News February 2010 - The Bateson Inquiry into Dog Breeding & Responses

Bateson Inquiry Calls for Changes to Dangerous Dogs Act:

The long awaited Bateson Inquiry Report was published in January 2010 and has made specific reference to the Dangerous Dogs Act and in particular the breed specific elements contained within it.

Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS of Cambridge University and President of the Zoological Society of London was appointed to conduct an independent inquiry into the breeding of dogs. The Inquiry was funded by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust and supported by Defra.

This is what the Bateson Report states in point 6.25:

“A final point about dog rearing should be made in relation to the so-called weapon dogs. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1990 made illegal the ownership of certain specified breeds (Pit Bull Terrier and Pit Bull Terrier types, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero). The intention was to reduce the number of attacks by dogs on people. However, the number of people who were sufficiently hurt by dogs to be hospitalised has risen from 4238 in 1999 to 5943 in 2008 according to media reports. In several cases children have been killed after the Dangerous Dogs Act was passed in law.

The problem is that other types of dog can be just as dangerous as the banned breeds and the fashion to keep dangerous dogs for defensive (and offensive) purposes and a variety of illegal activities has grown. The relevance of these trends to the Inquiry is that aggressiveness towards any human to which the dog is not attached can be bred for selectively and the trait can be greatly accentuated by the way that the dog is trained. Welfare issues arise for all dogs when some are used to attack other dogs, causing severe and sometimes fatal injuries. This is not to ignore, of course, what can happen to people and other animals such as cats. “

The Bateson Report includes a specific recommendation relating to the DDA and states the following;

 “the Dangerous Dogs Act should be amended to apply to all dogs that have been shown to be dangerous rather than to specified breeds and should address the problem of dogs being bred and reared specifically as weapons or for fighting.”

Responses:

The Blue Cross:

Welcomes the Bateson report and regarding the reference to the DDA said:

"Bateson’s Inquiry rightly highlights a need for The Dangerous Dogs Act to be amended to apply to all dogs that have been shown to be dangerous rather than to specific breeds. The proposed focus on legislating against dog breeders who deliberately breed dogs as weapons or for fighting is a much welcomed move."
 
The British Veterinary Association:

Welcomed Bateson's recommendation.  Commenting, Nicky Paull, Past President of the British Veterinary Association, said:

“We are delighted that Professor Bateson has added his significant opinion to the call for the dangerous dogs law to be updated.

The current rules have huge welfare implications for the thousands of dogs who are seized every year and kept in police or local authority kennels away from their families.

Moreover, as Professor Bateson points out, they are having no impact on the number of people hospitalised by dog attacks.

We understand that parliamentary time is scarce, but tackling this growing problem should be a priority for any government wishing to reduce the cost to the public purse, protect the public and reduce suffering of animals.”

Kennel Club & Dogs Trust:

The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust broadly welcomed Bateson's report and in a joint statement in relation to the DDA said:
 
"The organisations particularly welcome the report’s recommendation that the Dangerous Dogs Act should be overhauled to tackle those who breed and rear dogs as weapons and that the legislation should apply to all dogs that have been shown to be dangerous rather than to specific breeds."

Endangered Dogs Defence & Rescue:

"Repeal of breed specific legislation in the UK is long overdue. Professor Bateson is yet another voice calling for change, people and dogs are suffering under this useless law which is costing millions of pounds and huge amounts of manpower whilst it remains. It is time to move forward from the dark ages of BSL."

A full publication of the report can be found here

http://dogbreedinginquiry.com/publication-of-the-inquiry-report/
 

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