succumb to fungal diseases once their bark is damaged. London boroughs have lost mature trees worth £10,000 each to dog attacks, according to Oliver Stutter, chair of the London Tree Officers Association. "It is remarkable how it is increasing year on year," he said.
Many councils are shielding tree trunks with wire cages, but the protection is unsightly and expensive.
"It's a problem with the dogs and the people who own them, not the tree," said Andy Tipping, tree officer for Barnet. "You can't wrap them all up in cotton wool and hope no one ever damages them. We need to send a message that if people do it they will get their dogs taken away from them."
Councils are being forced to try inventive ways of protecting trees. According to Stutter, one of the best methods to deter dog attacks is to surround trees with deep mulch. "People with expensive white trainers don't like getting them dirty. We've got to think outside the box, but mostly it is about enforcement and giving park wardens the power to be able to deal with it," he said.
In Liverpool, the council is planning to deploy non-toxic chemicals on tree trunks which are unattractive to dogs. Islington council has made monitoring dog attacks on trees a neighbourhood policing priority and is holding events in parks to help educate young dog owners.
Foxsmith called on the government to reintroduce dog licensing for some breeds. "We should be looking at reintroducing some kind of licence or chipping to get a sense of ownership and responsibility over our problem breeds," he said.
Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing, said the Metropolitan police had established a unit to tackle the "horrific" problem of weapon dogs. "The practice of using trees in some of our park areas to train these unfortunate animals to become deadly weapons is appalling," he said.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thousands of urban trees mauled and destroyed as 'weapon dog' owners train animals for fighting
There are now more pitbull-type dogs in the UK than in 1991, despite them being outlawed. Photograph: Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images
Thousands of parkland trees across the country are being mauled and destroyed by pitbulls, bull terriers and other "weapon dogs", goaded by their owners to attack trunks, hang from branches and bite off tree bark, experts warn.
Dogs have savaged trees in green spaces from Peckham to Battersea park, Hampstead and Barnet in London, and other cities including Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool.
The attacks strengthen the jaws of fighting dogs, as well as building up their jumping and shoulder strength. The RSPCA received 24 reports of dog fighting in 2004 but that soared to 358 in 2007. According to the RSPCA, there are now more pitbull-type dogs in the UK than in 1991, when they were outlawed by the Dangerous Dogs Act.
"After the government's crackdown on knives, young people are adopting aggressive dogs as a fashion statement or offensive weapon and they are setting them on trees to strengthen their jaws or have them hang off branches," said Greg Foxsmith, an Islington councillor responsible for parks, including one – Laycock Street – where more than 80% of exposed trees have suffered what appears to be dog damage. On one housing estate in Peckham, more than half of its semi-mature trees have been killed by dogs.
A spokesman for Liverpool city council said dog attacks on trees were "widespread".
A Manchester city council source said dogs destroying trees was "a major problem" in the city. In Bristol, there have been more than 20 dog attacks on trees in the past year, with terriers being hung from branches in St George park and dogs attacking the stems of young trees on the Blaise Castle estate.
Few perpetrators are prosecuted. In Barnet, a 22-year-old man was arrested last month on suspicion of criminal damage after £10,000 of dog damage to trees in Oak Hill park. But earlier this year, Paulo Poeire, 27, was fined just £60 after he pleaded guilty to breaching Battersea park's bylaws by inciting his staffordshire bull terrier to bite tree branches.
According to a Barnet councillor, Andrew Harper, it is not just youths but also dog breeders who incite their animals to destroy trees. "Pitbulls are being trained up for fighting and these dogs are being encouraged to hone their aggressive instincts on trees. It is a very stark version of antisocial behaviour which we are trying to deal with," he said.
Many newly planted trees have been completely destroyed, but mature trees can swiftly succumb to fungal diseases once their bark is damaged. London boroughs have lost mature trees worth £10,000 each to dog attacks, according to Oliver Stutter, chair of the London Tree Officers Association. "It is remarkable how it is increasing year on year," he said.
Many councils are shielding tree trunks with wire cages, but the protection is unsightly and expensive.
"It's a problem with the dogs and the people who own them, not the tree," said Andy Tipping, tree officer for Barnet. "You can't wrap them all up in cotton wool and hope no one ever damages them. We need to send a message that if people do it they will get their dogs taken away from them."
Councils are being forced to try inventive ways of protecting trees. According to Stutter, one of the best methods to deter dog attacks is to surround trees with deep mulch. "People with expensive white trainers don't like getting them dirty. We've got to think outside the box, but mostly it is about enforcement and giving park wardens the power to be able to deal with it," he said.
In Liverpool, the council is planning to deploy non-toxic chemicals on tree trunks which are unattractive to dogs. Islington council has made monitoring dog attacks on trees a neighbourhood policing priority and is holding events in parks to help educate young dog owners.
Foxsmith called on the government to reintroduce dog licensing for some breeds. "We should be looking at reintroducing some kind of licence or chipping to get a sense of ownership and responsibility over our problem breeds," he said.
Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing, said the Metropolitan police had established a unit to tackle the "horrific" problem of weapon dogs. "The practice of using trees in some of our park areas to train these unfortunate animals to become deadly weapons is appalling," he said.
According to a Barnet councillor, Andrew Harper, it is not just youths but also dog breeders who incite their animals to destroy trees. "Pitbulls are being trained up for fighting and these dogs are being encouraged to hone their aggressive instincts on trees. It is a very stark version of antisocial behaviour which we are trying to deal with," he said.
Many newly planted trees have been completely destroyed, but mature trees can swiftly succumb to fungal diseases once their bark is damaged. London boroughs have lost mature trees worth £10,000 each to dog attacks, according to Oliver Stutter, chair of the London Tree Officers Association. "It is remarkable how it is increasing year on year," he said.
Many councils are shielding tree trunks with wire cages, but the protection is unsightly and expensive.
"It's a problem with the dogs and the people who own them, not the tree," said Andy Tipping, tree officer for Barnet. "You can't wrap them all up in cotton wool and hope no one ever damages them. We need to send a message that if people do it they will get their dogs taken away from them."
Councils are being forced to try inventive ways of protecting trees. According to Stutter, one of the best methods to deter dog attacks is to surround trees with deep mulch. "People with expensive white trainers don't like getting them dirty. We've got to think outside the box, but mostly it is about enforcement and giving park wardens the power to be able to deal with it," he said.
In Liverpool, the council is planning to deploy non-toxic chemicals on tree trunks which are unattractive to dogs. Islington council has made monitoring dog attacks on trees a neighbourhood policing priority and is holding events in parks to help educate young dog owners.
Foxsmith called on the government to reintroduce dog licensing for some breeds. "We should be looking at reintroducing some kind of licence or chipping to get a sense of ownership and responsibility over our problem breeds," he said.
Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing, said the Metropolitan police had established a unit to tackle the "horrific" problem of weapon dogs. "The practice of using trees in some of our park areas to train these unfortunate animals to become deadly weapons is appalling," he said.
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