Former assistant dog warden Gino Brangman is concerned about Government?s efforts to better educate breeders, saying they should start with their own dog wardens.

The infamous dog ban instituted by former Environment Minister Dennis Lister just before July?s General Election was intended to be a starting point from which Government hoped to tackle the problem of dangerous dogs on the Island.

?Government recognises that breed-specific legislation has been implemented in a large number of jurisdictions around the world, and is aware of the controversies that surround such legislation and policies,? Mr. Lister said in a ministerial statement to introduce the ban.

?Thus our new policies are not the endpoint but a starting point from which to work towards better education of breeders, a higher standard of care for the animals, and a higher degree of public safety from animals that are potentially dangerous irrespective of the breed.?

However Mr. Brangman wondered at the incongruity of the statement, especially in light of the fact that he does not feel head dog warden Jeffrey Benevides himself is ?educated? in the art of dog breeding.

Mr. Brangman spoke to after the death of one of his 13 Fila Brasilero puppies, which had been confiscated and kept at the Government kennels as they had been illegally bred.

The puppies were due to be destroyed, however Mr. Brangman has taken the case to the courts, and the puppies will remain at the Government kennels until the issue is resolved.

It has not been confirmed that the puppy died as a result of negligence at the kennels, with a post-mortem pointing towards anaemia. However Mr. Brangman remained concerned about the level of care his puppies are receiving.

Dogs from overseas are brought in to the kennels to be quarantined, he said, just cages away from his puppies, who at six weeks old have not yet had all their shots.

The cage the puppies are in is too small for them plus their mother, he added. A whelping cage (a special cage with shelves under which a puppy can hide should the mother decide to lay down, therefore avoiding being smothered by the mother) is a basic tool of dog-breeding, he said.

However there are none at the Government kennels, said Mr. Brangman.

?If those are the standards they want to set (for breeders) they are the worst standards anyone could have,? he said.

Mr. Benevides declined to comment on the issue because of the court case.