Dangerous dogs are being abandoned in the streets by negligent owners in growing numbers, animal charities have revealed.

The numbers of abandoned, abused and neglected dogs reached record highs over the summer, according to the RSPCA and the Crown Protection Service (CPS), which looks after stray animals on behalf of Barnet Council.

The reported number of stray dogs in the borough between June and September increased by 56 per cent over the first quarter of 2008, according to the CPS. A large proportion of these were Staffordshire bull terriers — the current dog of choice for irresponsible and aggressive owners, according to the RSPCA.

In Hertsmere, the district which covers Potters Bar, 41 out of the 145 stray dogs taken in by the council in the past year were Staffordshire bull terriers or Staffordshire crossbreeds, and these breeds now make up more than a third of all dogs housed at the RSPCA centre in Packhorse Lane, Ridge, near Potters Bar.

CPS operating director Paul Barnes said typical dog owners had changed from families to people using pets as status symbols, which he believes accounts for the rise in abandoned dogs.

“The summer is always bad because people go on holiday and don’t want to pay money to put their dogs in kennels,” he said. “But this summer has been particularly bad, with lots of dogs found chained up and abandoned, a large proportion of which are staffies and rottweilers.

“There is a different kind of person owning these dogs now. Years ago people got dogs when they were settled in a house as a family, but now many people own them to put them in chains and harnesses and bling, to show them off as a fashion statement.”

RSPCA spokeswoman Klaire Kennett said at least 80 per cent of RSPCA prosecutions in London over the past year were against owners of Staffordshire bull terriers, who often showed no regard for the law or their dogs’ wellbeing.

Abuses recorded by the RSPCA last year included a bull terrier crossbreed strangled by his lead, a five-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier puppy beaten to death and an older Staffordshire bull terrier which had its ears cut off to make it look more macho.

Ms Kennett said: “Now, the sort of people who own these dogs are often irresponsible and only buy them to make themselves seem tougher and impress their friends. Then they get bored, or their circumstances change, or the dog gets ill and they don’t want to pay for a vet, so the dog gets abused or abandoned.”

Ms Kennett said it had become “trendy” to use the breed as a weapon, but stressed that the owners, not the dogs, were to blame.

“People deliberately train staffies to threaten people because they know if they are carrying a knife or other dangerous weapon they may get stopped by the police. But it’s a shame because staffies are no more likely to be aggressive than any other dog with the right care and protection. They can be re-trained and, with the right ownership, can make great family pets.”

Lost or found animals can be reported in Barnet to the CPS on 020 8205 0025, or to Hertsmere Borough Council on 020 8207 2277.

To adopt a stray dog, TURN TO PAGE 4 FROM FRONT PAGE call the RSPCA centre on 0300 123 0704.

m A Staffordshire bull terrier has been ordered to be neutered and kept muzzled in public after it attacked a King Charles cavalier spaniel in Chipping Barnet.

The seven-year-old spaniel, owned by an elderly man, was killed within seconds in the attack, on July 21, in Chesterfield Road.

At Hendon Magistrates Court last Thursday, Leon Lannaman, 25, of Juniper Close, Chipping Barnet, accepted that his dog, White Boy, was dangerously out of control and agreed to have him neutered and micro-chipped. The dog must be muzzled and on a lead at all times in public.

A group of Chipping Barnet residents has collected more than £100 for a replacement dog for the elderly owner.