What crime with the poor dog

Dangerous dogs are increasingly linked to worrying and persistent trends in antisocial behaviour, and so it's no surprise that so many of us up and down the country are concerned about the problem. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, together with the RSPCA and Blue Cross have called for an urgent and overdue review of the existing failing dog legislation. Maybe, just maybe, with the recent appointment of Lord Taylor of Holbeach as the new government minister there could be a glimmer of hope that we will see some effective action.



Lord Taylor has promised to make any future legislation effective and enforceable in tackling the dangerous dogs issues that are so concerning us all. But as the problems around irresponsible dog ownership, stray and dangerous dogs intensify, and budgets get tight or, in the case of some local authorities disappear altogether, it may not be long before there is another serious dog attack on a member of the public, or even a young child.

This is not scaremongering. It is a sad but inescapable fact that a minority of people still continue to treat dogs irresponsibly, use them for the wrong things and care only about their personal status in their community or peer group. Battersea is on the frontline dealing with the repercussions of dog issues, as on average 17 stray, abandoned, abused, or dangerous dogs come through our doors every day.

We are the first to pick up the pieces for these dogs, but the pressures on us, as well as the police and local authorities, are mounting. For more than 150 years we have stood by our founding mission to aim never to turn away a dog or cat in need of our help. But as the stray and dangerous dog problem gets worse, our work becomes harder and harder.

What many people may not realise is Battersea takes in every type of dog, and not just those that are easy to rehome. So inevitably more and more of the dogs coming into the charity's rehoming centres have been so badly abused, or trained to be a dangerous "weapon" that it's too late to help them. Some of these dogs can't possibly be safely rehomed, and sadly we have to put them to sleep. At least most people recognise that the harsh reality is this is the only responsible option.

This is predominantly an urban problem and, like us, many of our local authority partners are struggling to cope with the growing stray and dangerous dogs problem. They are legally bound to accept stray dogs off the street when a dog is first spotted or brought to them but severe budget cuts mean they are having to put to sleep perfectly friendly and healthy stray dogs, before they ever reach rescue centres such as Battersea. And more and more strays remain on the street, presenting a potential risk to the public. Battersea is working with local authorities to help find solutions. We're encouraging them to share their kennelling costs with neighbouring local boroughs, but there is only so much we can do.

It would be simplistic to say these problems will go away if only the government would put its hand in its pocket and support inner city local authorities. But Lord Taylor must now take the lead and develop a national strategy to tackle dog control problems. If stray dog services were given a higher priority, we wouldn't have as many of the dog problems we see on our streets today.