Dog owners face competency test

By Stephen Adams Published: 4:38PM GMT twenty-eight February 2010

Photo: Getty

They could additionally be forced to get their pets microchipped and take out third celebration word in box they bit anyone, according to proposals to fight dangerous dogs.

Animal charities welcomed the actuality the Government was starting a review on the issue, roughly twenty years after the at large discredited Dangerous Dogs Act entered the statue book.

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But they warned that obliged dog owners whose pets were rarely doubtful to mistreat any one could finish up being financially penalised to no end, whilst those who lerned dogs to be assertive were expected to omit the measures.

The proposals were summarized in a leaked request rebuilt by officials at the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), patrician Consultation On Dangerous Dogs.

It enclosed the thought of a potentially dear "competency test" creation dog owners infer they had the skills to hoop their animals.

The trusted request settled that there had been "suggestions for a competency exam for all or a little dog owners, same to the pushing speculation test".

However, the paper additionally warned that the cost of substantiating such a intrigue was "likely to be prohibitive".

It would have to be met by possibly charging for the exam or introducing a dog looseness fee.

The proposals come opposite a credentials of rising regard over dangerous dogs. Last Nov John-Paul Massey, a four-year-old Liverpool boy, died after being savaged by the family"s array bull.

The array of philosophy for being in assign of a dangerously out of carry out dog rose from 547 in 2004 to 703 in 2007, according to the ultimate figures.

An RSPCA orator said: "The actuality that it looks similar to the Government is opening a review on this issue is a massively certain thing."

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, that criminialized 4 breeds together with the array bull, was "flawed", he said. Most people saw it as "a knee-jerk reaction" to a array of attacks that generated widespead media coverage at the time.

"It has not solved any issues," he said.

But insane dog owners were expected to omit such measures as imperative competency tests, microchipping and third celebration insurance, he warned.

"Responsible house house house house pet owners would take the exam as they would be compulsory to, but insane house house house house pet owners would be less expected to compensate for it," he said.

"There"s the risk that you will be penalising the obliged house house house house pet owner, and not rebellious those who are the problem."

He additionally asked how "competency" would be dynamic a subject that the Defra paper conceded was formidable to answer.

A improved pill would be to harden up penalties for owners of "anti-social" dogs, he said, so the low mark was seen "as a halt rather than usually a slap on the wrist".

He pronounced the RSPCA thought the law should need that all dogs be microchipped, a perspective common by the Dogs Trust, an additional charity.

Microchipping costs in between �20 and �30, he said.

However, he pronounced microchips were usually in effect if the report on them was kept up to date that again was down to the owner.

A orator for Dogs Trust pronounced it disagreed with any competency test, as one could never be certain that the chairman who incited up to take it would be the dog"s keeper.

She combined that "elderly or vulnerable" people who would have ideally great dog owners competence find receiving the exam difficult, and be poorly stopped from owning a pet.

Defra pronounced it never commented on leaked documents.