According to the proposals, the person would have to take «all reasonable steps» to ensure that their animal does not kill another dog. Photo: Matthew C. Wright/Moment RF
Dog owners who let their pet kill another dog may be sent to prison for the first time after a government minister backed plans to tighten animal welfare laws.
Lord Benyon lends his support in principle to the proposals of Anne Firth, a Conservative MP, to hold owners criminally liable for fatal attacks by a dog on a dog.
According to legal changes, a person will have to take «every reasonable steps» to prevent their animal from killing another dog.
If they allow a fatal attack, Ms Firth is urging them to be sentenced to six months in prison.
Lord Benyon, Minister for Animal Welfare, said the Department of Environment and Agriculture would support MP's plans to criminalize fatal dog attacks are subject to scrutiny by officials and government approval.
Ms Firth, whose team has been working on the proposals for over a year, said it was «very exciting» to receive government support.
She stressed that the goal of the change is to encourage responsible dog ownership, not to «demonize» dogs themselves. dogs.
Currently, there is no legislation specifically criminalizing dog attacks on dogs. However, it is an offense for owners to let their dog run dangerously out of control.
This is generally considered to occur when there is a «reasonable fear» that an animal will injure a person or guide dog, with no special safeguards for regular pets.
Up to six months in prison
Ms Firth will seek to tighten the law by making it a crime for any attack by a dog on a dog that results in the death of the animal.
This crime will be punishable by imprisonment for up to six months. or a fine, or both.
Presenting her Animal Welfare (responsibility for dog attacks) bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Ms Firth warned that the problem has increased dramatically in recent years due to limited data available. it can be assumed that between 2016 and 2021, the number of fatal accidents increased dramatically.
She said: “Only 14 police forces currently record a dog attack on a dog as a separate incident. However, out of those 14, 1,700 dog attacks on dogs were recorded and recorded in 2016.
“After the quarantine, when everyone is buying puppies infected with the Covid-19 pandemic, their number has increased dramatically. In 2021, the same 14 police forces recorded 11,559 dog-on-dog attacks, a 700% increase.”
Lord Benyon said his department would help get Ms Firth’s bill through Parliament if not found to have any unintended consequences. The mechanism for how this will be achieved is still under discussion.
Lord Benyon told the Telegraph: “We are very supportive of what she is trying to do. We need to take a closer look at the bill to see if there are any broader implications, but I think we have a lot of sympathy for people who have lost dogs because someone didn't have proper control over their dog.» /p>
He said the private member bill is «classic territory to move forward,» adding: «Provided there are no broader implications that our civil servants and legal advisers cannot determine, there is nothing stopping the government from supporting it in the form in which he goes. through the process.»
In the footsteps of Sir David Amess
Mark Spencer, the environment secretary, also committed on Thursday to sit down with Ms Firth to «discuss how we can help» move the bill forward.< /p
Lord Benyon added that it was «remarkable» that the MP for Southend West followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Sir David Amess, a tireless animal activist who was killed in his constituency in 2021.
“There is a deep understanding between me and my colleagues of the suffering that is caused when a dog is torn apart in front of you,” he said.
“The benefit that any pet can bring to someone, especially if they lead a solitary life, is huge. And its loss can have huge consequences, not just the loss of a pet.
“And so make sure we have reasonable laws that protect people and encourage those who have a dog that can be aggressive in this way to manage it, whether they walk it when they walk it, how they walk it, and recognizing that the law will come down on them if they allow their dog to behave in this way.»
Ms Firth began campaigning for legislative changes she called «Emily's law» after the dog, belonging to one of her constituents, Michael Joannu, was killed in a horrific attack in a local park.
Emily, an eight year old Bichon Frize, was 'brutally torn apart' another dog
The MP said that Mr. Joannou came to see her «incredibly upset» and «inconsolable» after Emily, an eight-year-old Bichon Frize, was «brutally torn apart» by another dog.
Mr. Joannou cared for Emily after her owner, his former girlfriend, died suddenly of epilepsy.
He said the legal changes would be justice for a live, healthy dog that was «slaughtered in his prime.» her life.»
«I'm really impressed with how far this has come, even if it involves tragedy,» he told the Telegraph.
«I'm completely blown away by the whole thing. I will go as far as they do and I will not give up. I remember hearing somewhere that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by how it treats its animals. This is something we should be aware of as a very modern, progressive country that we are.”
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