The Kennel Club Reaffirms Need For Change
The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act recently passed through the Scottish Parliament but is not due to come into force until February 2011. This legislation was greatly welcomed by the Kennel Club.
According to the group, the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act will place more emphasis on prevention of dog attacks by shifting the emphasis towards owner responsibility and tackling dangerous dog aggression at the earliest stage of bad behaviour. This is in contrast to current legislation which means that already overstretched police resources are wasted on seizing particular breeds that are labelled as dangerous, regardless of the dog’s behaviour.
It will also allow for prosecutions to be made in cases where an incident has occurred on private property, as is believed to be the case in this instance, as well as in public places.
Kennel Club Communications Director, Caroline Kisko said “We must act now and change the sadly ineffective Dangerous Dogs legislation across the whole of the UK if we are to prevent further tragedies from occurring like the ones which resulted in the deaths of John Paul Massey, Ellie Lawrenson and others.
“This dog attack is said to have involved a Japanese Akita, just days after another tragic attack involving a pair of Rottweilers. This simply proves that any breed of dog can be dangerous if it is in the wrong hands. People deserve to feel safe around dogs and the new legislation cannot come soon enough.
“This new legislation goes a long way towards protecting the public through tougher action at the first signs of dangerous behaviour. Owners of aggressive or violent dogs of any kind will be brought to account, which in turn will prevent a large number of attacks by dealing with problem behaviour at the first signs of aggression rather than when an attack has taken place.”
The Kennel Club together with the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) are also supporting the Dog Control Bill, a similar piece of legislation in Westminster focusing on deed not breed, which is due to begin Committee Stage in the House of Lords later this year.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
