THE killing of a one-year-old baby by a rottweiler, at the child's grandparents' home in Yorkshire, raises once again the question of how best to regulate dog ownership in today's crowded urban society. The fatal attack on Archie-Lee Hirst comes almost exactly a year after five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was savaged to death by her uncle's illegal pit bull dog. These emotive incidents could be dismissed as tragic but isolated events. However, as The Scotsman reveals today, the numb
There were 239 recorded attacks by dogs in 1999-2000. Last year, 2006-7, this had risen to 623. It could be that part of this rise is due to increased sensitivity regarding the issue plus better recording of incidents. However, the dog population of
the UK has been rising – it is now around seven million – as has the number of strays taken into the possession of local authorities. Around one in five families has a pet dog and 21 per cent of these households have more than one. This suggests that a larger dog population, coupled with the fashion for larger breeds and poorer general standards of dog training, might be leading to a genuine problem.
Currently, the responsibility of pet owners for the control of their animals is governed by the controversial Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This bans outright the breeding of four kinds of "hunting" dogs. It also makes the owner of any dog found to be "out of control in a public place" liable to a fine or jail. But a BBC Radio 4 poll last January found that of all UK laws the Dangerous Dogs Act was the one most people wanted to see repealed. Significantly, even in the wake of the Archie-Lee Hirst death, the government says it has no plans to add rottweilers to the list of banned breeds.
The truth is that all dogs have the capacity to be dangerous and it would be ludicrous to suggest that we ban all breeds. The real problem lies with the human owners who keep dogs for the wrong reasons – particularly as macho fashion accessories – and frequently fail to train their animals properly. The central weakness in the Dangerous Dogs Act is that it concentrates on banning certain breeds of dog – in itself never easy to define – while ignoring the need to place responsibility on owners. This is where reform is urgently required.
Against the background of rising dog attacks, Alex Neil MSP plans to bring forward a private member's bill at Holyrood. This will introduce the concept of control orders for dogs (regardless of breed) acting in a threatening manner. Such orders would force owners to manage their pets more responsibly. The idea could be extended to make individual owners and their dogs undergo appropriate training. Mr Neil's timely bill deserves close evaluation. In the end we may not be able to eliminate tragedies such as the death of baby Archie-Lee. But we can force inadequate dog owners to face up to their responsibilities.
The full article contains 512 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
