Dangerous By Design? Evidencing Alternative Approaches to Responding to ‘Dangerous’ Dogs.

• In Event: Green Criminology #4 - Animal rights and animal welfare

Abstract

The global popularity of dogs as companion animals identifies this interspecies relationship as exceptional when compared to other nonhuman animals. According to estimates, their popularity has increased considerably in the past five years. Simultaneously, dog ownership is a growing public health and safety issue and animal welfare concern, with nuisance and dangerous dog behaviour a pressing political and social agenda in the UK and elsewhere. Finding the right balance between public protection, animal welfare, and harmonious shared public spaces for dog owners and the rest of the community is a significant challenge. For UK dog owners, their responsibilities are outlined in various legislation. Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended) includes the prohibition of five dog breeds (known as Breed Specific Legislation [BSL]), placing the emphasis on the dog’s appearance, rather than their behaviour or that of their owners. Despite the UK Governments’ recognising the need to foster responsible dog ownership, recent dog attacks and fatalities have, again, promoted a move to enhance BSL. This approach has been extremely divisive. On one hand, it is viewed as an essential enforcement tool for protecting the public from the dogs perceived to be the most dangerous. Conversely, academic and other research suggests it is not effective at reducing dog bites and is incongruent with good dog welfare.
Drawing on a scoping review of dog control legislation in 45 counties and analysis of five case studies (involving a literature review and/or empirical qualitative data collection), this paper examines the efficacy of UK BSL dog control policy in line with what we know about the causes of, and approaches to dog bite reduction elsewhere. The paper highlights dog bite causes are multifactorial, and there are many ways to respond to the complexities and nuance of dog bites and safeguard dog welfare.

Authors

• Jennifer Ann Maher, University of South Wales

• Sam Gaines, RSPCA