Torbay councillor says banning XL Bully dogs "is not the answer"
Cllr Steve Darling - whose guide dog was attacked by a young XL Bully - has written to the Home Secretary
A blind Devon councillor - whose guide dog was attacked by an XL Bully dog - says banning them is not the answer.
It happened a few weeks ago, before the Government said it would ban the breed.
Cllr Steve Darling, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Torbay Council, wants to see more resources for agencies to deal with "bad owners" of all dogs.
He has written to the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, regarding plans to ban American XL Bully dogs:
"The UK Government need to deal with owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control and pose a risk regardless of their breed.
"We need action against XL Bully breeders who are using these dogs for profit. We need more effective enforcement and early interventions - which bring dogs to the attention of law enforcement earlier if there is concern about their behaviour before it escalates.
"We also need to work with people to prevent incidents from happening but in addition to tough sentences to punish and deter those who use dogs to harm other people.
"The law shouldn't focus on certain types of dogs - but instead deal with aggression in all dogs, with the response tailored on a case by case basis. Only then can we properly protect the public and other dogs from aggressive behaviour in all dogs.
"We cannot and should not keep adding dogs to the banned list - we need a fundamental change to the law on dogs acting dangerously to protect the public now and in the future."
It follows an attack on his guide dog Jennie by a young XL Bully last month, in which she received an injury to her neck and was treated by an out of hours veterinary practice.
It took four people to pull the dog off Jennie and luckily when grappling with the dogs, Cllr Darling only received light injuries. He says Jennie is recovering well and "back to her lovely self".
Cllr Darling is also undertaking a survey to vets locally regarding dog attacks to understand the level of the problem in Torbay.
The Government announced last week that American XL Bully dogs will be banned following a series of attacks.
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, a definition of the ‘American XL Bully’ breed type needs to be specified in order to impose a ban.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said: "Dog attacks are devastating for victims and their families and it is clear that more now needs to be done to stop them and protect the public. That is why we are taking decisive action to ban the American XL Bully.
"This is on top of the work the Government has been doing for some time with the police and local authorities to encourage responsible dog ownership and make sure the full force of the law is being applied."