Dangerous dogs : the guard dog scandal | M6 | 66 minutes

Bobigny in the Paris suburbs. Aaron, 19, is dead, his throat torn out by a dog in the lobby of his apartment building. His mother and his aunt were unable to do a thing. The dog, a Rottweiller cross, is officially classified as dangerous. Having escaped from its master, the dog wandered around the stairways for several hours before attacking the boy. The day after the tragedy, following complaints from the locals, the police take in the dog’s owner¾a dog handler. He will be charged with manslaughter. In two months, attacks by dogs caused three deaths in France. The Bobigny tragedy turned the spotlight on the question of guard dogs. This inquiry reveals that these dogs are often kept for hours in secret kennels set up in apartments or communal areas, deprived of light. The conditions under which security guards keep their animals are such that they turn ordinary dogs into uncontrollable weapons. There are 12,000 dog-handlers in France. To avoid future problems, new laws will require them to undergo a training program. But there is no specific measure planned to force guards or their employers to ensure decent living conditions for their animals