Dangerous dogs law is ‘flawed and must target the owners’

BATTERSEA Dogs and Cats Home is calling on the government to review the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, saying current legislation is “flawed” and instead should target irresponsible owners, in a report.

The law – which banned the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brazileiro breeds based on their physical appearance – was introduced 25 years ago this month.

Calling breed-specific offences in section one of the act “particularly controversial”, the report states it results in the “unnecessary destruction” of healthy and good-natured animals with “little added protection to the public”.

Findings from a survey of 215 canine behaviour experts, who were quizzed by the charity on the factors most likely to cause a dog to attack, have been released to coincide with the anniversary.

The What’s Breed Got To Do With It? report reveals 74 per cent of professionals said breed was either irrelevant or only slightly important in determining aggression levels in dogs.

A total of 86 per cent said the way a dog is brought up by its owner is an important attack factor – with the socialisation of man’s best friend playing a critical role.

A dog’s size was only considered relevant in terms of an attack outcome as “small dogs are just as likely to attack as larger dogs”, but larger dogs have the capacity to “inflict greater injury and damage”.

Claire Horton, Battersea’s chief executive, said: “This new research sets out the failings of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in focusing on how a dog looks, rather than on anything that it has done or the actions of its owner.

“Battersea is dismayed that this outdated piece of legislation is still on the statute books. There is a clear need to replace it with a law that targets irresponsible owners.”