Over 10,000 people called for it; the country’s leading animal welfare and veterinary organisations, charities and local authorities fought for it; and today Members of the House of Lords supported it when they voted to move Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill on to its final stage in the Lords this morning (Friday 4 March).

The Bill proposes to replace failed dangerous dog legislation with a new law that would repeal breed specific legislation, introduce Dog Control Notices, and apply to both public and private places. Constructed by the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG), the Dog Control Bill is continuing its path through the legislative system after being tabled by Lord Rupert Redesdale as a Private Members Bill in 2010.

Following the success of the Committee Stage of the Bill, Lord Redesdale commented: “The Dog Control Bill quite rightly focuses on the other end of the lead – the dog owners themselves - and I am delighted that it has passed to the next stage. By introducing preventative measures, such as dog control orders to dogs of any kind, I believe we can go a long way towards protecting the public and ensuring responsible dog ownership for the benefit of all.“

Subject to passing the Report Stage, the Bill will then move to the House of Commons. The final Report Stage in the House of Lords will take place approximately two weeks from today’s Committee Stage.

In support of the Bill, DDASG launched a petition which has now received over 10,000 signatures. The petition can be found here.

DDASG believes in the principle of deed not breed, representing animal welfare, local authorities and veterinary professional organisations which include Battersea Dogs Home, The Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association, Dogs Trust, the Kennel Club, Mayhew Animal Home, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Wandsworth Borough Council and Wood Green Animal Shelters.

For more information on DDASG, Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill and current legislation click here.

ENDS
4^th March 2011
[082.11]

Caption:it’s about the owner not the dog – Lord Redesdale highlights the importance of looking at the other end of the lead in his hard hitting Dog Control Bill which moves to Committee Stage today.

Notes to Editors

The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group:
The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) is a wide-ranging group representing animal welfare, local authorities and veterinary professional organisations and includes representation from:

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
The Blue Cross
British Veterinary Association
Dogs Trust
Kennel Club
Mayhew Animal Home
RoyalCollegeof Veterinary Surgeons
Wandsworth Borough Council
Wood Green Animal Shelters

The Dog Control Bill is a tough new piece of legislation to replace the failed Dangerous Dogs Act and is supported by the DDASG. Specifically, the Bill would look to change the following:

• Repeal all existing ‘dangerous dogs’ legislation including breed specific legislation

The police expend significant resources on enforcement of the Dangerous Dogs Act, with large amounts of money being spent on the seizure and kennelling of dogs simply because of their breed type - many of which are returned to their owners once proved to be of good temperament. Removing breed specific legislation would allow those resources to be used more effectively elsewhere, and preferably to concentrate on those dogs showing unprovoked aggression.

• Introduce Dog Control Notices

The vast majority of dog attacks are as a result of the irresponsible actions of dog owners, who have either not taken the time and trouble to train their dog correctly, or have indeed trained them to behave aggressively. Dog Control Notices will apply to all types of dog that have acted dangerously without provocation, caused an injury to another protected animal (as defined by the Animal Welfare Act 2006), caused harm, or caused a person to reasonably believe it will cause harm, and works to prevent serious incidents of aggression occurring by allowing preventative action.

• Apply to both public and private places

A large proportion of dog attacks occur in the home and involve a dog that is known to the victim. The Dog Control Bill will make attacks on private property a criminal offence. Greater responsibility is therefore placed on owners to ensure that their dogs are not out of control in any place. It is not acceptable for an owner to allow their dog to behave aggressively either in the home or in a public place. The Bill does however include exemptions to cover circumstances such as an attack or aggression as a result of an attack by another animal, or on a person whilst that person is committing an offence.

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