Dangerous Dogs, Dangerous Owners and the Waste Management of an ‘Irredeemable Species’

Within sociology a burgeoning literature on class identities and politics has developed during the\udpast 20 years. One area of analysis which has yet to be fully investigated concerns the ways class\udpolitics are imbued within debates about human–animal relations. Focusing on the case study of\uddangerous dog legislation in England and Wales, this article develops the literature on class to\udlocate the ways political framings and legislative responses to the issue of dangerous dogs have\udbeen enacted. Analyzing historical accounts of responses to rabies and hydrophobia in dogs and\udhumans, through to contemporary debates about the biological dangerousness of certain dog\udbreeds, the article discusses the sociological implications of these class constructions within the\udestablishment of dangerous dog legislation and associated social control powers