Asbos for Fido 'are barking up wrong tree'

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 21:30

PLANS to introduce "dog Asbos" would result in councils being inundated with complaints, MSPs were warned yesterday.

The National Dog Warden Association (NDWA) claimed the proposal to crack down on irresponsible owners would create more work and extra costs for councils.

A member's bill presented by SNP MSP Christine Grahame aims to change the law on the control of dogs. It proposes a system of dog-control notices, or animal Asbos, that would allow councils to impose measures on dog owners if they have failed to keep their pets under control.

But Dennis Hearsum, of the NDWA, told Holyrood's local government committee: "You will get a lot more work coming through the door.

"Once people know local authorities are in a position to do something about an unruly dog, or a perceived unruly dog, or something which they perceive to cause them apprehension, the complaints are going to come flooding in."

He said that, because of the measures in the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, "lots of people" could challenge dog-control notices in court.

"That's when the costs start to go up as well," he said. "If you're having officers sitting about waiting for a court case to come up and then to give their evidence, that's more money on top of the admin costs."

He added: "The councils don't have the money for that at the moment."

As well as establishing dog-control notices, Ms Grahame's bill would allow for a local authority to apply to a court to have a dog destroyed if it considers the animal to be out of control and dangerous.

Mr Hearsum insisted this ought not to apply when a dog attacks an intruder. "It should be made very clear that a dog which bites someone who is burgling a house should not be subject to this," he said.

The bill has been tabled in response to a rising number of dog attacks. Over the past decade, the number of attacks in Scotland has risen from 239 to 623.

If passed, the bill would extend the liability of a dog owner where their animal is dangerously out of control to cover all places.

But Ms Grahame disputed Mr Hearsum's analysis, claiming councils would have to issue only about three control notices per month.

She said: "My bill will lead to savings by firstly identifying and managing the behaviour of dogs that are out of control and before they attack someone, and secondly it will reduce the associated court and NHS costs that result from often horrific dog attacks."