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Radical changes in the way people own, breed, and sell dogs are needed in the UK following another fatal dog attack, Caerphilly MP Wayne David has said.
Last month, 83-year-old grandmother Shirley Patrick died in hospital following a dog attack at her home on Heol Fawr, Penyrheol.
The dog, identified as a large black XL bully cross cane corso breed, was seized by officers and has been destroyed. The breed of dog is not banned by the Dangerous Dog Act, meaning it is legal to own in the UK.
What is the Dangerous Dog Act?
The 1991 Dangerous Dog Act is a set of laws that limits the public to what breed of dog they can and can’t own, as well as outlining their responsibilities as owners, in keeping control of potentially dangerous dogs.
The list of prohibited dogs are:
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Brasileiro
In 2014, an amendment was made to the act which extended it to cover private property. Prior to this, the Act was only applicable to public spaces.
The punishment for owning any of the previously mentioned breeds varies from a £1,000 fine to six months’ imprisonment.
If any dog was to be the direct cause of loss of life and showed signs of being a ‘dangerous dog’ before the attack, the owner of such a dog could face up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
On deciding whether a dog was potentially dangerous or not prior to an attack, the court is asked to assess the temperament of the dog and also the owner’s ability to control such a dog.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, between 2000 and 2019, a total of 64 people in England and Wales lost their lives as a result of an attack by a dog.
It came a little over a year after the death of ten-year-old Jack Lis, who was killed following a dog attack at a friend’s house on nearby Pentwyn, Penyrheol.
The Cwm Ifor Primary School pupil had gone to a friend’s house after school and was killed by an XL American Bully called Beast, which was shot dead by firearms officers after the attack.
The breed of dog which killed Jack was also not on the banned list.
Labour MP Mr David was granted a debate in the House of Commons last July to explore why changes are needed to the Dangerous Dog Act.
Following the latest fatal incident, Mr David has again demanded changes after the “shocking” attacks.
Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, he said: “First of all I want to express my sympathy to the family of this elderly lady.
“I am determined to now press home the need for a fundamental change to how we approach the issue of dangerous dogs but also to start a local campaign which will feed into national campaigns already in progress.
“First of all, the UK Government’s approach until now has been to have a limited list of dangerous dogs and that is not a solution.
“You can have a list almost as long as your arm with different breeds.”
He continued: “Because there is so much cross-breeding now, it is impossible to have an accurate list. Clever barristers will have a field day with these lists.
“What I’m saying, and the experts in this field are saying, is we have to move away from that.
“A different approach is needed to ensure a responsibility is placed on all dogs to be properly looked after and properly restrained.
Mr David wants to see the reintroduction of a licence for dog owners, which would be issued and enforced by local authorities.
“That’s a pretty radical change when you have that enforceable mechanism and vigilance,” he said.
“It is ridiculous you can buy and sell dogs so easily. Most of these dogs are being sold on the internet – there’s no legislation. With strict licensing, that would not be possible.”
Dog licences
The need for owners to have a dog licence was abolished in England and Wales in the Local Government Act of 1988. Rather than a means of ensuring dogs were correctly cared for, or that they had responsible owners, it was simply a tax – the only requirement being to own a dog you had to pay.
The final cost when it was withdrawn was just 37p – the equivalent of just under £1 in today’s prices.
In 2016 it became mandatory that all dogs in England and Wales had to be microchipped to identify them – but should dog licences come back in a different format?
RSPCA Cymru thinks so and wants them to include an aspect of animal welfare – something the Welsh Government has powers over.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines previously said: “The RSPCA has long held the view that the reintroduction of a dog licensing scheme would be beneficial to managing the social and animal problems associated with dog ownership.
“A licensing scheme has the potential to generate money that could be used to help improve dog welfare and tackle the issues around dog ownership including dog health and welfare, antisocial behaviour involving dogs, dog bite incidents, stray dogs, population issues and risks to human health.
“We have long called for a joined-up strategy to manage problems associated with dog ownership, underpinned and funded by a new dog licence scheme. This would mean that dog owners would contribute to costs derived from dogs, funds which are currently lacking from central and local government.
“Such schemes already exist, like the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw in Calgary, Canada, which requires all cats and dogs to be licenced with the revenue generated being used to deliver programmes and services including dog safety, public awareness and education.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson told Caerphilly Observer: “While there are no formal plans to re-introduce dog licensing in Wales, the combination of our regulations on pet sales and dedicated funding support for improvements to the enforcement and delivery of the existing Dog Breeding Regulations will result in lasting improvements to the welfare standards of dogs bred in Wales.”
A spokesperson from the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which is responsible for animal welfare, said: “We recently launched the Responsible Dog Ownership working group, which brings together the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to see how we can go even further to reduce the number of dog attacks occurring each year.”
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