Petition for overhaul of dog laws
An e-petition has been set up calling on the Government to enact legislation to close a loophole in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Under the law as it presently stands, there is no mechanism of redress for attacks which occur on private property. It is hoped that the petition, which currently has over 9,000 signatures, will lead to new legislation in the Queen's Speech amending the law to close the loophole.
The petition is part of the Communications Worker's Union's 'Bite Back' campaign, which was launched after growing concern about attacks on postal workers and telecommunications workers. Due to the nature of postal deliveries and telecommunications work, the Union's members are often obliged to enter private property where dogs are present. The CWU has estimated that approximately 5,000 postal workers and approximately 400 telecommunications workers are attacked by domestic animals each year, and some of these incidents have led to grievous injury.
Commenting, the CWU's Health, Safety and Environment Officer David Joyce said, "It's outrageous that hard-working and conscientious people, providing a whole range of vital public services have been, effectively, treated the same as criminal trespassers by the law. We desperately need new laws to protect victims and promote responsible dog ownership to prevent attacks taking place."
The e-petition can be found at the Government's e-petitions website.
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