The People's Dog Control Bill Pushes On To Committee Stage To Improve 'Dangerous Dog' Legislation For Good

Over 10,000 people signed up to support it; animal welfare organisations and charities are backing it; and now Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill is moving a step closer towards changing dangerous dog legislation for good when it reaches Committee Stage tomorrow afternoon (21st January). The Dog Control Bill would replace the widely criticised Dangerous Dogs Act (1991), targeting the behaviour of any dog, and more importantly their owners, to genuinely reduce the occurrence of serious dog incidents rather than continuing to demonise specific breeds or types. Defra’s recent public consultation on dangerous dogs showed further support for this approach with 71% of respondents calling for breed specific legislation to be repealed. Since the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was introduced, millions of pounds of public money and resources have been wasted by already overstretched police authorities in seizing dogs simply for being of a particular breed. 10 million pounds has been spent by the Metropolitan Police alone in the past 3 years simply to implement the Dangerous Dogs Act, relating to the seizure, kennelling and euthanasia of banned breeds. Preventing dog attacks is the key aim for future legislation. The Dog Control Notices proposed by the Dog Control Bill, are designed to identify potentially dangerous dogs, regardless of breed, before a serious attack happens. Lord Redesdale believes these will play a large part in ensuring better public protection and greater owner responsibility with regards to dog behaviour. He said “People deserve to feel safe around all dogs, yet existing legislation has failed to reduce the number of dog bite incidents, which have risen by 79% in the past five years in London and 43% nationally. This Bill goes a long way towards protecting the public through tougher, earlier action against irresponsible dog owners. “It is generally accepted that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is the most discredited piece of legislation on the Statute Book. The current law has done nothing but make banned breeds and their lookalikes more appealing and created the issue of ‘status’ dogs because they are seen as status symbols.” The Committee Stage of the Dog Control Bill will take place in the House of Lords tomorrow afternoon. Members of the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG), which include animal welfare organisations, veterinary professionals and local authorities, have been united in considering how better legislation could be formulated since 2003. The DDASG believes that the Dog Control Bill introduced by Lord Redesdale is the best way forward to deal with dogs that are dangerously out of control and to ensure their owners bear the responsibility of their actions. This will serve to better protect the public by introducing a new dog control regime that emphasises responsible dog ownership, for the benefit of both dog owners and non dog owners alike. In support of the Bill, DDASG launched a petition which has received over 10,000 signatures. The petition can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/repeal-and-replace-the-dangerous-dogs-act.html. For more information on DDASG, Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill and current legislation visit http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/928.

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