Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthousesaw for himself the impact the growth in weapon dogs is having in the capital during a visit to the RSPCA’s Harmsworth Animal Hospital. He met staff at the frontline dealing with horrific injuries caused by dog attacks and heard how they were often treating two or three dogs a day with these wounds.
Kit Malthouse reiterated his calls for a change in the current dangerous dogs legislation, highlighting how the existing law is failing to tackle the issues associated with the growing weapon dogs problem in London.
Addressing the proliferation of weapon dogs in London is a key priority for the Mayor as part of his pledge to reduce crime and make London safer for all. As well as animal welfare issues such as attacks on family pets by dangerous dogs, a key concern is the use of dogs in gang fights and criminal activity such as dog fighting and illegal breeding. An on-going problem is the ownership of ‘status’ dogs by increasing numbers of young people in London who think that having a particular breed of dog makes them look ‘tough’.
The visit comes two days ahead of the Second Reading in the House of Lords of Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill. The current legislation does not cover attacks by dangerous dogs on other dogs or cats or attacks that take place on private property. Kit Malthouse is also calling for stiffer penalties for those that own a weapon dog in line with gun or knife possession.
In order to tackle the problem, the Met Police and the Mayor’s Office established the Status Dogs Unit (SDU), a specialised arm of the Met tasked with dealing with dangerous dogs. Since the Unit was set up in March 2009, the team has seized 1,520 dangerous dogs. This equates to over 33 times as many dogs seized by the police in 2009/10 compared to five years ago, when 35 dogs were seized. The Unit has carried out 361 warrants where people are suspected of breeding illegal dogs, dog fighting or using dogs in anti-social behaviour and taken part in 500 examinations at animal welfare organisations.
Nationally, between 2004 and 2009, the RSPCA saw a nearly 9-fold increase in reports of dog fighting. In one month alone in the last year, 22 dogs were brought into the RSPCA’s Harmsworth Hospital for treatment for wounds sustained from dog attacks.
Kit Malthouse said: ‘We have been campaigning hard and lobbying Parliament for changes to the current law because it just doesn’t go far enough to tackle the issue. We want stiffer penalties and the Act extended to cover attacks on private land. Certain breeds are used as weapons and should be treated as weapons, carrying the same penalties as a gun or a knife. Unless legislation is toughened up, London’s streets will not be safe from these weapons.
‘It is also important to identify the animal welfare issues associated with growing numbers of weapon dogs. I have received countless letters and emails from people across London saying that their family pet has been attacked and in some cases brutally maimed. The maltreatment of dogs by owners is also a big problem which can lead to dogs being dumped once they are no longer of use in dog fighting or for breeding. This leads to millions in kennelling costs. I welcome the RSPCA’s preventative approach and recognise the hard work they are doing here to help maltreated and injured dogs’.
David Grant, Hospital Director at Harmsworth, said: ‘It is a depressing thought that these dogs come into Harmsworth and other veterinary hospitals day in, day out. However, with a concerted effort from all the agencies – the police, local authorities, housing providers, the RSPCA and other animal welfare charities – it is possible to begin to tackle these problems.
‘With a targeted approach that supports genuine owners and tackles those who do not care for their dogs, it should be possible to at least begin to control the numbers of dogs being used for the wrong reasons and, in the longer term, hopefully change public attitudes towards these dogs and dog ownership in general.’
