Last Updated on: 21st November 2023, 08:51 pm
The UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) has urged for a debate on the proposed ban on American XL Bulldogs to be properly informed and evidence-based. This comes in response to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which was introduced in 1991 in response to a number of dog attacks on humans. It is often referred to as an example of a hastily prepared ‘bad law’.
The proposed ban relates to Section 1 of the Act, which sets out breed-specific provisions. A-LAW believes that by solely focusing on breed as the only relevant factor, this policy ignores the potential of all dogs to demonstrate aggressive characteristics and fails to target the behaviour of irresponsible breeders or owners.
Media portrayal of American Bulldogs with cropped ears has been commonplace, however, ear cropping is an illegal procedure under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales). It is carried out for cosmetic reasons and is understood to be an attempt to make a dog appear more aggressive. It can cause lifelong pain and sensitivity.
In response to reports that Professor Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief vet, has announced that there won’t be a cull of ‘XL Bully’ dogs, A-LAW has called for the Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales) Order 2015 to allow for a change of ownership where a dog is assessed as temperamentally suitable to be kept.
A-LAW has also invited the Law Commission to tackle this issue as part of its Thirteenth and Fourteenth Programmes of Law Reform. They have called for a full inquiry into the best means of protecting the public, both from dog bites and from having families disrupted and loving pets wrongly seized.
Commenting on the issue, Sarah, from The FOAL Group said: “We appreciate the protection of the public, including other animals, from dogs who present a risk of serious and fatal bites, is a nuanced and complex issue. The DDA has been widely criticised. There are concerns that it has failed to effectively tackle dog attacks. There needs to be a root and branch analysis of the law.”
The UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) has called for a debate around the proposed ban on American XL Bulldogs to be properly informed and evidence-based. This follows the introduction of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in response to a number of dog attacks on humans.
A-LAW believes that by solely focusing on breed as the only relevant factor, this policy ignores the potential of all dogs to demonstrate aggressive characteristics and fails to target the behaviour of irresponsible breeders and owners. Media portrayal of American Bulldogs with cropped ears has also been commonplace, however, ear cropping is an illegal procedure under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales).
In response to reports that there won’t be a cull of ‘XL Bully’ dogs, A-LAW has called for the Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales) Order 2015 to allow for a change of ownership where a dog is assessed as temperamentally suitable to be kept. They have also invited the Law Commission to tackle this issue as part of its Thirteenth and Fourteenth Programmes of Law Reform, with a full inquiry into the best means of protecting the public, both from dog bites and from having families disrupted and loving pets wrongly seized.
Sarah, from The FOAL Group commented: “We appreciate the protection of the public, including other animals, from dogs who present a risk of serious and fatal bites, is a nuanced and complex issue. The DDA has been widely criticised. There are concerns that it has failed to effectively tackle dog attacks. There needs to be a root and branch analysis of the law.”
