Island dog groups and dog owners met last night to discuss solutions to the controversial dog policy that bans specific breeds of dogs .

Members of the community were invited to voice their opinions concerning solutions to the policy, which former Minister of the Environment Dennis Lister imposed in July, that banned some popular large breed dogs such as Pitbulls, Staffordshire terriers and the most recent addition, Rottweilers.

Bermuda Kennel Club president Gwendolyn Dean, who presided over the meeting, said she believed that no dogs had been banned because the issue had never been discussed and that recommendations from the dog committee had not been followed.

Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Madeiros added that when members of dog groups did meet with the Minister this summer it was understood the policy would not be temporary.

"Nothing has come out of the meeting from July which was just supposed to be a launching pad but it seems to have come out of focus and the list, as of October 6, has gotten longer," Ms Dean said.

And she added, that the dog committee report specifically stated that they did not recommend banning specific breeds.

"There may not be certain breeds that are desirable to the Island but before any decision has been made it has to be discussed," she added.

One audience member said dog policy decisions were being made by only two or three people such as Government veterinarian Dr. Jonathan Nisbett and Department of Environmental Protection director Thomas Sleeter and that there was not enough discussion with the dog community.

"We need to take the decision making from the two or three people who are leading the Minister," said Jack Castle, president of the Bermuda Rottweiler Club.

Many audience members agreed that certain dog breeds were not the cause of problems but that owners themselves needed to be trained.

Dog owner Scott Henderson suggested that owners who had broken dog laws should be put on the spot in the public eye to make it known what they have done.

Audience member Aaron Butterfield questioned why the size of the dog seemed to be the decision for banning certain breeds.

"Why is it large, aggressive dogs and not small, aggressive dogs? Why is it big and not small? Is it because the wardens are scared of large dogs?" Mr. Butterfield said.

"I suggest that they (dog wardens) need to be specifically trained because the animal protection officers are not trained properly," Ms Dean said.

Audience members were also in favour of having the dog committee resubmit their recommendations. Dog Training Club of Bermuda president Margaret Every said Dr. Nisbett had come back and asked for more suggestions from the dog clubs.

"It's great that Dr. Nisbett wants suggestions from us but this report took a lot of time and I don't want my work or anybody else's work to sit around," she said.

"There are so many loopholes that have to be looked at," Ms Dean said.

The dog clubs will be presenting a letter to the new Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield containing solutions that were brought up during the meeting.