THE GOVERNMENT has this week been urged to review and improve its laws on dog ownership, a move that must happen, according to a coalition of animal charities, unions and law enforcement agencies.
In a joint statement, the group of 20 organisations said that current legislation was ‘inadequate’ and that tougher laws to protect the public have to be considered seriously as part of a shake-up to deter attacks by ego-dogs on members of the public. the move would also protect dogs, said the lobby-group.
The RSPCA, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Police Federation and, significantly, the Kennel Club were among the group demanding government action against irresponsible dog owners. They also want better resources for those tasked with policing dog control laws.
The call comes following a three-month government consultation on dangerous dogs earlier this year by DEFRA. A summary of responses to the consultation is due to be published in autumn.
The consultation received more than 4,000 responses by the time it closed in June, indicating the scale of interest in the subject.
The statement will be sent to Prime Minister David Cameron MP, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP and acting leader of the opposition Harriet Harman MP.
Protection
The statement says: ‘We believe that irresponsible dog ownership, whether it is allowing dogs to stray, be dangerously out of control or indiscriminately breeding them, causes significant problems for the safety and welfare of both humans and animals. Current legislation is proving inadequate in many cases to ensure sufficient protection.
‘We believe that both the provision of sufficient resources at a local level for local authorities and the police, and updated and consolidated legislation that has a genuine preventative effect, are needed to address this problem.
‘We call on the coalition Government to act and bring forward legislation that addresses these areas effectively.’
A spokesman for Defra said: ‘We take the issues around irresponsible dog ownership, including the health and welfare of dogs, very seriously. We received more than 4,000 responses to the consultation and we are carefully considering all responses before deciding on future action.’
The call could also mean that dog owners could face criminal charges if their animals bite anyone in their own home, if the far-reaching laws get put into place. Owners could also be forced to pay thousands of pounds in compensation to anyone who is bitten while visiting them, as well as facing prosecution.
Any such move would inevitably raise the prospect of compulsory third party liability insurance for dogs, a policy favoured by the previous government.
Under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act it is illegal for any breed of dog to be out of control in a public place, but the Act does not cover the private property of the dogs’ owners.
As a result, police have been powerless to prosecute owners for some of the most horrific attacks by dogs in recent years.
Sian Jones, of the Communication Workers’ Union, which represents postal workers, said: “Dog attacks are a huge occupational hazard for our members. People have had fingers bitten off, others have been mauled so badly they haven’t been able to return to work, and it has destroyed their lives. Yet the current law ends at the garden gate – as soon as you step onto private property, you aren’t protected by the law.”
Also proposed could be “Dog Asbos” which would give dog wardens the right to instruct the owners of ‘aggressive’ dogs.
the call must have been fuelled further by a rash of reports in the last few days of unprovoked attacks by dogs on members of the public.
In wales, a man and an eight-year-old boy were bitten by an Alsatian-type dog, which was subsequently destroyed with the permission of its owners. Both victims were treated for ‘minor injuries’ in a local hospital.
A jogger is recovering in hospital today after being savaged by a pack of dogs, as he ran through a park in east London. the man, in his early 40s, is reported to have been set upon by at least three pitbull-type dogs. He suffered ‘multiple stab wounds’ before he could beat them off.
Strengthen
Armed police were called to the scene and shot one of the dogs, two others were captured. Doctors have said the man will need plastic surgery on some of the injuries on his arm, sustained as he tried to fend them off. The dogs' owner apparently fled before police arrived.
Local residents said the park was used by owners of fighting dogs to strengthen their jaws by making them swing from trees by their teeth.
And in Northampton an 11-year-old boy needed hospital treatment after he was bitten in the leg by a ‘Staffordshire bull terrier’, as he waited for a bus. According to witnesses, the boy was attacked by two loose dogs, who jumped at his chest and pinned him to the floor. He was badly mauled and suffered serious injuries.
Organisations signed up to the statement include: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, The Blue Cross, The British Horse Society, British Veterinary Association (BVA), CIEH (Chartered Institute for Environmental Health), Communication Workers Union (CWU), Dogs Trust, GMB, Guide Dogs for the Blind, IIRSM (International Institute of Risk and Safety Management), Kennel Club, The Mayhew Animal Home, National Dog Warden Association (NDWA), PDSA, Police Federation, Prospect, RSPCA, TUC (Trades Union Congress), UNISON, UNITE.
