BABY Archie-Lee Hirst was torn from a relative's arms and ripped to shreds by a Rottweiler. So far, so depressing.

Even more depressing is the response I heard on Radio 4, from a bloke who reckons this tragedy should lead to the restoration of the dog licence. In other words, yet another tax, to be paid not just by the owners of canine killing machines but by old ladies with Chihuahuas and people like my mate Sandy, whose big soft Lab has only ever damaged the family roast.

This Dog Tax would raise revenue and bureaucracy levels and give our police more bits of paper to deal with. But if it actually ever stopped one more savaging by a devil dog, I will eat a Doberman.

Does anyone with enough brain cells to put on the end of a teaspoon actually believe that the kind of people who keep Pit-bulls and cross-breed psycho dogs are really going to think: "Hmm, I must pay my £25 and register Fido with the government", because owning one of these beasts as a family pet is as good as wearing a sign stapled to your forehead, saying at best: "I am simple-of-mind" and at worst: "I am an ignorant chav".

Or, for variety: "I am a drug dealer".

Only the naive believe that a dog bred to attack and to guard can be safely left in the proximity of young children. But in my book, only an imbecile buys one as a family pet in the first place and cases like this always seem to follow a similar and horrible pattern.

The family in question always expresses amazement that their family pet could have done the evil deed. Even though it's from a breed that is considered vicious. Even though, in this family's case, the dog weighed an estimated 10 stone.

If they love dogs - as many families who have these types profess to do - why the hell don't they settle for an eager-to-please rescue hound, or something intelligent, friendly and physically manageable, like a Beagle?

Archie-Lee Hirst's family are weeping and wailing and plastering their Bebo site with mawkish messages about him being an angel. The fact that they wouldn't be doing this now if they had given sincere thought as to whether it was a good idea to bring a 10-stone dog into their home isn't in the equation.

It's too late for them but it's not too late for all the others, all the kids who will die and be disfigured just because someone who couldn't see beyond the end of a dog-lead was allowed to acquire a potential killing machine. That's why I'd see these dogs banned from being kept as pets in a family home. And I'd imprison anyone who acquired one illegally.

But I know this won't happen because it's already been reported that vets have been examining the brain of the dog that killed poor baby Archie-Lee.

It would be a better use of resources if they examined the brains of the idiots who went out and acquired it.