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On November 8, 2021, ten-year-old Jack Lis was killed in a dog attack in Penyrheol.
Today, June 6, Jack’s mother will address MPs to call for a radical change to dog laws.
Emma Whitfield will speak to members of the All-Party Dog Advisory Welfare Group in Westminster.
Over video, Ms Whitfield will describe the events that cost Jack his life and will call for a more ‘preventative’ approach to dangerous dogs.
The aim of the speech is to persuade all political parties to recognise the importance of the issue and to commit to reforming the Dangerous Dogs Act.
What is the Dangerous Dogs 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.
In March this year, Ms Whitfield visited parliament to meet with more than 40 MPs from across the political spectrum at a drop-in session, which was also attended by by the RSPCA and Dogs Trust.
The visit was arranged by Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David, who has been campaigning for changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act following the deaths of Jack and Shirley Patrick, 83, in December 2022.
Mr David has repeatedly called for the reintroduction of some sort of licence for dog owners, which would be enforced by local authorities.
Earlier this year, he told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the Dangerous Dogs Act is “woefully inadequate”.
Campaigners from the Dog Control Coalition want to see the current breed-specific approach scrapped and replaced with a form of legislation that moves away from banning dogs based on their breed alone.
Members of the coalition include Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, Dogs Trust, RSPCA, Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association and Scottish SPCA.
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