breed specific legislation uk parliament
Epidemiol Community Health, February 2018, 47 GOV.UK, Clampdown on dangerous dogs, 23 April 2012, 49 Office for National Statistics, Deaths from dog bites, England and Wales, 1981 to 2015, September 2016, protection, the Government should commission an independent review of the, effectiveness of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and wider dog, control legislation. The law on dangerous dogs is concerned with protecting the safety of the public. In the UK, Breed Specific Legislation was introduced and owning certain dog breeds was made illegal. At 9.30am. We expect this review to take account of the concerns and recommendations raised throughout this Report. It focuses on specific breeds, which fails to appreciate a dog is not aggressive purely on the basis of its breed. Breed-specific legislation generally refers to laws that target specific breeds of dogs. It allows seizure of other breeds, but the rules are not applied homogeneously by councils. There are still issues of risk in our society and our communities”.27, 13.The British Veterinary Association and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (hereafter BVA), the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, the Kennel Club, and David Ryan, former Chair of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, were unanimous in their condemnation of the breed specific provisions in Section 1.28, 14.Dogs Trust told us there was “no evidence that there has been any effect on the number of bites”,29 and there was a “catalogue of research that tells us that breed is not a predictor” of risk.30 The RSPCA highlighted that the conditions of seizure and kennelling could be stressful for the animal and negatively affect its behaviour.31 Battersea Dogs & Cats Home told us it was “heart-breaking” to put down dogs they believed could be safely re-homed.32 The organisation has said that over 70 percent of the banned Pit Bull types in its care could have gone to new owners, but were instead required to be put down.33. Which seems unfair, to put it mildly, because as a result, dogs have lost … Dogs placed on the Index of Exempted dogs may be kept by the owner under strict conditions, including that the dog is neutered, microchipped and kept on a lead and muzzled in public. The exact figures are not clear due to different reporting metrics and sources. Find out more about cookies. This review should begin no later than January 2019. 5.Our inquiry examined whether these aims were being achieved. The 2014 Act includes streamlined measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, including where such behaviour involves a dog. Instead, UK legislation bases the decision on whether a dog is illegal on looks alone – a dog’s breed, a dog’s parents’ breeds, DNA testing and behaviour don’t come into it. 10 The following breeds/types are prohibited under Section 1: Dogo Argentino Campaign against breed-specific legislation (BSL) Connections that the very same humans perpetrated years ago to being dog fighting into prominence. Everyone in this room, and particularly people outside, would say, “What on earth have you done?”38, 17.He further criticised the “fixation” on Section 1 of the Act, noting that even without it, Section 3 of the Act empowered authorities to tackle dogs of any breed/type.39, 18.Despite the fairly comprehensive legislative framework aimed at preventing dog attacks, the number of bite and strike incidents has steadily increased over the years. It allows seizure of other breeds, but the rules are not applied homogeneously by councils. 22.We were concerned to hear that the Government considered the Dangerous Dogs Act to be successful on the grounds that it was impossible to tell how many attacks would have occurred without the law. We expect this review to take account of the. The reason for this is because the issue is not about the type of dog that is owned, but actually centres around responsible pet ownership. This is similar to compliance levels in countries that still operate a dog licensing scheme. BSL in the UK takes the form of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act, which targets the pit-bull terrier. Such laws range from outright bans on the possession of these dogs, to restrictions and conditions on ownership, and often establishes a legal presumption that such dogs are dangerous or vicious. The maximum penalty for this offence is 14 years imprisonment, where the offence has led to a death and 5 years imprisonment where someone is injured. The DEFRA legislation on recognising said type gave a blank cheque to kidnap non-aggressive harmless pets based simply on their appearance. Closed Petition - 118,638 Signatures Breed Specific Legislation fails to achieve what Parliament intended, to protect the public. Reconsider a licensing system. list of people who have signed the petition. The research will also seek to identify and examine the factors and situations that may cause dog attacks; how to promote responsible dog ownership. Experts agree that breed-specific legislation (BSL) and similar policies that restrict dogs based on appearance do not reduce dog bites in communities or enhance public safety.. The problem. That would be welcomed in communities and by forces”.26 Deputy Chief Constable Pritchard stressed that the Government should “not just repeal it and leave it. Breed Specific Legislation fails to achieve what Parliament intended, to protect the public. We focused specifically on Section 1 of the Act. There are no proposals to re-introduce the dog licence. This petition is closed It focuses on specific breeds, which fails to appreciate a dog is not aggressive purely on the basis of its breed. Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, DEFRA To breach a CPN is a criminal offence and could lead to a significant penalty. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting or restricting certain types of dogs and codifying the criminal offence of allowing a dog of any breed to be dangerously out of control. Education. Watch Parliament TV: Dangerous Dogs: Breed Specific Legislation; Inquiry: Dangerous Dogs: Breed Specific Legislation; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee; Witnesses. It had murdered hundreds of innocent , much loved famiy pets and has cost the country millions in kenneling and court fees. In some areas, regulated breeds also include a variety of other dogs like American Bulldogs, Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers or any mix of these breeds—and dogs who simply resemble thes… 6.6K likes. End BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) in the UK. One of the unfortunate results of breed stereotypes, misinformation, and irresponsible ownership is breed-specific legislation, also known as breed discriminatory bans.For canine regulation, it is important to understand the differences between the two major forms of regulation - breed-specific legislation (BSL) and breed-neutral legislation (BNL). The research will consider different approaches and the effectiveness of current dog control measures. 6 GOV.UK, Clampdown on dangerous dogs, 23 April 2012. This section includes so-called ‘Breed Specific Legislation’ (BSL), as it makes it illegal to own, sell, breed, give away or abandon specific breeds/types of dog regardless of the animal’s behaviour or temperament.10 The following breeds/types are prohibited under Section 1: 6.Dogs suspected of being of a prohibited type may be seized by the authorities and held in a police-appointed kennel pending examination by a qualified expert.11 The majority of animals seized under Section 1 are suspected Pit Bull Terriers.12 If the dog is found to be a banned Section 1 type, an owner wishing to keep the animal must go through court proceedings to determine that they are a fit and proper person and that the animal will not pose a risk to public safety. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 states that no person shall give away, breed or breed from, sell, or exchange a prohibited dog. We expect to have a final report by the end of 2020. New measures announced 5. It allows seizure of other breeds, but the rules are not applied homogeneously by councils. Enforcement practices. An initial review of the Dangerous Dogs Act, published five years after the law’s introduction, showed no significant reduction in dog bites.40 NHS data shows that between 2005 and 2017, the number of recorded hospitalisations rose from 4,110 up to 7,461, representing an 81 percent increase.41 The RSPCA told us that there was no evidence suggesting that prohibited breeds were a significant factor behind the rise.42 Figures from the Metropolitan Police for 2015–16 indicated that legal breeds accounted for around 80 percent of incidents involving Section 3 ‘dangerously out of control’ offences.43 The annual cost to the NHS of treating dog attack victims has been estimated at £3 million.44, 19.The total number of bites is likely to be substantially higher than the NHS hospital admission figures suggest. 15.The UK Centre for Animal Law raised additional concerns that the current focus on prohibiting certain breeds had offered false reassurances to policymakers, and distracted attention from investigating alternative and potentially more effective methods of dog control.34 The Animal Behaviour, Cognition & Welfare Group further noted that: … the stigmatisation of certain breeds through the legislation may have inadvertently increased the value of dogs as weapons in general, or particular breeds, and thus increased the problem. We are touched by cases of people committing suicide over the current system. 2. We focused specifically on Section 1 of the Act. This is often referred to as ‘breed specific legislation’, or ‘BSL’, but actually the law doesn’t recognise a dog’s family tree, or pedigree. This data is available for all petitions on … The framework must be applied by local authorities the same, whereas currently some destroy dogs with no court order. Suspicions that Zara might be a prohibited type of dog were first raised by her dog trainer, and so owner Emma contacted her dog legislation officer. The CPN could require the dog’s owner, or the person in charge of it, to take appropriate action to prevent a reoccurrence of the offending behaviour. The only name There are currently around 3,000 dogs where a court has granted an exemption and allowed them to stay with their owner. BSL needs to be scrapped and replaced with sensible legislation on controlling dogs in public and making owners responsible for their dogs regardless of size, breed or alleged 'type'. Recent research has estimated that only a third of those suffering a dog bite subsequently sought medical treatment.45 We also heard that only overnight stays would be recorded in the commonly cited hospital records; victims returning home after treatment at an accident and emergency department may not be included in these figures.46 In 2012 the Government estimated that over 200,000 people a year suffer dog bites.47, 20.Dog attack fatalities have also increased. It must be much more strictly controlled than it is currently. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 also makes it an offence to allow a dog of any breed or type to become dangerously out of control in any place. End Breed Specific Legislation - BSL. In May 2018 the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee launched an inquiry on Breed Specific Legislation. However, the law allows a person to keep an individual dog where a court has considered that it does not present a danger to public safety. Defra’s submission stated that there had been 31 fatalities since 2005 involving dog attacks in England and Wales.48 Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded a total of 67 fatalities following dog attack incidents between 1991 and 2015, with 37 fatalities occurring between 2005 and 2015.49, Source: Data collated from the Office for National Statistics, 21.We put it to Lord Gardiner that the increase in deaths and injuries caused by dog attacks indicated that the current approach was not protecting the public adequately. The Government considers that prohibition on the four types of fighting dog under Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 should remain in place. Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is an attempt to reduce the number of dog attacks by legislating against the ownership and breeding of a specific breed of dog. All petitions run for 6 months, Parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate. The Government is determined to crack down on irresponsible dog ownership and to that end we are encouraging police forces across the country to use these new tools. 5 A different approach - changing legislation and learning lessons from abroad. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes specific measures to enable the police and local authorities to tackle irresponsible dog ownership before a dog attack occurs. PPG holds that Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) such as this paints an unjust picture of certain breeds of dogs and punishes responsible dog guardians unnecessarily. Enforcers are able to take action before dog attacks happen. Its stated aim is to: prohibit persons from having in their possession or custody dogs belonging to types bred for fighting [...] to enable restrictions to be imposed in relation to other types of dog which present a serious danger to the public; to make further provision for securing that dogs are kept under proper control; and for connected purposes.9. Dogs can’t help who their owners are, yet the law unfairly places the onus of responsibility on them, rather than the irresponsible actions of the owner. 2005 figures obtained from BBC, Rise in dog bite admissions, 28 May 2015, 44 University of Lincoln, Pets could save NHS up to £2.45 billion a year: new report quantifies economic benefits of UK pets, 6 December 2016, 45 Westgarth et al, How many people have been bitten by dogs? and Wales, The Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales), http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/1–2/28, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, Battersea research provides damning verdict on the Dangerous Dogs Act, Does the dangerous dogs act protect against animal attacks: a, prospective study of mammalian bites in the accident and emergency, £2.45 billion a year: new report quantifies economic benefits of, Deaths from dog bites, England and Wales, 1981 to 2015, the owner purchases third party insurance; and. Breed Specific Legislation was introduced 26 years ago as part of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to restrict the ownership of certain types of dogs deemed to be dangerous to people. We need a system that focuses on the aggressive behaviour of dogs, and the failure of owners to control their dog, rather than the way a dog looks. Breed Specific Legislation fails to achieve what Parliament intended, to protect the public. Existing Legislation 3. Review of legislation 4. 4 A different approach - education and enforcement. BSL In The UK. We want to see an end to this law in the UK. That is what we do not know”.37 Lord Gardiner further highlighted the moral force of prohibiting certain activities and reassuring the public that their concerns were being met: What if … people decided that the green light was on and we could have those breeds… What if we then found that there were an increase in fatalities? 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