I was delighted today to lead the Westminster Hall debate on e-petition 300561, relating to Breed Specific Legislation.
Owning a dog is one of the most joyous and rewarding things I have ever done and the data is clear that breed is a poor indicator of the likelihood of violence.
The Dangerous Dogs Act came in response to a spate of dog attacks, which it obviously intended to try to reduce. However, judging on the evidence and the discussions that I have been having since the petition reached 100,000 signatures, it is fair to say that the Act was not necessarily based on evidence or science in any great detail.
I hope the Government will commit to reviewing the evidence further and making improvements to the application of the Dangerous Dog Act.
