Sub Categories
| Any contributions and/or suggestions for site content? Please use the Contact Page |
LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY
___________________________________
As a responsible dog
owner, it is important for you to meet with the requirements of the law.
There are a number of Acts and Orders which all dog owners should be
aware of.
Identification
• Control of Dogs
Order 1992
This requires that
every dog, while in a public place, wears a collar with the name and
address of his owner inscribed on it or on a disc attached to it. If a
collar is not worn when out in a public place, the dog may be seized by
the police and treated as a stray. Also the owner, and any person in
charge of the dog permitting him to be in a public place without a
collar, will each be guilty of an offence and may be prosecuted and
fined.
If your dog does
stray, you should immediately contact your local dog warden (through the
Environmental Health Department at your local council) and the local
police station. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows for your
dog to be seized and sold or destroyed if unclaimed after a seven day
period.
• Microchipping
Sadly, dogs are often
destroyed because their owners cannot be found and the dog cannot be
found a home. If a dog is microchipped with his own unique
identification number registered on a national database, owners can be
traced very quickly and the dog can be returned safe and sound.
Control
• Town Police Clauses Act 1847 (outside
These Acts make it an
offence to allow an unmuzzled, ferocious dog to be left at large, or for
a person to set on or to urge any dog attack, worry or put in fear any
person or animal in the street.
• Dogs Act 1871
Under this Act, a
court may, upon complaint that a dog is dangerous and not kept under
proper control, order the owner to keep him under proper control or to
be destroyed.
• Animals Act 1971
Under this Act a dog
may be shot, without warning, by a farmer for worrying his livestock and
the owner could face criminal prosecution for the same offence under the
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.
• Road Traffic Act
1988
This makes it an
offence to have a dog on a designated road without the dog being held on
a lead.
• Guard Dogs Act
1975
It is an offence to
use or permit the use of a guard dog on any premises unless the handler,
who is capable of controlling him, is present on the premises and the
dog is under control. The dog must be secured so that he is not at
liberty to go about the premises. A warning that a guard dog is present
must be clearly exhibited at each entrance to the premises.
• Dangerous Dogs Act
(DDA) 1991
There are two main sections to this Act. Section 1
applies to four specific breeds of dog including ‘the type of dog known
as the pit bull terrier’. Owners of these breeds had to comply with
certain legal requirements, including having their dog registered,
neutered, microchipped and tattooed. One of the main problems with this
law is that the pit bull terrier is not a recognised breed in the
Section 3 applies to all dogs, making it a
criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a
public place. This includes instances where there is fear that an injury
might occur.
Owners found guilty under either section of the Act could have their dog
destroyed, face the possibility of six months in prison and/or a fine
not exceeding level 5 (at present up to £5,000).
Responsible
Ownership
• Clean
Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005
Since 6th April 2006 local authorities in
These Orders may restrict where you can walk your
dog (on or off lead), how many dogs you can walk at one time, and makes
it an offence if a person in charge of a dog fails to clean up its
faeces. Designated land may include roads, parks and other public
areas within the local authority’s boundaries; in fact any land which is
open to the air and to which the public are permitted to have access.
If you don’t abide by these Orders, you could be fined up to £1000.
It is no defence to claim ignorance of the dog's actions, the law.
There are several Acts on the Statute Book which protect dogs from ill treatment, among them are the following:
Animal Welfare Act
This Act came into force on the 27th March 2007 in
This Act introduces the new legal concept of a
‘duty of care’, which means that people are now legally obliged to
ensure the welfare of the animals in their care. A person who owns
a dog, or is looking after a dog (or other animals covered by the Act)
must make sure the dog has a suitable environment; has a suitable diet;
is able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; is protected from pain,
suffering, injury and disease. The carer must also address the
dog’s need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals.
The Act also covers the sale of animals to people under 16 years, dog
fighting, tail docking and more.
This Act extends the
definition of cruelty to include abandonment of an animal.
