The DDA Reform Group
Dogs Trust (then known as the NCDL), as Secretariat to the DDA Reform Group, put constant pressure on the Government to amend the Act. In March 1997 the DDA Amendment Bill was successfully passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords and received Royal Assent. This resulted in the following changes to the 1991 Act, which came into effect in June 1997:
- If a dog owner is charged under Section 1, the court may allow the owner to register their dog, providing it is satisfied that the dog does not constitute a general danger and, if the dog was born before November 1991, that the owner had a good reason for not having registered it before this date. In cases where a destruction order was placed on a dog before the amendments were introduced the destruction order will no longer have effect. The case should be returned to court for the magistrate to consider whether or not to exercise discretion. However, the emphasis remains on destruction.
- If a dog owner is charged under Section 3, the court may exercise discretion as long as it is satisfied that the dog does not constitute a general danger to the public. In cases where a destruction order was placed on a dog before the amendments were introduced, the destruction order will not be carried out. The case should be returned to court, where the magistrate may exercise discretion. As in Section 1 cases there will be a presumption in favour of destruction.
Although Dogs Trust considers these developments to be positive, it does not support or condone breed-specific legislation.
In 2000, the DDA Reform Group’s activities came to an end as there seemed no prospect of further reform at that time.
The Dog Legislation Advisory Group (DLAG)
Following the disbanding of the DDA Reform Group, the Dog Legislation Advisory Group was formed, with the Kennel Club acting as Secretariat. Following Germany’s introduction of punitive breed specific legislation and the UK’s part in the European Union, it became apparent that this type of anti-dog legislation must be monitored and combated, both at European level and worldwide. The DLAG was formed primarily to review all legislation relating to dogs and monitor such breed specific legislation globally, as well as reviewing other issues such as political party manifestos and dog fighting legislation.
The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG)
DLAG has since been re-focused into the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group. DDASG has a very broad membership and has refined a proposal to replace the current legislation with a new Act that is based entirely on how the dog behaves rather than what it looks like. A Bill based on the DDASG proposals is currently proceeding through the Scottish parliament.