The Liberal Democrats (UK)
www.libdems.org.uk

Dear EDDR

Thank you for your query.

The Liberal Democrats support the updating of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act to move away form breed-specific legislation and towards a system which is similar to that used in Germany.

In Germany the police can confiscate dogs suspected of being dangerous. The dogs are then subjected to a series of tests to prove whether they are actually dangerous. If the dog passes the test it is returned to its owners. If the dog fails the test it is given one more chance to be re-trained and re-tested and if it fails again it is destroyed.

I hope that this answers your query. Do let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,

Helen Banks
Senior Policy Officer
Liberal Democrats

(May 2005)