Norway and Denmark have introduced a ban on so-called fighting dogs. The list includes breeds such as the American Staffordshire Terrier (Amstaff), Pit Bull Terrier and Dogo Argentino. During SVT Nyheter's review of the dog attacks in Sweden, Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (KD) has previously rejected a similar ban in Sweden. But now that the government is appointing an inquiry to reduce the number of people injured by dogs, he opens the door to prohibition.
"There is no demarcation in this assignment so that you wouldn't get there. But it's too early for me to say anything about," says Peter Kullgren.
"The dog wants to liquidate its antagonist"
In Denmark, there is a list of 13 dog breeds that are illegal to breed, sell and buy. The ban also applies to dogs that are a mix with any of these breeds. In a previous interview, the defense's dog expert Pierre Wahlström was clear about his opinion.
"What I have seen in the attacks from fighting dogs that I have studied is that there is a fairly immediate attack where the dog wants to liquidate its antagonist quite directly. This makes me, as both an official and a dog owner, privately think about whether it is not reasonable to have a ban or at least an investigation into this, he says.
The inquiry that the government has now distributed to Statskontoret is tasked with evaluating how the county administrative boards and the police manage to protect the public against dog attacks and will submit their answers at the end of February next year.
In the clip: Listen to the Minister for Rural Affairs talk about the investigation, and how he reacts to the fact that over 4,000 sought care last year after being bitten by dogs.