Witnesses who saw the pit bull attack a German Shepherd in Border Dell, Devonshire immediately called for the banning of the dogs in Bermuda.

Both dogs received scars and bites to their faces in the attack and the pitbull's owner Mr. Tony Leader is appealing that his dog, Assassin, is not destroyed.

Mr. Leader says his dog was securely fenced in his garden but someone had left a gate open to release him.

It is not the first time that Bermudians have expressed concern over the pit bull breed on the Island. And it is not the first time a ban has been demanded.

But Dog Warden Mr. Leonard (Shinah) Simons has called for caution after a disastrous experience with a similar ban in Britain.

Last year Mr. Simons was given new powers to impound dogs that had attacked humans or other dogs. He believes the law in Bermuda is strong enough to deal with most of the dog problems here.

He points to an article in last month's issue of US magazine Dog World, entitled "Re-examining Britain's Dangerous Dogs Act''.

The article by Ms Eve Marar begins: "July 25, 1991, was a dark day for dogs in Britain. It was the day that the nation's Dangerous Dogs Act received Royal assent.

"A spate of savage dog attacks cause public panic, fuelled by sensationalistic journalism.'' The Act aimed to ban pit bull or pit bull "type'' dogs and three less common breeds. It was watered down slightly to allow gradual extinction by neutering instead of immediate destruction of all the dogs falling into those categories.

Owners of the 11,000 or so pit bulls were asked to take out third party insurance and register the dog with a tattoo and identifiying microchip. This would make them eligible for an exemption certificate which gave them the right to life.

The cost of $300 per dog and the confusion over whether a dog was a pit bull "type'' sent many people scurrying "underground'' or simply having the dogs destroyed.

Over the past three years it has led to many distressing and often embarrassing cases which have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ms Marar said: "The term `type' has put Staffordshire and English Bull Terriers and other cross breeds' lives in jeopardy.

"It has led to arguments as to whether a type of pitbull is the same as a pitbull type. The act has created confusion, heartbreak, travesties of justice and a judicial nightmare.

"Pet owners facing court hearings lodge appeal after appeal. The astronomical costs are often at the taxpayer's expense. The bill for kenneling, legal fees, court time and other expenses for one particular dog impounded for 17 months totalled $121,000.'' That particular animal was finally declared not to be a pit bull and spared, but it had endured 17 months in "lock up'' and that has its effects on a dog's behaviour.

Many British vets state that even the "gentlest of animals is subject to kennel rage'' after six months of solitary confinement.

Many dogs are destroyed after spending a long time away from their owners who find they have different personalities and cannot be handled.

Animal behaviour specialist and author Dr. Roger Mugford, who visited Bermuda last year, said: "The suffering these animals go through...no human or canine conflict... rotting in corner cages...is a national disgrace.'' It is estimated that as many as 1,000 dogs have passed through the courts and an estimated 2,000 are still waiting in kennels to be processed on the canine equivalent of death row and away from their doting owners.

With each case potentially costing $70,000, the cost of breed identification alone could run to $14 million.

Ms Marar said: "The government made its intentions clear from the start. Home Secretary Kenneth Baker: `What we are doing is to make it legally impossible to own these dogs. It will not only become legally impossible, it will become socially unacceptable.' "It was also obvious from the onset that the Act was confusingly unclear.

There were, and still are, considerable problems of recognising or defining an American pit bull terrier or type. It seems that it is the government, not its canine population, that has bitten off more than it can chew.'' Already the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has demanded an amendment to the Dangerous Dogs Act and has withdrawn its support in identifying breeds.

The courts are also showing their displeasure with the law by throwing a number of cases out of court.

Bermuda's dog warden is uncertain that a ban would work here. Mr. Simons said: "You have to look at what this type of ban cost the British government. It would be very expensive in Bermuda as well.'' FRIEND OR FOE -- Assassin, the pitbull terrier, involved in the latest attack this week. Despite fights with other dogs, he is a good family pet according to his owner.

Mr. Leonard Simons.