A-LAW, a charity working to promote knowledge and education about the law relating to animal protection, have expressed concerns that the debate about a proposed ban on American XL Bulldogs is not properly informed and evidence based. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (‘the DDA’) was Introduced in response to a number of dog attacks and was completed in 4 days, being referred to as an example of a hastily prepared ‘bad law.’
The DDA is often criticised for failing to effectively tackle dog attacks and A-LAW have called for a full inquiry to be carried out into the best means of protecting the public from dogs bred or trained to be aggressive. The Defra’s Select Committee itself carried out an enquiry in 2018, and one of its recommendations was that the Government should commission an independent review of the effectiveness of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and wider dog control legislation. This review should begin no later than January 2019.
The issue of ear cropping, done for cosmetic reasons and to make a dog appear more aggressive, was also highlighted. Animal welfare groups have raised concerns about a rise in reported cases of dogs with cropped ears and have called for a loophole in the law that allows people to import dogs with cropped ears to be closed.
In response to the proposed ban, Professor Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief vet, has announced that there won’t be a cull of ‘XL Bully’ dogs, but owners will be required to register their dogs and comply with certain conditions.
However, A-LAW have called for the 2015 Exemption Scheme to allow for a change of ownership for dogs assessed as having a good temperament. This chimes with the recommendation of the EFRA Committee, which stated that ‘to avoid imposing an unnecessary death sentence on good-tempered animals, the Government should remove the ban on transferring Section 1 dogs to new owners.’
A-LAW are asking for an immediate and full independent inquiry into dog control legislation with a root cause analysis of recent dog attacks. This inquiry should hear from all relevant stakeholder, including law enforcement agencies, relevant all-party parliamentary groups, and animal welfare organisations.
A-LAW are a charity registered in England and Wales, and work to promote knowledge and education about the law relating to animal protection. They are politically neutral and provide animal protection organisations with access to high quality legal advice to assist their work, as well as promoting the teaching of animal law in UK universities.
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