Dogs - The dangerous dogs warning for holiday home owners

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Gary2604
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Dogs - The dangerous dogs warning for holiday home owners

Post by Gary2604 »

Just read the following article, possible food for thought! :

"Tough new laws to tackle irresponsible dog handling could affect dog-friendly holiday homes in England and Wales.

Guests who allow their dogs to behave ‘dangerously out of control’ in a garden or other private place now face longer prison sentences and fines of up to £20,000.

The measures were introduced following the death of teenager Jade Anderson, who was mauled to death by a pack of four “hyper-aggressive” hounds three years ago this month.

A legal loophole previously existed, which prevented Beverley Concannon, the owner of the dogs, from being prosecuted because the tragedy took place on private, rather than on public, property.

The risk of attacks taking place in or around holiday homes is said to be greater than normal because dogs are hardwired to protect a new home and territory, and because more children play outside in summer.

Youngsters are also more inclined to pet, feed or play with ‘new arrivals’ which they haven’t seen before, experts fear.

Owners of holiday homes, guest houses and B&Bs across the country are now being urged to maintain boundary fences and to learn about the new legislation before the summer season begins.

Accommodation owners who have failed to take adequate measures to protect the public from harm – for example, by erecting a suitably high fence or gate - may also be liable under existing civil law up to three years after the incident took place.

Karl Scarr, one of the world’s leading canine behaviourists, said the “vast majority” of people – including those paid to implement it – are clueless about the changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Speaking yesterday Scarr, who lives with more than 150 dogs at an animal sanctuary in Morocco, said victims should report all incidents to the police.

“Police, local councils and even solicitors just don’t have a clue,” he said.

Scarr, the author of ‘Scarr’s Pocket Guide to Canine Diseases’, ‘Scarr’s Pocket Guide to Dogs Aggression’ and ‘Leader of the Pack’, said owners of holiday homes should be especially cautious if they welcome dogs because they could be sued under the Dogs Act 1871 if an incident occurred on their property.

“The majority of dog bites involve children, primarily because their body language can be confusing to dogs,” he said.

“Children tend to seek close facial contact with dogs, which many animals find threatening. Children are also loud and playful, which could excite an otherwise placid dog into behaviour that could be threatening.”

Under the Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, an extension of the Dangerous Dogs Act, there are severe punishments for owners who were responsible for the dog at the time of the incident.

Dog owners will now not only face longer prison sentences for the actions of their animals, they will also be liable for prosecution regardless of where an attack takes place.

A dog does not have to bite to be prosecuted under the act. It is now an offence if a person is simply worried that a dog might do so.

It means that anyone who feels threatened by a dog when they walk past a fence or enter a garden could bring criminal proceedings.

The Dangerous Dog Act misleadingly suggests this is a law only applying to certain breeds of dogs - most famously the banned Pit Bull. In fact it is a law that has always applied to all owners and all dog breeds, regardless of size.

Incidents can be reported to police up to three years after an incident took place.

Additional measures were also introduced in 2014. These include giving police and local authorities extra powers to deal with irresponsible owners by demanding that they take preventative action.

If a complaint is made about a dog to the council or police, its owners could be ordered to attend dog training classes, muzzle the animal, or repair or erect fencing to safeguard the public.

They could also be slapped with a Community Protection Notice, and see their pet put down.

The aim is to protect postal workers, utility providers and neighbours from feeling afraid, being threatened or otherwise coming into contact with an aggressive dog."
kg1
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Post by kg1 »

Crumbs. What will we be responsible for next? Food for thought. Thank you.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Methinks the Wakefield Express need a new editor, reporter and teaboy. :roll:
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PW in Polemi
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Re: Dogs - The dangerous dogs warning for holiday home owner

Post by PW in Polemi »

Gary2604 wrote:...A dog does not have to bite to be prosecuted under the act. It is now an offence if a person is simply worried that a dog might do so.

It means that anyone who feels threatened by a dog when they walk past a fence or enter a garden could bring criminal proceedings....

Incidents can be reported to police up to three years after an incident took place...
So yesterday I walked nonchalantly down the pavement and Fido rushed towards the gate that keeps him safely enclosed within the garden, barking and wagging his tail, merely hoping for some attention - but if I don't understand doggy behaviour or if I am already scared of dogs, I will be worried that Fido might escape and bite me, so I now have 3 whole years in which to decide whether to bring criminal proceedings against Fido's owners, when Fido (and his owners) did nothing wrong. :roll:

This legislation is extremely heavy-handed - and I'm a cat lover, not a doggy person! I suppose this means fewer people will be prepared to take dogs....
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

It's rather shocking that a small regional news article can reach the masses so quickly as I've seen it shared elsewhere too. Who is urging holiday home owners to maintain their boundary fences etc I wonder, according to this article?

I gather this is based on changes in the law dating from 2014, so old news anyway presented in a very biased fashion. If it really was a genuine concern then EASCO, the professional body representing self catering owners in England would have alerted its members by now. I have no recall of such, so this looks like a scaremongering type of article.
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

According to several sources, holiday home owners and those with interest in the dog world:

The change is that prosecutions can now take place in relation to an incident on private property, however the people who would be prosecuted are the keeper(s) of the dog or the person in whose care it was at the time of the incident, rather than the owner of the property where an incident took place according to leading lawyer Trevor Cooper.

Someone who wrote the original dangerous dog policy for his Police Force confirmed this article is rubbish.

As mentioned by greenbarn, the original source of this article is The Wakefield Express.
Last edited by Nemo on Wed Apr 06, 2016 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
RichardHenshall
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Post by RichardHenshall »

Was it an April Fool?
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

RichardHenshall wrote:Was it an April Fool?
That was my first thought!

It seems to be a sort of O-Level journalism exercise: take one fact, ie that owners of dogs are now responsible if their dog attacks someone in a private place, and blow it out in as many unlikely or bizarre directions as possible.
But remember, it was brought to everyone's attention exclusively in the Wakefield Express.
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Post by Marks »

A chihuahua once looked at me in a funny way. I believe I am entitled to compensation. I will submit my claim shortly and if I don't get anything I shall run to the Daily Mail where a reporter, who once trained at the Wakefield Express, will tell the world how traumatised I am, how my life is in ruins and that I am out of work and on benefits as a result. They will publish photos of my "Daily Mail sad face" and a stock photo of a ferocious looking chihuahua and mention how much my house is worth :wink:

Unless you read the Daily Mail online most of this won't make any sense
Some guests just need a sympathetic pat. On the head. With a hammer.
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Post by Ecosse »

Marks wrote:A chihuahua once looked at me in a funny way. I believe I am entitled to compensation. I will submit my claim shortly and if I don't get anything I shall run to the Daily Mail where a reporter, who once trained at the Wakefield Express, will tell the world how traumatised I am, how my life is in ruins and that I am out of work and on benefits as a result. They will publish photos of my "Daily Mail sad face" and a stock photo of a ferocious looking chihuahua and mention how much my house is worth :wink:

Unless you read the Daily Mail online most of this won't make any sense
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Gary2604
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Post by Gary2604 »

Yes...all sounded a bit bizarre to me but I guess we will not know for sure until someone ends up in court defending the height of the fence that their guests dog managed to leap over!

Really is it any different from stating that your property accepts children......and then one takes a tumble down the stairs......you should have known that was going to happen :roll:
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Post by booboo »

e-richard
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Post by e-richard »

Marks wrote:Unless you read the Daily Mail online most of this won't make any sense
Damm, my secret is out. It made sense to me.
** Richard
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greenbarn
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Re: Dogs - The dangerous dogs warning for holiday home owner

Post by greenbarn »

There's no question there's been changes in the DDA (two years ago), the sensationalist stuff was this quote:
Owners of holiday homes, guest houses and B&Bs across the country are now being urged to maintain boundary fences and to learn about the new legislation before the summer season begins.

Accommodation owners who have failed to take adequate measures to protect the public from harm – for example, by erecting a suitably high fence or gate - may also be liable under existing civil law up to three years after the incident took place.
Is there anything to support those bizarre claims in the NAWT advice?
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Post by booboo »

You are 100% correct Greenbarn, there is nothing there to state that!
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