Animal charity reveals 'shocking' rise in illegal dog breeds at visit by animal welfare minister

13 January 2011

The Blue Cross, one of the UK's leading animal charities, today repeated its call for the Dangerous Dogs Act to be overhauled as it published new figures showing an 86% increase in the number of banned breeds treated at its animal hospitals and clinics in the last 5 years.

Steve Goody, director of external affairs at The Blue Cross, presented the figures to animal welfare minister Lord Henley during a tour of the charity's flagship animal hospital in London Victoria earlier today (Thursday 13 January).

Records show that over the last nine years the charity has treated at least 310 suspected Pit Bull terriers, which have been banned in the UK since 1991. The real figure may be much higher since some people do not admit to owning a banned breed.

Blue Cross policy is to treat any breed of dog requiring medical attention if their owner is eligible for support. The charity is not obliged to report banned breeds due to client confidentiality but staff work closely with the Met Police Status Dogs Unit and will always report a dog of any breed that they feel could present a danger to the public.

Steve Goody said: "The shocking increase in the number of illegal breeds coming through our hospitals is yet more evidence that the Dangerous Dogs Act has failed. The Blue Cross is urging the government to grasp this opportunity to overhaul current laws and hold dog owners to account for the actions of their animals at all times, regardless of their breed."

Last November, Defra published the results of a public consultation into the Dangerous Dogs Act, revealing that 88% of respondents felt that breed specific legislation in its current form (penalising dogs based on breed alone) was not effective in protecting the public from dangerous dogs. A further 71% thought that breed specific legislation should be repealed.

The government is expected to announce its plans to tackle dangerous dogs in the near future.

As a member of the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG), The Blue Cross is supporting a private members bill proposed by Lord Redesdale which would repeal previous dangerous dog legislation and replace it with a system of dog control orders. This would allow enforcement officers to intervene at an earlier stage and compel owners to tackle problem behaviour in order to prevent attacks occurring. The bill is going to committee stage in the House of Lords next Friday, 21st January.

The charity also believes that legislation should be extended to cover dog attacks on private property, which are excluded from the current Dangerous Dogs Act (1991).

Steve Goody added: "In our experience, any dog can be a safe and loving pet if properly trained and socialised from an early age. So-called 'dangerous dogs' are created by the actions of irresponsible or ignorant owners, and we want the law to recognise this by placing responsibility for these dogs firmly at the other end of the lead."

Funded entirely through public donations, The Blue Cross cares for thousands of sick and homeless animals every year through a network of adoption centres and animals hospitals nationwide. The charity also campaigns to improve all aspects of pet and equine welfare.

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