Time to write to your MP! Breed Specific Legislation and the Dangerous Dogs Act

Well, what a hectic time it has been. Sadly, I have been unable to keep up with the blog these last few weeks, as COVID has created such a huge workload for me. That workload has settled slightly, and I am now writing a full blog on the current animal welfare related petitions which are in progress at the moment, with some legal points about these. I hope this will be ready in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out.

I am putting this entry on today, however, because it is time for us to start contacting our MP’s regarding the petition to “Replace Breed Specific Legislation with a New Statutory Framework”. I have previously discussed this in the blog and won’t do that again, but if you want more information on it, you can contact me directly. I am also writing a legal journal article on this issue. However, the letter below has some points too.

Remember, your MP is YOUR representative in Parliament. They are under a moral obligation to listen to you. We must flood Parliament with our letters, both printed and emailed. I will also be writing directly to the Petitions Committee, Cabinet Ministers and Shadow Ministers with some material which is more hard hitting than that contained in this letter.

I have produced it here for you to copy and paste into your own letter. I would please ask you to promote the link to this, rather than copy and reproduce the letter on your own sites, for legal reasons. When sending the letter, there is a bit for you to add your own thoughts, but I would also encourage you to reword bits of it as you see fit, so we are not all sending identical letters, which might look a little odd.

There is a lot of information that could have been put in the letter, and of course you can add that if you like. I have tried to keep it brief as you may find the MP will only read for 30 seconds before turning off.

If you want help finding out who your MP is, you can use this link: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Here is the letter:

 

Re: Petition – Replace Breed Specific Legislation with a new statutory framework.

As a member of your constituency, I wanted to let you know why I signed this petition [insert brief reasons here].

A debate in Parliament is needed to discuss matters beyond simply repealing BSL. These have been highlighted by discussions around the petition as follows:

·       * Why should specific breeds be targeted? Research evidence is building that breed of dog is not an indicator of aggression as highlighted by the RSPCA, Blue Cross and many academics.

·       * When assessing whether a dog is dangerous, it should be decided promptly, and by experts.

·       * There is no need to detain dogs pending investigation as to type or level of risk. It is an insult to the Rule of Law that a person is deemed guilty of owning a banned or dangerous dog before it has been established that this is the case. Recent research suggests that the cost of running the DDA system costs the tax payer over £3 million per year. When the dogs are detained, there should be a strict time limit, as the psychological harm caused to the dog is unnecessary suffering. Some have even been mistreated or neglected, for which photographic evidence is available.

·       * We hear of numerous cases where frightened dog owners are told to sign papers surrendering their dog to the police, in order to avoid having to go to court. The dogs can then be destroyed without a court order. They were not told the full consequences of signing.

·       * An independent review of Dog Liaison Officers must be conducted. There have been many concerns of over-zealous officers, and a diverse range of ideas and beliefs by these officers as to how to deal with a dog detained under the DDA.

·       * Ownership of the dog should never be transferred away from the owner pending investigation, the dog should remain the property of the owner, who should then also be allowed to instruct veterinary care as necessary.

·       * When the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was passed, and when Breed Specific Legislation was created, evidence which stated which breeds were the most likely to cause fatalities was not given full attention. 

All these issues have supporting evidence which the petition originator, Mr Gavin Ridley, could furnish you with upon request. He can be contacted at gsrlegaladvice@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter) @GavinSRidley.

Yours sincerely