Britain Going to the Dogs

An idea so stupid it could only be spawned by the delicate sensitivities of the whiny Muslims in the UK.

Police sniffer dogs will soon have to wear bootees when searching Muslim households to avoid causing offence.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has drawn up guidelines, due to be published later this year, urging religious sensitivity when using dogs to seek out contraband.

The recommendation was originally drawn up to cover police searches of Mosques but has now been extended to Muslim homes, The Sunday Times reported.

Police officers will only use sniffer dogs to search a Muslim property in exceptional circumstances, should the owner object.

But the dog must wear bootees to cover its paws as it goes its search.

Dogs' saliva is considered to be unclean or impure in Islamic teaching and it is forbidden to keep the animals as pets.

An Apco spokesperson said, 'We are trying to ensure that police forces are aware of sensitivities that people can have with the dogs to make sure they are not going against any religious or cultural element within people's homes.

'It is being addressed and forces are working towards doing it.'

Last week, some Muslims raised objections over being searched by explosive-detecting sniffer dogs at Brighton train station.

The Muslims reported that it was not permissible for them to have direct contact with dogs due to their religious or cultural beliefs.

Leading imam Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra told The Sunday Times, 'In Islamic law the dog is not regarded as impure, only its saliva is. Most Islamic schools of law agree on that.