5 Sept 2023
Government says it has “no plans” to expand the list of breeds outlawed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, despite demands from some MPs and police chiefs, but BVA and others call for overhaul of law.
Allister Webb
Job Title
More dogs will be euthanised if additional breeds are banned under existing and “failing” legislation, a group of veterinary and welfare charities has claimed.
A Government minister has insisted it has “no plans” to expand the list of breeds outlawed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, despite demands from some MPs and police chiefs.
But the Dog Control Coalition, of which the BVA is a member, believes a complete overhaul of the breed-based law is essential – for animals and people.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Sam Gaines, speaking for the coalition as a whole, said high-profile tragedies emphasised the need for action.
But she cautioned: “We fear that without evidence-based solutions there will be a failure to make the public safer, and we won’t deal with the root causes of this problem. Put simply, breed is not a reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour in dogs. Any dog has the potential to bite.
“We need solutions that aren’t discriminatory, but promote responsible pet ownership, and include opportunities for early intervention to educate owners, introduce mitigations and stop incidents taking place in the first place.
“We need to stop unfairly judging dogs because of how they look. With a General Election looming, it’s time politicians get serious about tackling dangerous dogs.”
Under the current law, it is an offence to own, sell, abandon, give away or breed from pit bull terriers, Japanese tosas, dogo Argentinos and fila Brasileiros.
Much concern has focused on the XL bully, although a Parliamentary petition calling for it and other breeds to be added to the banned list failed to reach the 10,000-signature threshold for a Government response when it closed in July.
Other advocates of a ban include senior South Yorkshire Police officers, who claimed in June the breed accounted for one in four of all dogs seized by the force since the start of 2022.
Their comments came after Conservative MP Sir John Hayes highlighted three fatal incidents in demanding a ban on what he called “a bad breed, bred to kill”.
However, a counter-petition against a ban, set up on the change.org platform, attracted more than 9,000 supporters.
And, in a written answer earlier this month, Defra minister Lord Benyon said: “We are working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied, encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks.
“We currently have no plans to add additional breed types to the banned breed list.”
Although it is awaiting final recommendations from a working group set up to explore ways of promoting responsible dog ownership, the department appears to show little sign of heeding calls for law reform.
A spokesperson said: “We take dog attacks and antisocial behaviour very seriously, and are making sure the full force of the law is being applied to all dog breeds and their owners.”
But the coalition argues that NHS statistics, which indicated a rise of more than 6% in recorded dog bite incidents to 9,366 in 2022-23, demonstrate the existing legislation is not working.
Dr Gaines dismissed calls for more breeds to be banned as a “knee-jerk” response that failed to recognise complex issue. She added: “Simply adding another dog breed type to the already flawed approach of banning certain types of dog because of how they look clearly isn’t the answer.
“Any such move will just force charities to put to sleep more dogs and offer another layer to the false sense of security to the public that hasn’t worked for 32 years – and won’t suddenly start working now.
“Breed-specific legislation had a clear purpose – to reduce the number of dog bites – but it has failed both dogs and the public it vowed to protect, while tragic fatalities have continued unabated.”
