Offending Belgian canines could get criminal records

Is there a translator for dogs since they do not understand the complexities of court decisions? [Fifi, WOOF WOOF WOOF GRRRR...]

If not, concerned Belgians should get some educational items for their beloved pets like the following for cats



Does this mean that dogs have the right to appeal rulings as well?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061125/od_afp/belgiumjusticedogs_061125192946

In the dog house: Offending Belgian canines could get criminal records

Sat Nov 25, 2:29 PM ET

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Misbehaving Belgian dogs could find themselves with a "criminal record" under a new parliamentary proposal, with offenders facing anything from a rap on the paws to the death penalty, according to a newspaper report.

Under the proposal, adopted by the Senate upper house's social affairs committee, dogs and their owners would both come under scrutiny, with anyone who has served a six-month sentence for a violent crime banned from owning a dog.

If a dog bites anyone, as happens some 100,000 times a year in Belgium, a local official could sentence the canine offender to anything from a reprimand to the death sentence from the local burgomeister.

The culprit could even be seized from his kennel without even the need for a search warrant.

"Our goal is to prevent accidents, without targetting any particular breed," Senator Jean-Marie Cheffert told Le Soir daily.

"At the moment we don't have sufficient tools to act," he added.

Under the scheme canine criminal records would be kept to allow animals and masters to be traced and re-offenders to be more sternly dealt with.

The Senators' proposals remain a long way from becoming law and Belgium's Social Affairs Minister Rudy Demotte is unenthusiastic, according to the paper, preferring to focus on prevention rather than punishment.

"We have produced an information booklet for future dog owners and we've regulated the market," he said.

But the Senate committee fears that as far as the current regulations are concerned, their bark is worse than their bite.