24th
August 2006
Time for Action on Dangerous Attack Dogs
– McNeil
It is time for Ministers to examine the
case for adding vicious Japanese Akitas to the list of dogs banned in the UK,
says MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil.
Mr
McNeil made the call after meeting the parents of six-year-old Stephen McAllion,
who was savaged by one of the powerful dogs while riding his bike near his home.
He
said:
“Under
the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, certain types of dogs bred for fighting – the Pit
Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero – are banned.
But the Japanese Akita, which has a record of attacking children as long
as your arm, is not.
“I
believe this is a dangerous gap in the law and I will be calling on the
appropriate Ministers to investigate how many people have been attacked by
Akitas and whether these dogs should be added to the list of banned types in the
UK.”
Mr
McNeil also warned that the law as it stands could see the dog which attacked
Stephen put down:
“It is an offence under the
1991 Act for an owner of any type or breed of dog to allow it to be dangerously
out of control in a public place. Further,
if an out of control dog injures anyone, it is an aggravated offence under the
Act.
“Indeed, in May I read
about a court ordering an Akita to be destroyed after it attacked a
nine-year-old girl and scarred her for life. The owner was also ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to her
dog’s victim.
“I understand that a police
investigation has been launched into this tragic case and I look forward to its
outcome.”
ENDS
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