Dog breeding started as a passion for Peter Vigilio Olympio in 2009 after he inherited his grandfather’s collection of three local dogs.
Currently, he specialises in rottweilers, which is now his source of livelihood. Olympio is aware of the unfavourable headlines in the popular media about this particular breed. For a breed that carries a rough reputation, venturing into it came with lots of research and dedication.
According to Dog Training 101 by Cesar Dunbar, the guarding instincts of rottweilers are strong. Neglect or abuse will create an extremely dangerous animal.
“dogs are like blank slates,” he said. “We teach them what to do; knowingly and unknowingly, we teach them how to react or act so then I will like to blame us that we lack some form of education as individuals in this part of the world and that is why recent attacks have been rampant.”
For him, responsible dog ownership starts with proper training and socialisation at a young age.
Recent dog attacks have reignited calls for strict regulation of dog ownership in Ghana. In the last year alone, two children have been killed by dogs in Abrepo-Broni, a suburb of Kumasi and Awutu Senya in the Central region.
Dog attacks have become an increasing problem in Ghana in recent years, with an alarming number of incidents leading to serious injuries and, in some cases, even deaths.
On July 2, at Abrepo-Broni, a suburb of Kumasi, two bulldogs attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in an attempt to feed them at his family’s residence.
His grandmother and elder brother, who tried helping, were equally attacked. The police came in and shot the dogs. A similar incident occurred at Awutu Senya, where a rabid dog attacked eight children and killed one.
Olympio says a number of his clients have had their fair share of dog attacks after they failed to train them.
“most dog breeds are not for first-time dog owners so I advise that anyone looking out to buy a dog if possible deal with a trainer, I mean experienced ones because they will be able to look at a dog, test the dog, and tell you if this dog would suit the kind of energy in your house.”
While dog attacks are not unique to Ghana, they have garnered significant attention worldwide due to their potentially devastating consequences.
Former Zambia international Philemon Mulala, 60, was mauled to death by his three pet dogs in the garden of his South African home.
In the UK, for instance, both ownership and breeding of pit bulls were banned by the 1991 Dangerous Dog Act in response to a series of incidents involving vicious, often unprovoked attacks by this particular breed on humans. There were 15 fatal dog attacks in England and Wales between 1981 and 1991.
Kelvin Adjei-Darko is a British journalist who is concerned about dog ownership, he says there are calls for more legislation by Brits.
“in the last 5 years, there has been a 34% increase in dog attacks in the UK which obviously is quite worrying. A total of 39 people have sadly lost their lives to dog attacks in the past decade. Following all these, there have been calls for the dangerous dog act which bans the ownership of certain dogs like the pit bull terrier to be reviewed so I think it is important for countries to introduce rules and laws that govern the ownership of dogs because let us be honest some of them can actually be out of control.” Adjei-Darko said.
Although some countries have developed robust legislation on dog ownership, Ghana’s current legal framework falls short in terms of establishing clear guidelines for responsible ownership, licensing, and enforcement of penalties for negligent owners.
“Many people buy dogs and when they bring them to the hospital, they are unable to tell the exact breed they own,” says Dr. Benjamin Kissi Sasu, Risk communications officer, Veterinary Services Directorate. “People are being deceived in the name of pure breed. Others also import into the country without passing through the right route and we are also seeing funny breeds around so we are pushing that the animal health bill 2021 at the Attorney General level will go very fast and help to solve all these issues.”
The Veterinary Services Directorate recommends that prospective owners thoroughly research the breeds of dogs they wish to bring into their homes and, if at all possible, hire professional trainers to handle the animals.
Author: George Kwaning