FAO STEVE

Hey Steve. My mate hasn't got back to me yet about that lost and found, but as soon as he does, I'll let you know.
I wanted to ask you, would it be ok to post this somewhere and have it as a sticky because almost every other day, I see people complaining about irresponsible owners. If its no good, then just delete this post

Anyway, here is the post I wanna put up.

Irresponsible owners

I see on here almost every other day that there are irresponsible owners that don’t care what their dogs get up to. Situations where, a loose dog comes running up to you and you fear for yours or your dogs safety. Then, when you confront the owner, he has the cheek to tell you where to go.
So I have been doing a bit of research and have come up with a few things.

On Direct.gov.uk there is a section about dogs and it says,

Direct.gov.uk wrote:It is an offence to allow a dog of any type or breed to be dangerously out of control.

Direct.gov.uk wrote:What is 'out of control'?
Your dog is dangerously out of control if it:
-injures a person, or
-behaves in a way that makes a person worried that it might injure them - even if it's the dog owner's own home or garden.

I also found this on legislation.gov.uk

legislation.gov.uk Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Section 10 Subsection 10 Paragraph 2 wrote: For the purposes of this Act a dog shall be regarded as dangerously out of control on any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not it actually does so.

legislation.gov.uk Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Section 10 Subsection 3 Paragraph 1 wrote:If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place—
(a)the owner; and
(b)if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog, is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

I also found this on thekennelclub.org.uk

thekennelclub.org.uk wrote:The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005
Under this Act, you could be fined up to £1,000 for breaching dog control orders. Local authorities can make orders for standard offences including: failing to remove dog faeces, not keeping a dog on a lead, not putting and keeping a dog on a lead when directed to do so, permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded and taking more than a specified number of dogs on to land.

So, if a loose dog is running towards you and you don’t know if it is safe or not, it is classed as a dangerous dog and the owner could be fined up to £1000.

I'm not going to go into what you should do if a dog runs at you, have a look at the end of this post. There are a few links to sites that describe what you should do. But, what you need to do, is have a camera and phone with you. Try to get some pictures. Better still, try to get some video footage. But only if you think it is safe to do so.

If you are confronted by the owner and he/she gives you grief about it, or asks why you are taking pictures of their dog, tell them that you are reporting them to the police and local dog warden because they have broken the law under Section 10 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and Section 55 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. Then hand them this letter and tell them that they will be contacted soon.

A responsible dog owner wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam
You have been given this letter because you have broken several laws and you will be reported to the local police the local dog warden and the local council.

I would like to point out the laws that you have broken.

Section 10 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Subsection 10 Paragraph 2
For the purposes of this Act a dog shall be regarded as dangerously out of control on any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not it actually does so, but references to a dog injuring a person or there being grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will do so do not include references to any case in which the dog is being used for a lawful purpose by a constable or a person in the service of the Crown.

Subsection 3 Paragraph 1
If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place—
(a)the owner; and
(b)if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog, is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

Section 55 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
Paragraph 3
For the purposes of this Chapter an offence relates to the control of dogs if it relates to one of the following matters—
(a)fouling of land by dogs and the removal of dog faeces;
(b)the keeping of dogs on leads;
(c)the exclusion of dogs from land;
(d)the number of dogs which a person may take on to any land.

Yours Faithfully
A responsible dog owner

I'm pretty sure that the owner will back down. But still, report the incident anyway because it could happen again on another day, or to someone else.

Here are a few links that will be of use.

Find your local police station and get their telephone number. Save it on your mobile as a speed dial or somewhere easy to find.
http://www.police.uk/

This is a list for pretty much all of the UK’s dog wardens. If yours is not on there, try to find the nearest one to you, give them a call and see who is your local warden. Then, save this number as well.
http://www.luton.gov.uk/internet/environment/animal_welfare/dog%20warden%20services/dogwarden.html

Dangerous Dogs Act
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/InYourHome/AnimalsAndPets/Dogs/DG_180008
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/contents
The bits I used
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/section/3
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/section/10
Here is a PDF of the Dangerous Dogs Act
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/pdfs/ukpga_19910065_en.pdf

The Kennel Club Dog Law
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1052

Here is some info on what to do if you are attacked by a dog, or think you might be attacked.
http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-a-Dog-Attack
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6227497.stm
http://leerburg.com/dogattack.htm

post it in the staffy chat and i will sticky it

cool. Cheers