The owner of an animal rescue centre is calling for all dog owners to have licenses to stop the mistreatment of pets which are being killed as a result of their owner’s actions.

Over the last decade dog kennels and rescue centres have found themselves being overrun with Staffordshire Bull Terriers which are untrained, malnourished and have very little chance of ever being re-homed.

Now, Hilary Lockyer, who cares for dogs on behalf of the RSPCA South West Essex in Waltham Abbey, says that people must be educated and controlled when it comes to dog ownership, as in many places across the UK, dogs are being put to sleep.

She said: “Unfortunately it has been going on for about ten years, it was German Shepherds before; it’s a trend.

“Sadly young people buy them, especially young men as an extension of their manhood. They want to be hard nuts with a hard looking dog and that is why this is happening.

“Sadly, we just cannot take them all. People phone up and say that they have this Staffie that they don’t want anymore and we have to say no.

“We can only take 15 dogs at a time and we cannot take dogs that are going to be impossible to rehome, that is our purpose, to find new owners.

“In some places, if they are out of control, they will be put down.

“People have such a bad impression of them that they do not want to take them on. It is so unfair on so many lovely dogs.

“We have three of four Staffies at the moment and they are lovely. We wouldn’t take them unless they were.”

Mrs Lockyer who is married to a vet and has run the Hillside Kennels on Claverhambury Road since 1990, says that people must not blame the breed, but the owners.

She said: “In my opinion there is no such thing as a bad dog. They are not born bad.

“People should not be breeding puppies of any description without the right knowledge. We have heard horror stories, dogs left to give birth on their own and having complications.

“It is not the dog it is the people. They should all be neutered and people should have to have a licence to breed dogs. This is why it is happening. Anybody can breed dogs and then they think that they are disposable.

“My personal opinion is that everybody should have to have a licence to even own a dog. So that people can’t keep them cooped up in one bed flats with a balcony and get rid of them whenever they choose. We need to educate the public. People do not know enough about dogs and how to handle them.

“We have had some absolutely lovely Staffies. We have photos of them in their new homes and their owners love them.

“They are misunderstood dogs. A lot of them do have problems because of their uneducated owners. You should never get a Staffordshire Bull Terrier unless you are willing to put time and effort into training it.”

The Hillside kennels re-homed 157 dogs last year, 20 in the last month alone. Anyone who is thinking of rescuing a dog should call 01992 892881 to enquire.