Dangerous dogs - deed not breed

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 did two main things:

1. It made it a criminal offence for the owner and/or the person in charge of the dog to allow a dog to be 'dangerously out of control' in a public place or be in a place where it is not permitted to be. As a result, if a dog injures a person, it may be seized by the police. Penalties can include a prison sentence and/or a ban on keeping dogs. There is also an automatic presumption that the dog involved will be destroyed (unless the owner can persuade the court that it is not a danger to the public, in which case it may be subject to a control order). The owner may also have to pay a fine, compensation and/or costs
2. It banned specific types of dog include the Pit Bull Terrier, the Fila Brasiliero, the Dogo Argentino and the Japanese Tosa. Any dogs of these types were subject to a mandatory destruction order

The Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 amended the 1991 Act by removing the mandatory destruction order provisions on banned breeds and reopened the Index of Exempted Dogs for dogs - a register of banned dogs which the court considered would not pose a risk to the public.

Breed-specific legislation ignores the most important factors that contribute to biting incidents, primarily anti-social behaviour by people who train their dogs to be aggressive, and irresponsible dog ownership by those who do not train their dogs properly. Consequently, current legislation – which is based on genetics and ignores the influence of the dog's keeper – has failed to prevent a large number of dog-bite incidents and has cost the police millions of pounds in kennelling-associated costs. Sadly, it has also resulted in the unnecessary euthanasia of dogs simply because of their breed or type.

No breed of dog is inherently dangerous. Scientific research has proven that the Pit Bull Terrier and related breeds are physiologically no different from any other breed of dog. Dr Lehr Brisbin at the University of Georgia has proved the skeletal structure of the Pit Bull Terrier's jaw is no different from that of any other dog with respect to 'jaw locking' - they simply have strongly muscled jaws in common with many other breeds.

We believe Government should act to 'deal with the deed, not the breed' and that it is unacceptable to ban an entire breed or type of dog based on the actions of a single animal. Dog ownership has many health and social benefits, but all dog owners must take responsibility for their dogs, as any dog in the wrong hands has the potential to be dangerous. This is proven by the number of biting incidents involving dogs that are not classified as dangerous under current legislation.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 has proven that demonising certain breeds makes them more attractive to people who want to flout the law and use dogs in this way. This contributes to the problem of creating so-called 'status dogs'. We firmly believe that doing away with breed-specific legislation would lessen the appeal of these dogs and also reduce cases of animal cruelty.

The problem of dangerous dogs is a social one and needs to be tackled through the enforcement of effective legislation that seeks to curb irresponsible owners of all types of dog and better educate the dog-owning public to prevent incidents before they occur. We believe that preventative legislation should be based on the principle of 'deed not breed' and centre around the introduction of dog control notices, a form of statutory improvement notice for dog owners of all types of dog.

Whilst we welcome recent measures taken by the UK Government to introduce some preventative measures to tackle irresponsible dog ownership, ultimately we believe that this needs to go further. We call on the Government to:

1. Update, consolidate and, where necessary, replace existing legislation on dog control with preventative legislation and measures based on the principle of 'deed not breed'
2. Investigate all serious and fatal dog bite incidents using the services of a suitable behaviourist to understand the causes, and aid effective preventative measures
3. Support education programmes such as The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training scheme, which teaches people about responsible dog ownership
4. As a minimum, time limit breed-specific legislation with a 'sunset clause'

With over 8 million dogs in the UK, the dog-owning population accounts for approximately 25% of the British public, meaning that dog-related issues can have widespread voting appeal.

The way to keep politicians interested in canine welfare is to speak to them about your concerns on a particular issue, e.g. dog walking access, dangerous dogs, puppy farming etc. and ask for their help. You can do this via email, a letter or even a meeting.

The key is to keep their mailbags full with dog issues to ensure that as your elected representative, they keep up to date with the issues that are most important to you, their constituent.

Five steps to success

1. Preparation is key. Make a list of questions/topic areas that you want to discuss with your parliamentary representative. Go armed with facts and figures to support your argument. You should also take a notepad and pen to write down any important points for reference
2. Be direct. Introduce yourself and what you are there to discuss. State your concerns clearly, countering any opposing points that they may make. Do not become emotional – you will make a stronger argument by being calm and reasonable throughout
3. Listen and respond constructively. Once you have made your position, allow your MP/MSP/AM/MLA to present you with his/hers. Listen carefully for areas of agreement and disagreement, always be positive and try to ask questions that will probe their personal viewpoint rather than that of their party
4. Be aware of time. Stick to the issue and try not to get sidetracked into general debate - you will have a limited amount of time with him/her and it is important to make sure you get across all the points you wish to make
5. At the end of the meeting and beyond… Thank them for the meeting, summarise your discussion and outline the steps you can take going forward. Let them know that they can contact you in the future to discuss the issue further.

• Find your MP - write to (name of MP), House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
• Find your MSP - write to (name of MSP), Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
• Find your AM - write to (name of AM), Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1NA
• Find your MLA - write to (name of MLA), Parliamentary Buildings, Belfast, BT4 3XX