I AM concerned about plans to hold nationwide amnesties for the destruction of dogs deemed to be of "Pit Bull-type".

My main concerns are: 1. An amnesty will not remove the problem of illegal fighting/dangerous dogs, as the people who keep them have ignored the law for the past 16 years, and aren't going to hand over their dogs now. They will just find other breeds to train and in a few years' time, we will back to where we are now.

2. DEFRA guidelines for identifying a dog of "Pit Bull-type" are vague and not specific to American Pit Bull Terriers. The guidelines describe a vast number of breeds, not just Pit Bull Terriers. An amnesty without changes in how these dogs are properly identified will lead to hundreds, if not thousands, of family pets being destroyed, with no regard to their previous history and based only on their looks.

3. Some dogs seized under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act were returned weeks or months later to their owners after being cleared of being of "Pit Bull-type" when breed experts cleared up the original mistakes. Dogs handed in in an amnesty will not have this opportunity, as mistakes cannot be undone and dogs WILL die for no reason.

4. There are many families with loving, family pets that may be frightened their pet will be seen as of "Pit Bull-type". It's a very real concern considering the unreliable checklists used to identify illegal dogs, and the poor reporting by the press of which dogs are illegal/dangerous. Imagine one of these dogs needing veterinary treatment, and the family not daring to take him or her to the vet in case the dog is seen to be of "type" and is reported.

5. Knee jerk reactions such as the amnesties are often ill thought out mistakes brought in as a rushed response to media provoked mass hysteria. More time is needed to work out the best way forward and stop dogs losing their lives.

6. More should be done to try to stop the idiots of this world from unlicensed breeding just to line their pockets, not giving a second thought as to where and what will become of the dog.

7. People need educating that these dogs aren't "devil dogs", it's the owners that have made them this way. We need to ban the deed not the breed.

Michelle Fong, Bolton