The last government launched a
consultation on toughening existing laws to protect the public from out of
control dogs. That ended in June 2010. Since then, more than 12,000 people have
received hospital treatment for dog bites. Yet only now has the Government set
out some proposals.
Britain's top vet has warned
that there are now more pit bulls in London than when the animals were banned
under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. The Metropolitan Police seized 1152 out of
control dogs last year compared to just 27 in 2004/5 and spent over £2 million
kennelling seized dogs.
The long awaited proposals
include:
- Extending
dangerous dog laws to all private property
- Consultation
on whether breeders should be required to micro-chip dogs.
- Giving
the police more discretion to take decisions on seizing and kenneling dogs.
Providing £50,000 to animal
charities to promote more responsible dog ownership in areas where they have
high instances of dog-related problems
The Government’s proposals have
been rubbished by dog and animal welfare charities, postal workers and the
police, because there is no timetable for implementation. And, more
importantly, the Government has dropped plans for Dog Control Notices and for
the greater powers originally suggested to tackle irresponsible owners and
backstreet breeders.
The RSPCA criticised the
Government’s proposals, saying “these measures not only lack bite, they raise
major questions about how exactly they expect to effectively tackle the danger
of irresponsible ownership to both people and animals.”
The Government is making the
right noises on a phased introduction of micro-chipping and on extending the
law to attacks on private property but, bluntly, the package is half-baked and
does nothing to act quickly on to tackle irresponsible ownership.
How many more people are going
to be seriously injured before tough action is taken?
