Govt. Issues Reminder: Prohibited Dog Breeds
The Department of Environmental Protection said they wish to “remind the public that the acquisition, importation and breeding of certain breeds of dog is prohibited.
“Under provisions of the Dogs Act 1978, the dog breeds listed below are prohibited, and it is an offence to import, breed, or acquire [take ownership of] any of these dog breeds,” a spokesperson said.
The below prohibited breeds may not be imported or bred.
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- American Bulldog
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Argentine Mastiff / Dogo Argentino
- Boerboel
- Brazilian Mastiff / Fila
- Cane Corso
- Presa Canario
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- Tosa Inu
- Wolf / Wolf hybrid
- Any crossbreed of above
The statement from the Department added, “The only exception to this prohibition is for dogs which were licensed by the end of the prohibited breed amnesty which was in place in 2011.
“Dogs of the above breeds which were or have been acquired after the amnesty may not be licensed, and the owner may be prosecuted for keeping a dog which is a prohibited breed.
“Restricted breeds of dogs can be imported or bred, but there are restrictions on ownership, such as special enclosures, property inspections, etc.”
Restricted breeds are as follows:
- Akita
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Belgian Malinois
- Bouvier Des Flandres
- Bull Terrier
- Bullmastiff
- Chow Chow
- Doberman Pinscher
- Dogue De Bordeaux
- German Shepherd
- English Mastiff
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Any crossbreed of above
Thanks for reminding us this idiotic policy makes no sense, American Staffordshire terrier, banned, English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, sold in town (big $$$). How can you people sleep at night, destroying healthy pets over ignorance and fear? Any cross breed of restricted breeds are ok too as long as you pay and jump through a few hoops?
There are people more dangerous than these dogs listed in this country…
Sure is . And is it any coincidence that a very large percentage of them either own or are trying to obtain the dogs on these lists ?
A completely baseless and unfactual comment!
You sound like you need to get out and about a bit more than you do .
The good people I know own good dogs – beagles, labradors, yorkies, etc. – dogs that lack the physical power to hurt most people.
The bad people I know own bad dogs – like those on the list. I don’t want these people owning dangerous things, whether it’s guns, souped-up motorbikes, or dangerous animals.
And as the tragic events earlier this year showed (when a “good” owner’s pitbull attacked and killed a neighbor’s yorkie), these breeds are inherently dangerous animals regardless of the owner.
So those with Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Belgian Malinois etc. are bad people too since they can potentially harm as much or more than a pit bull? You are what is wrong with the world , a selfish, small minded moron who looks down on everyone else from your imagined pedestal, seeking to dictate how society should look according to your warped, judgmental delusions. Caesar Milan, who rehabilitated thousands of “bad” dogs and their owners,worst attack was when he was bitten by a labrador.
Just because a dog is large, it’s not necessarily dangerous. The pit bull terrier was bred as a unique combination of a bulldog for strength and a terrier for speed. It has incredible mouth strength to bite hard and not let go. The most aggressive dogs were selected for breeding, creating a dangerous and aggressive breed. This is why it’s a favorite of drug dealers to guard stashes, dog-fighters, people who want to intimidate their neighbors, and other anti-social types.
I’m sure there are a few good pit bull type dogs out there, but far too many are far too dangerous for a small island like ours, even with a “good” owner.
Wrong again, the “pit bull” was bred for fighting other pit bulls, the dogs which displayed “gameness”, a willingness to fight on no matter the odds, were bred. Aggression displayed towards anything but the opponent was undesirable, seeing as the dogs needed to be manually separated in close quarters. The larger dogs which are only restricted, consist of breeds selectively bred to be attack dogs, used in hunting, war, security and guard work. Many are bred for and trained (in some cases) to attack humans. We as humans bred dogs from wolves, and no breed should be driven into extinction because we are too stupid to deal with the issue properly.
Excuse me! I am an upstanding citizen and owned a pit bull who was the friendliest. Whenever we took him for a walk we had loads of children come up and pet him. The most harm he would do would be to lick you to death. I take great offense to your statement! By the way he was fully legal. Don’t make general statements like that. That’s like generalizing people based on their sex, race, religion etc.
Not all are bad – but unfortunately there have been several occasions when this breed of
Dog has bitten somebody or Killed other animals.
The Pit Bull has a bad reputation.and a bad record.- it’s reputation is global.
It’s not the dog… it’s the owner. Y’all know that….
It’s not the owners who are , unprovoked , savaging and attacking other dogs , pets or people .
It is not the breed,it is the owner!Restrict owners,not breeds……………………..
Illegal breeding is an issue.Usually and more often done for profit,with little or no regard to the important issues at hand.
…don’t care whether the dogs are legal or not, irresponsible owners should be put down when they allow their dogs to terrorize the neighborhood with non-stop barking.
I am terrified of dogs and walking home after getting off the bus in Bailey’s Bay my near by neighbor has a doberman pinscher that rushes to the fence and wooden gate and barks non stop, looking like it can hop the fence. Can something be done about this???? My fear is someone leaving the gate open and it attacking me or someone else. If you don’t know it’s there it will scare the crap out of someone. I try my best to walk across quietly to avoid the dog hearing me.
Please help Bernews!!!!!
Nothing can be done Im afraid. Thats a restricted breed which according to the above is fine if they have he/she liscensed.
Do what I now do – carry a big baseball bat. I have been set upon too often by aggressive dogs when walking mine.
Sadly electric prod sticks and pepper spray are illegal. (A can of Elnett hairspray is useful too).
But yes, sad that this community is so aggressive. We can’t walk around our otherwise beautiful area.
We need to start calling the owners to account and discouraging this type of dog ownership. And please don’t give me the “no bad dogs only bad humans” story. Having prosecuted 2 culp. Homicides involving pet dogs, and lost a friend to a boxer attack we should not allow our society to become victim to such aggression by often inexeperienced owners after designer dogs. The latest trend being “wolf dogs”.
Encourage and reward well socialized dogs. They are an important part of society.
Got one that sits near a gate in Cut Road St.Georges too. — good forbid if this thing gets out.
What human breeds are prohibited?What are the proactive prohibitions being put in place pray tell?
The Stafford Terrier and the Pitbull Teerier are the same dog. Im tired of the stupid dog wardens. They know the truth. Look up where the stafford terrier came from (those BLUE PITTS YOU BUY IN TOWN) !! THEY CAME FRM A DOG FIGHTER NAME JOHN COLBY – HIS DOG PRIMO STARTED THE STAFFORD TERRIER BLOODLINE. GOOGLE IT BERMUDA
The bull terrier, staffy terrier all came from the pitt. Now days people have a mix off the 2. Why are the killing mixbreed dogs? The soo call pit you buy for a couple bucks is mixed but the spca still takes the dog and kills them. THIS NEEDS TO STOP
I DONT HAVE $3500 TO BUY THE SAME DOG @ PET SHOPS
#LEAVMYPITBULLOOKINGDOGALONE.
Grow some Gonads
Lulu best get a device called no bark,if a bark occures it emmits a sound only the dog can hear,it works as a constant reminder not to bark.Dog doesn’t bark,the device doesn’t react.you basically place it on a rafter foot facing the noisey dog, or call police file a complaint,they deal with any nuisance noise,you might have to cite law and actual act to get it done though,I have seen a time when a lazy officer made me indicate the act that prohibits construction equiptment on Sundays or holidays.Best to know your law,it is there for you to utilise as well…the dog owner cannot respond to lawful request.
If a policeman refuses a thing get his number and name,if they hang up before you can ask, notate the time and date,all govt.telephoney is recorded,have the call reviewed by lawyer or ag or police commissioner.
This is just pitiful, to think a creature that has been bred and soley created to offer man nothing but a job whether it be hunting to companionship. NO DOG has ever been bred to be human aggresive nor should ever become under the correct guidance and obedience. I have worked in numerous accredited institutions housing truly wild animals from lions, tigers and bears(yes oh my!). I can stand before any of these so called “dog experts” and tell them what it’s like to work with a true dangerous animal. I agree any large breed should be properly controlled and the animal should never be to blame it is the hand at the end of the leash. We need to realize some people are not meant to own potentially dangerous animals no matter the species. This legislation is counterproductive as your forcing not only inbreeding to the limited gene pool, and putting the animals in a home they are not being taken care of properly because they cannot take the animal to the vet to recieve medical attention or simply bought a much cheaper animal because it’s “cool”. It’s high time we revise the legislation not remind people to infuriate them more
I have never seen so many contraband dogs on the railway trails. So much so, following an attack on a friend a few weeks ago, that I don’t use the trials to walk my legal, well-socialized dog and child. Why the obsession with “weapon” dogs. Is it male machismo?
Our neighbors have Rhodesian ridgebacks, very aggressive, no fence (apart from a silly invisible fence). Where I come from these are “dogs of war” and guard dogs. Kept behind electric fences on large properties and for lethal protection. Not ideal for Bermuda. What chance does my little friendly dog, or a young child, have if/when they roam onto their untended property?
What’s wrong with non- lethal dogs?
Bayside you are correct in saying the American Staffordshire Terrier comes from the Pit Bull line but the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is completely different and was around before John Colby (1875-1945) was alive. The Staffordshire Bull Terriers that you see in town (way overpriced) were originated by James Hinks in the mid 1800′s originally known as Bull Terrier but changed to Staffordshire Bull Terrier to distinguish the difference. They are an English breed of dog and not to be confused with the American Pit Bull Terrier.
The Bull terrier is not a Staffordshire Bull Terrier they are distinctly different breeds, the Bull Terrier having the convex sloping skull, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has the appearance of shorter stockier very large headed pit bull.
The American Pit bull Terrier is rooted from the English Staffordshire Terrier, possibly the English Mastiff and
the English Bulldog.– according to a Pit bull publication I read in the early 90′s.
Correct me if i’m wrong.
Can someone from the Department of Environmental Protection please advise on the Governments policy on Dire Wolves, Looking to bring in 6 pups before winter comes.
Yours Truely
Ned
TOO SAGE & DOG MON & EVERY1 WHO IS TRYING SEPERATE THE PITBULL FROM THE STAFFORD TERRIER
The bull terrier, staff bull terrier, pitbull terrier, all share the same genetics. The staffy bull terrier is a small pitbull, remember pitbulls, if pure breed wur small dogs.
Look up game bull terriers, bull terriers are fighting dogs and are in the same gene pool as pits. They jus hav a long nozzle yes but some look like a long nozzle pitbull
Main thing is in BERMUDA they kill soo many stafford bull terrier lookn dogs its ashame. why they can accept he/she has a mixbreed, may hav pit in it but im not sure. DONT HAVE A ROTWEILER CROSS CUZ THEY GOIN BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE TAKE YA BESTFRIEND N CALL IT A PITT.
The standard for the stafford breed came from JOHN P. COLBYS FIGHTING DOG PRIMO. He was used to sweetn up the pitbull name cuz he inbreed for soo many years he had the purest pitbull. GOOGLE DID JOHN COLBYS DOG PRIMO do that Shi**.
JOHN COLBY SET THE STAFFORD STANDARD! Iya
What a third world country we live in…I can’t even have the dog of my choice?we pay such a high price to live here..stop trying to control people..let people live a bit..gosh…
I agree with the prohibited list – but there are breeds on the restricted list that should be included in the prohibited list
such as the German Shepard, Rottweiler,English Staffordshire Terrier,Doberman Pincher .
Infect if you cross a Rottweiler with a English Bull Dog than breed that same dog with a English Bull Terrier you
most likely will get somthing pretty close to a pitbull.–as I was told – trust me this has been done before.
Before the Pitbull came along in the early eightys the most notorious Dogs were the German Sheppard,the Rottweiler,
and the Dobberman Pincher.
My Sister has a Yorkshire Terrier who will bit anything he see’s ,a vicious little thing! – on the flip side a good friend of mine has a
Pitbull mix who loves anything and anybody.
To me all dogs can pose a danger and all dogs can be made vicious no matter what the breed- lets not forget that
they are still wolves – modified a bit.
Bayside you need to search or google History of Staffordshire Bull Terrier so you can see for yourself that they were around LONG before John Colby and his dog Primo was around LOL. I have and was amongst the first few to have Pit Bulls in Bermuda in the early 80′s when a friend of mine imported them FIRST. Had Pit Bulls and American Staffordshire Terriers during same time frame. Yes all those Terriers you listed share the same genetics BUT you left out a lot of other Terrier breeds that are not even on the restricted list that also share the same genetics and were used for the same thing….GAME DOGS!!!! You need to do more research.
Look up James Hinks and YOU will see he was around and had these dogs ( Staffordshire Bull Terrier) long before John Colby.
I have nothing against Pit Bulls and do wish they were not on the Banned List because i will still have them.
John Colby started his Breed in 1889 which he brought over the top of the line canines from Ireland and England. Hmmmm…..i wonder what those top of the line canines where that he brought over????? I know one of them to be the Staffordshire Bull Terrier originated by James Hinks in the mid 1800′s.
Some serious info here.:)
Dogmon, the blue pitbull bermuda lets you bring in, is the same dog as a pitbull. Does the same thing if no trained and ray ray. They jus call the dog a stafford terrier. Go pic a pet and buy 1 raise it and its going to grow over the stafford terrier weight. Staffy are small animals. 20-30 pounds. When you buy the dog from town they weigh over 60pounds easy, that alone classifys another breed. (Example, a german Sheppard pure breed, is a certain weight, if you have a 25pound Shepard the dog is not a shepard, with a big fat head its been mixed).
I imported my own English Bred Staffordshire Bull Terriers that are not no 50-60lbs. Mine are top off the line Staffy lines (Valglo and Crashkon lines) and at 2 1/2yrs old my blue male is breed standard 14.5″ at shoulder and 34lbs. My female at 1 1/2yrs old is 14″ at shoulder and 30lbs. Breed standard is 14″-16″ @ shoulder,up to 32lbs.(female) and 38lbs.(male)
All Pit Bulls and any mutt with their Genetic line should be rounded up and culled! They are a danger to the public, they are weapons that become uncontrollable, the stats don’t lie!
Your Pit Bull may be cute and loving but they are on the banned dogs breed list and they’re on the list for good reason. They cause more deaths and serious injuries than all other dogs put together.