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WHAT EVERY RESPONSIBLE OWNER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW ON YOUR DOGS, AND THE ANIMALS ACT. |
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IDENTITY TAGS The control of dogs order 1992 Mandates that any dog in a public place must wear a collar with the name and address, including the post code of the owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag. Your telephone number is optional but advisable. Most pet shops will do some sort of ID TAG and will engrave it for you. |
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FOULING IN PUBLIC Always pick up after your dog. Don’t allow your dog to foul, foot paths, parks or public places. Local authorities have the power to make it an offence punishable by a fine. Under the clean Neighborhoods and Environments Act 2005, you could be fined up to £1000 if you fail to pick up after your Dog. |
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DANGEROUS DOGS ACT 1991 SECTION 3. It is a criminal offense for the owner and / or the person in charge of the dog, to allow a dog to be DANGEROUSLY out of control in a public place, a place where it is not permitted to be and some other areas. DANGEROUSLY out of control can be defined as if a dog injures someone or there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that may do so. Something as simple as your dog chasing, barking at or jumping up at a person or child could bring a complaint, so ensure that your dog is under control at all times. If your dog injures a person , it may be seized by the police and your penalty may include a prison sentence and / or a ban on keeping dogs. There is also an automatic presumption that your gog will be destroyed unless you can persuade the court that it is not a danger to the public, in witch case it may be subject to control order. You may also have to pay a fine/ compensation and cost. |
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DOGS ACT 1871 It is a civil offence if a dog is dangerous to people or animals and not kept under proper control. Generally regarded as not on a lead nor muzzled. This law can apply wherever the incident happened. The dog can be subject to a control or a destruction order and you may have to pay the costs. |
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DAMAGE ANIMALS ACT 1971 You could be liable for damage caused by your dog under this act or under some degree of negligence. It is highly advisable to have third party liability insurance to cover this, something that is included in most pet and some household insurance policies. |
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THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 1988 It is an offense to have a dog on a designated road without it being held on a lead. Local authorities may have similar bye-laws covering public areas. Dogs traveling in vehicles should not be a nuisance or in any way distract the driver during a journey. If a dog is injured in a car accident, the driver must stop and give there details to the person in charge of the dog. If there is no person in charge of the dog, the incident must be reported to the police within 24 hours. |
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IF YOUR DOG WORRIES LIVESTOCK THE FARMER HAS THE RIGHT TO STOP YOUR DOG AS HE OR SHE SEE’S FIT. |
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DOGS PROTECTION OF LIVESTOCK ACT 1953 Your dog must not worry chase or attack livestock / cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and poultry on agricultural land, so keep your dog on a lead around livestock. If your dog worries livestock, the farmer has the right to stop your dog even by shooting your dog in certain circumstances. |
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NOISE NUISANCE If your dogs barking causes a serious nuisance to neighbors, the local authority can serve a noise abatement notice, witch if unheeded can result in you paying fines and legal expenses. Under the clean neighborhoods and environment act 2005 dog control orders may be invoked by local authorities. Therefore local byelaws may exist to provide that a person may not keep a noisy dog or dogs in any house, building or premises. |
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PROTECTION OF ANIMALS ACT 1911 You are required to provide necessary care and attention to your dog. It is a criminal offence to cause or allow unnecessary suffering to an animal by acts of commission or omission. You are not allowed to cruelly ill-treat, terrify, infuriate, kick, beat, torture or cause unnecessary suffering through transportation to any animal. |
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LOST AND STRAY DOGS If you lose your dog, you should inform and stay in regular contact with the local council, petlog, vets, dog shelters and the police, and put up posters in the area where you lost your dog. Dog wardens are obliged to seize stray dogs. The police have discretionary power to seize stray dogs under the dogs act 1006. They are entitled to charge you fees before they will give you the dog back. If after 7 days the owner of a stray dog has not come forward, the environmental protection act 1990 allows the local authority ( or the police ) to destroy, sell or give the dog to someone else, and the original owners claim to the dog is likely to come to an end. The finder of a stray dog must return it to its owner ( if known ), or take it to the local authority or police although soon only the local authority will receive stray dogs. It is illegal to take a found dog into your home without reporting it to the police first. If you want to retain the dog , this might be allowed, provided you are capable of looking after the dog and agree to keep it for at least 28 days. However the original owener could still have a claim for the dogs return. |
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ABANDONMENT OF ANIMALS ACT 1960 It is an offence to abandon any animal in circumstances likely to cause it unnecessary suffering. In one case the meaning of abandonment was defined as a physical leaving unattended of the animal in circumstances where suffering was likely and where there was sufficient evidence to prove that the defendant had relinquished, wholly disregarded or given up his duty to care for the animal. |
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