New Ƶ President calls for animal welfare alongside client choice to be at the heart of CMA recommendations
26 Sep 2024
15 Sep 2023
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The Dog Control Coalition, of which Ƶ is a member, has issued a statement following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plans to urgently define and ban American XL Bully dogs.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to define and ban American XL Bully dogs following recent tragic incidents, terming them a “danger to our communities”.
His statement comes after the death of a man in Staffordshire yesterday, following an incident allegedly involving two XL Bullies, in a week that also saw an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham injured by the same breed type. These are the latest in a number of recent cases of dog aggression in which members of the public, or their pets, have sadly suffered injuries, or, in some tragic cases, died.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement, a spokesperson from the Dog Control Coalition, of which the Ƶ is a member, said:
“The recent incidents are deeply distressing and our thoughts are with all those involved and affected.
“The biggest priority for everyone involved is to protect the public - but banning the breed will sadly not stop these types of incidents recurring.
“For 32 years, the Dangerous Dogs Act has focused on banning types of dog and yet has coincided with an increase in dog bites and the recent deaths show that this approach isn’t working. The UK Government must tackle the root issue by dealing with the unscrupulous breeders, who are putting profit before welfare, and the irresponsible owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control.
“The coalition urges the Prime Minister to work with them to fully understand the wide-reaching consequences of his decision to ban American bully XLs, which will have significant impacts on owners, the animal welfare sector, vets, law enforcement and the public.
“It is also critical that any policy designed to protect public safety is based on robust evidence and we are deeply concerned about the lack of data behind this decision and its potential to prevent dog bites.”
ճ comprises Battersea, Blue Cross, Ƶ, Dogs Trust, The Kennel Club, RSPCA, Scottish SPCA and Hope Rescue.
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