Dog Bite Prevention and Insurance. 04/07/2010
 I wish Australian laws concerning dogs with the potential to crush with their jaw, was as tough as they are in the UK. While someone has pointed out to me that a poodle, such as the one I own, might be just as likely to bite a child if poorly handled as their bull terrier dog would, the difference is in the degree of damage that the dog with the powerful jaw could inflict versus that of say a poodle. I have always felt strongly that certain breeds of dogs do not belong near babies and children and the penalties for allowing them near children should be fierce. It concerns me that dogs with powerful jaws are increasingly being bought as family pets and if it makes me unpopular to state that this greatly concerns me, then I will accept that. I have family members who own such dogs and have young children, they know how I feel. I will always be concerned about the damage such a dog could inflict with only one bite and I know that even the mildest mannered dog, can be provoked by a child and dogs will even bite during play if a child over excites them. While I have always passionately loved dogs, I believe in breeder responsibility to well inform owners of the potential of the dog they are considering owning and for owners to be responsible and that means well educated about what their dog is capable of and to not place children or people in danger. My husband is 70 this year, he is frail and unsteady yet people knowing he loved dogs in the past, allow their big dogs to run at and jump up on him and do not understand how afraid that makes him that he will be, knocked over. The owner will often laugh and think the whole, jumping up on an elderly person, act, is funny and not realize they are putting that person in danger. So even the apparently friendly dog is a menace,, if not controlled. Australia, we need some tougher laws to encourage more responsible dog ownership and people, are being increasingly harmed, by unsuitable dogs being in our community and unsuitable dog, management by some owners. UK Considers Compulsory Dog Bite Insurance The United Kingdom is considering forcing all pet owners to have third party insurance against dog bites. In 1991 the UK introduced the Dangerous Dogs Act, which banned certain breeds of dogs such as the Pit Bull Terrier and Japanese Tosa, and made it easier for police to prosecute people who organized dog fights. Now, in response to the worrying trend of young people involved in gangs using dogs to frighten or attack people, the government wants to strengthen those laws and make it more difficult for people to keep any kind of dog that could be used to intimidate members of the public. On Tuesday Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and Home Secretary Alan Johnson unveiled a consultation that will review and streamline current legislation to help enforcers tackle people who break existing laws and to help prevent dogs being abused by people. Ideas being explored include making current laws applicable on private property, making microchipping of all dogs compulsory so that their owners can be more easily traced, and making third party insurance compulsory so that victims of dog attacks are financially recompensed. It is hoped that, if enforced properly, these measures could prevent young people from buying "status dogs" because of the additional costs involved. "There is a lot of public concern about dog attacks, including the recent tragic deaths of young children, and about the rise in the number of so-called ‘status dogs’ used to intimidate or threaten people. The Government wants to hear what people think about the law as it stands and what more we might do to protect people from dangerous dogs, while supporting the vast majority of responsible dog owners," said Hilary Benn at the a launch of the consultation. Between 2004 and 2008, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) recorded a 12-fold increase in complaints about dog fights and 900 dogs which are illegal under the Dangerous Dogs Act were seized in London alone in 2009. Under current legislation, some breeds of dog are banned and it is illegal to breed or keep one of these breeds unless a court places it on the Exempted Dog Index which requires the animal to be neutered, tattooed, micro chipped, muzzled and on a lead in public. Extending the current Dangerous Dogs legislation to cover private property where a dog is permitted to be will also help protect people such as postal workers, telecoms engineers, and others whose work often takes them onto private land. View the latest World Pet News every week at PetPeoplesPlace.com. Original Source: http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/news/dogs/uk-considers-compulsory-dog-bite-insurance.htm Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply | Follow me on Facebook, Kathy Shell
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