Government?s policy of banning certain breeds of dogs has come under renewed fire as yet another puppy faces a death sentence.

An SPCA volunteer has spoken out on behalf the ?innocent? animals who are killed under the policy intended to protective the Island from dangerous breeds.

Heather Nolan Wood wrote to of her heartbreaking encounter with a death row dog.

?I spent this morning volunteering at the SPCA and an encounter with a small black and white puppy that is about to be euthanised has demonstrated that this legislation does indeed affect me,? she wrote.

?I made the mistake of holding the puppy and feeling the heft and warmth of her. She?s a typical puppy ? full of life and love ? nobody is able to explain to her that she is probably a Pitt cross and thus has been born with a death sentence. Because of that encounter I felt the need to speak out.?

In July, then Environment Minister Dennis Lister banned licences and import permits for breeds of dogs the department deemed aggressive. Several breeds ? including Pitt Bulls, Staffordshire Terriers, and several of the Mastiffs, as well as crosses of those breeds ? were banned while more breeds are under consideration.

The department had made plans to review the ban but current Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield could not be contacted by press time.

Last night, Mrs. Wood said staff at the SPCA are only doing their jobs but there must be a better way.

?(T)he Government has failed to get to the heart of the issue and I think that it will lead to illegal breeding which is already a problem,? she said.

She said illegal breeding will be buried even deeper and dogs will go unlicensed and untreated by veterinarians as owners attempt to hide the breed from authorities.

At the moment, breeders are frustrated and confused, she said after a litter of puppies was left outside of the animal shelter one morning.

?The unsuspecting person who left them probably didn?t realise that they would be euthanised, but they were,? she said.

?I don?t think many people realise what the dog ban actually means. It?s not just about banning licences and import permits but it means puppies are being euthanised.?

Potential pet owners see the litters at the SPCA and inquire about adopting the puppies, Mrs. Wood said, but are told they cannot be adopted.

But puppies from dangerous breeds are not inherently dangerous, said Mrs. Wood, who owns a properly licensed Pitt Bull herself.

Older dogs often need to be put down due to the dangerous manner in which they have been socialised but the same is not true of puppies, she said.

?Those dogs that are euthanised when they end up at the SPCA are generally not adoptable because they are aggressive. They are not puppies who could grow up to be well socialised pets.?

Mrs. Wood?s dog has been properly socialised since 10-weeks of age after she rescued him from the SPCA in 2002.

?He was properly socialised and taken to obedience classes.

?I feel comfortable with him around all kinds of people and other dogs.

?People can own any breed of dog and make them aggressive.?

She continued in her letter: ?The outright banning of breeds is a Draconian Band-Aid solution to a problem that is more about ignorant dog owners than dangerous dogs.

?Addressing attitudes and behaviour toward specific breeds and educating problem dog owners regarding the benefits of socialisation, obedience training and regular exercise for a dog would actually target the issue instead of punishing the innocent ? dogs and responsible owners.?

She cited dog legislation in both Canada and the US concerning dangerous dogs which calls for humane enclosure laws, leash and muzzle laws while on public property, and holding the owner legally responsible, regardless of the dog breed.

?Such measures would be a start in addressing the real issue of irresponsible and ignorant dog owners; if this is not addressed, dangerous dogs will continue to be an issue as it is our attitudes towards animals and their role in our lives that is at the heart of the problem.?