Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) Amendment 1997 - Information

DDA Amendment Act 1997:

The law was altered in June 1997.

Campaigners and welfare groups had, for over five years, kept up the pressure and highlighted the injustices of the legislation.  

The Dangerous Dogs Act Reform Group was set up by the Late Lord Houghton, an ardent opponent of the DDA, it was supported by the main canine welfare groups, EDDR was an active member, attending meetings at the House of Commons, before it disbanded in 2000. The Amendment was crafted by DDA expert Trevor Cooper, a solicitor who has vast experience of DDA cases.

Prior to the Amendment, any dog found guilty of being a pit bull type, received the death sentence-there was no other option than for the courts to order destruction, any dog found guilty of an aggravated offence under section three also received a mandatory death penalty.

The Amendment has given discretionary powers to the courts – which means that if a dog is now found guilty of being of the type, the court can order that the dog be registered onto the Index of Exempted Dogs, providing that the court is satisfied the dog does not constitute a danger to public safety.

If a dog is found guilty of an aggravated offence under section three (applies to all types of dogs) the court has discretion when sentencing and can issue a control order as opposed to mandatory destruction.

The ‘burden of proof’ still remains reversed under Section One of the Act.

The number of prosecutions and seizures under section one (illegal types) of this Act had drastically reduced over the years following the Amendment but have steeply increased in some areas, notably London and Merseyside from 2007 to date.

Legislation:

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997

See Legal Judgments for further definitions.

For Northern Ireland legislation see the:

The Dangerous Dogs Act (Northern Ireland) order 1991

Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001

Northern Ireland Dog Law News - Important Information - July 2009

The information contained here does not constitute legal advice in and of itself. You must contact a Solicitor for advice before acting upon anything that you read on this web site.

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