Faced with an embarrassing setback over their plans to introduce European-wide breed-specific legislation via the European Parliament, the German Federal Government appear to have take a new approach to the matter of getting other countries - especially Britain - to fall in line with their plans.

It will be remembered, of course, that the canine holocaust in Germany came about due to the relentless political and media hype against so-called "Fighting-Dogs". By concentrating on a small number of dog attacks, caused by dogs owned by a tiny minority of irresponsible owners, the public mood had been turned against dogs. All that was needed now was a suitably alarming flashpoint to enable the harsh laws and swindling dog taxes they had so long fought for.

The flashpoint almost came in April of this year, when an 86 year old woman was attacked and killed by a Rottweiler. But whilst there was public outrage - justified to a certain extent - it wasn't "quite" enough. However, the savage and needless death of six year old Volkan Kaja, the son of Turkish immigrants, killed by two genuine, trained fighting dogs - an American Pitbull Terrier and an American Stafford - as he innocently played in a school playground in Hamburg WAS the required flashpoint.

Since then, as has been reported in Our Dogs, there has been a consistent campaign against ordinary, law-abiding dog owners in Germany and their dogs. Whole groups of breeds are demonised, dogs have been taken from their families and destroyed, dog owners attacked in the streets by their fellow citizens, merely for owning a dog.

But, as has also been reported, there has been a concerted worldwide campaign to fight back against these genocidal laws. Demonstrations have been staged, boycotts arranged, German politicians forced under the scrutiny of not just the German public, but the world at large, their actions dissected, their fragile credibility further undermined.

Humiliation
In short, the campaigners have won many significant battles. The biggest humiliation for the German Government was, of course, their failure to secure a European ban on three Bull breeds, the American Pitbull Terrier, the American Stafford and, crucially, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It is the inclusion of the "Staffie" which has incensed British dog owners. The help of MEP's has been sought and secured, and, thanks to timely intervention by the British Kennel Club's Press Officer, Phil Buckley, the British delegation at the crucial EU meeting at the end of September were well briefed and able to get the Germen request deferred. 

Of course, the German Government are going to try and force EU Breed Specific Legislation through again, but for now, their plans have been thwarted.

So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the authorities have decided on a stealthier approach, on well known to lobbyists for a particular cause: the steady "Drip-Drip-Drip"  of publicity, of misinformation, to impinge information on the public subconscious. We'de seen it before: "Tail docking is cruel mutilation." Fox hunting is the barbaric sport of upperclass animal abusers." "Microchips are the ONLY effective form of dog identification." "Dog registration will solve all the problems of stray and dangerous dogs."