Wales will change their DDA laws...
Today the Welsh Assembly have announced that they're planning to introduce a new Control of Dogs Bill next spring.
The First Minister, Carwyn Jones said:
“The Environment Minister, John Griffiths made a commitment to take early action on this important issue. I’m therefore pleased to confirm we will be consulting on the Control of Dogs Bill in the autumn which will propose key changes to current Dangerous Dogs legislation. For example, action could be taken where dogs attack people or other animals on any property and controls would focus on dog behaviour rather than breed.
“When I announced our legislative programme I said we would consult and engage with the public and stakeholders through Green and White Papers and strike the right balance between what is on the face of an Assembly Bill and what detail is left to subordinate legislation. We have done exactly that.
The First Minister said the new Control of Dogs Bill will be introduced next spring to protect the public by promoting responsible dog ownership. Responsible ownership will be fundamental to the changes and through the introduction of Dog Control Notices there will be a strong education and training requirement for both the dogs and their owners or keepers.
The English Government are now in another period of consultation. In April they looked to be ready to press the button on a package of measures. But they had a wobble and just announced microchips, for pups, possibly.
In England according to Defra the Metropolitan Police alone spend £2.75m each year on kennelling 'dangerous dogs', both these banned types and any dogs dangerously out of control.
The number of dogs seized by the Metropolitan Police rose by half from 719 in 2008/09 to 1,100 in 2009/10.
There have been five fatal dog attacks in homes since 2007 – four of them on children – and hospital admissions for serious dog bites have more than doubled over the past decade.
BSL is an expensive failure. We need something much better.
The First Minister, Carwyn Jones said:
“The Environment Minister, John Griffiths made a commitment to take early action on this important issue. I’m therefore pleased to confirm we will be consulting on the Control of Dogs Bill in the autumn which will propose key changes to current Dangerous Dogs legislation. For example, action could be taken where dogs attack people or other animals on any property and controls would focus on dog behaviour rather than breed.
“When I announced our legislative programme I said we would consult and engage with the public and stakeholders through Green and White Papers and strike the right balance between what is on the face of an Assembly Bill and what detail is left to subordinate legislation. We have done exactly that.
The First Minister said the new Control of Dogs Bill will be introduced next spring to protect the public by promoting responsible dog ownership. Responsible ownership will be fundamental to the changes and through the introduction of Dog Control Notices there will be a strong education and training requirement for both the dogs and their owners or keepers.
The English Government are now in another period of consultation. In April they looked to be ready to press the button on a package of measures. But they had a wobble and just announced microchips, for pups, possibly.
In England according to Defra the Metropolitan Police alone spend £2.75m each year on kennelling 'dangerous dogs', both these banned types and any dogs dangerously out of control.
The number of dogs seized by the Metropolitan Police rose by half from 719 in 2008/09 to 1,100 in 2009/10.
There have been five fatal dog attacks in homes since 2007 – four of them on children – and hospital admissions for serious dog bites have more than doubled over the past decade.
BSL is an expensive failure. We need something much better.
Comments
introduce compulsory micro-chipping
extend sec 3 of the DDA to cover all places - ie inside your own home and garden
introduce dog control notices-as has been the case in Scotland. These are given out by local autorities to dogs and their owners and would apply to all dogs hence the term 'deed not breed' - dog control notices applying to dogs.
There is no mention of sec 1 - the breed specific element and no repeal of this part which allows the persecution of dogs based on their physical appearance.