Blue Cross disappointed by government’s response to dangerous dogs report
Blue Cross is disappointed by the government’s response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (Efra) report on dangerous dogs, released today (Monday 28 January, 2018).
The Efra committee made a number of recommendations, including allowing rehoming organisations to find loving new homes for friendly abandoned banned types of dog, however the government has today reiterated its opposition to this.
Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs, said: “Whilst Blue Cross welcomes some of the proposals and initiatives outlined in the government response to the Efra committee report on 'Controlling Dangerous Dogs', we are disappointed to see that the government has failed to address some of the key welfare issues surrounding dangerous dogs and responsible dog ownership.
“We are very disappointed that the government has reiterated its opposition to repealing section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which prohibits the ownership of four types of dog based purely on looks alone. As we stated in our evidence to the committee, this legislation is fundamentally flawed, not supported by robust scientific evidence, and ineffective in protecting the public. Perfectly well-behaved dogs will continue to be euthanised because of this needless legislation and we will continue to campaign for them to be allowed to live the happy and healthy lives they deserve.
“Blue Cross is also disappointed that the government has not committed to allowing rehoming organisations to transfer ownership of seized section 1 dogs. This current situation means Blue Cross is put in the awful position of having to euthanise stray section 1 dogs, which is a devastating and traumatic experience for our staff and volunteers.
“Blue Cross does welcome the research into dog control and responsible dog ownership issues and looks forward to discussing the findings with Defra and working together to implement any useful recommendations.”