Under Denmark’s law, the dog’s owner, Dan, was given eight days to prove that his canine, Zanto, was not one of the country’s prohibited breeds.
When Dan, whose last name has not been released, could not prove that Zanto was a prohibited breed, the dog was confiscated and put down. Unable to cope with his dog’s death, Dan, 27, reportedly took an overdose of pain medication and died.
Denmark’s breed-specific legislation, titled the “Dog Act”, requires police to seize and euthanize dogs that “savage” a human person or another dog.
The Dog Act makes illegal the ownership and breeding of 13 breeds of canines, including the Pit Bull terrier, the Kangal, the South Russian Shepherd Dog, the Dogo Argentino, Boerboel and the American Bulldog.
The legislation does not take into account the behavior of any individual dog who falls into one of the prohibited breed categories. The legislation passed in 2010 raised the number of banned breeds to 13.
On April 19, the Facebook page Foreningen Fair Dog Fan side, wrote:
"Zanto (the dog) was ripped out of Dan’s arms, (Zanto’s owner) because he looked like one of the now banned dog breeds, or mixture of both.
Zanto had nothing done, he is a good, devoted and happy dog and has never done a fly mischief. The owner had 8 days to prove Zanto’s creator, but we all know that it is not a possible task.
Dan was given eight days to prove that his canine, Zanto, was not one of the country’s prohibited breeds, but was unable to do so.
There have been many attempts to change Denmark’s breed-specific dog laws, including a Change.org petition, none of which has succeeded".
The Animal Law Coalition has cited studies according to which breed-specific legislation and bans have not reduced the number of dog bites in the country. The organization has had this to say about the breed-specific laws Denmark continues to enforce:
Denmark is moving in the opposite direction from other European Union countries that have discovered breed discrimination does not work to prevent or reduce dog bite incidents.
Yet, Denmark’s Dog Act was upheld in 2014.
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