Make it an offence for a person's dog to kill another pet and prosecute owners

We want the government to make it an offence for an person's dog to kill another pet and prosecute owners if this happens. We think that owners must be held accountable and face consequences if their pet kills another pet.

We believe such measures could protect other pets and cultivate a responsible pet ownership culture. We feel that strengthening legal requirements could ensure a safer environment for pets and people. Let us take a stand to protect our family pets and prevent the heartache of losing a beloved animal due to the negligence of others. We think that immediate legislative action is required to prevent further tragedies.

The government recognises that dog attacks can have horrific consequences, and it takes this issue very seriously. The police and local authorities already have a range of powers available to tackle dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership, including in instances where a dog attacks another animal, including pets.

It is an offence under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (DDA) for the owner, or another person in charge of a dog, to cause or permit the dog to be dangerously out of control in any place. A dog may be considered dangerously out of control if it injures a person or an animal, or it causes a person to fear that it may injure them or their pet, and the person in charge of the dog has no proper control of it. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will assess whether to proceed with a prosecution under section 3 of the DDA on a case-by-case basis. The CPS guidance can be found, here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/dangerous-dog-offences.

The maximum penalty for such an offence is fourteen years’ imprisonment if it results in the death of a person; five years in the case of injury; three years if it is an attack on an assistance dog and six months where no injury is caused to a person. Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 allows a complaint to be made to a Magistrates’ Court where a dog is “dangerous and not kept under proper control”. The court may make any Order it considers appropriate to require the owner to keep the dog under proper control.

Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 the police and local authorities can issue community protection notices (CPNs) to address anti-social behaviour involving dogs. A CPN could require the owner of a dog to start doing certain things to reduce the impact of the dog’s behaviour on the community, such as keeping the dog on a lead when in public or attending dog training. Under this legislation, enforcement authorities also have powers to make Public Space Protection Orders, which may be used by enforcers to require dogs to be kept on leads in certain areas or restrict the number of dogs that can be walked by one person at any one time, for example.

The government is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent further dog attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership, making sure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate, and using the full force of the law where needed. As part of this work, the government has reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce to explore measures to promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog.

The government will continue to do its utmost to reduce the risk to people and animals from dangerous dogs and to prevent any more tragedies.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs