Cheaper to kill DDA dogs, says peer

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ANIMAL welfare groups have reacted angrily to a suggestion that dogs seized or held by police under section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) should be put to sleep immediately. Lord (Toby) Harris’ remarks were made at a Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) meeting at which it was revealed that plans to outsource kennelling to the private sector and care of ‘dangerous’ dogs would cost up to £10.6 million over four years.
The number of dogs seized has increased by over 110 per cent in the last three years to 1,152 per annum.
In his blog, Lord Harris, former MPA chairman, said that the ‘quiet going on boring’ meeting of the strategic and operational policing committee ‘burst into life’ when the funds were authorised to provide kennelling for ‘another 400 dogs’ seized under the DDA. He admitted saying that it would be a lot cheaper to shoot the dogs rather than ‘cage’ them while the legal procedures ‘grind their way’ through the court.
“We seem to be spending an enormous amount of money on keeping weapons for other police,” he said.

Fast-track

“Much to my surprise, the sentiment attracted support from other committee members,” he alleged afterwards. “It was agreed that (deputy mayor Kit Malthouse) should write to the new Home Secretary, Theresa May, asking her to agree fast-track culling powers for the police in relation to the animals.
“However, even though everyone knows that the new Con/Lib coalition Government walks on water, it was decided to authorise the money just in case the new powers take a bit of time to come through.”
A record 1,146 dogs were seized in London last year, and 451 held currently in police kennels. The number of dogs seized by police often surges after high-profile incidents such as children being attacked.
Supt Julia Pendry, who was present at the meeting, has been quoted widely as having said at the meeting: “It would be absolutely fantastic if we could destroy these dogs. Unfortunately, it is a criminal offence because the property belongs to other people. Secondly, the RSPCA would probably prosecute me and people like DEFRA and the national press would have a field day if we started killing dogs that were people’s pets.
“However frustrating it is, there is a criminal justice procedure we have to go through.”
The Superintendent told DOG WORLD afterwards that her words needed to be put in context.
“This discussion was about budgeting and kennelling,” she said. “The Metropolitan Police Service was requesting £10.4 million in kennelling fees over four years and it caused an outcry at the meeting. That’s an awful lot of public funds, not including the £2.6 million it costs yearly.
“The average time a dog spends in custody before its case went to court used to be 180 days and we have speeded it up to 70 days, although at the moment it is about 90. The court may decide at the end of it to impose a destruction order, and if the dog stayed on death row awaiting death for, say, six months while appeals and court processes are gone through that can’t be good for the dog.
“And if there is no destruction order, it is not unusual for the dog’s owners not to be there to take the dog back at the end of it, and it is impossible to rehome the dog because it has become institutionalised while in kennels.
“Surely by extending the awfulness for another six to nine months before the dog is put to sleep is no good for the dog. The whole process needs to be speeded up; a resolution needs to be as quick as possible. We have to fast-track these cases so that they can be sorted out by a court in 72 hours.”
She said the 451 dogs the Metropolitan Police had in kennels currently was ‘only scratching the surface’.
Members of the Met’s Status Dogs Unit have been in discussion with Government officials in a bid to redraft the DDA, and DEFRA is currently undertaking a full review of it. The unit raided 300 homes last year to seize suspected dangerous animals and is overseeing 370 outstanding court cases.
A proportion of the imprisoned animals will have been seized under section one of the Act, simply because it is thought they resemble a pit bull type and not because they pose any threat. And many distraught owners will currently be going through the lengthy legal process of bringing the matter to court in a bid to save their dog’s life.

Huge expense

After details of the meeting were publicised, several groups voiced their concerns. Professor Bill Reilly, president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said: “Lord Harris’ comments underline the failure of current legislation on dangerous dogs. He rightly points out that it is a huge expense to taxpayers, but his recommendation that all dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act be euthanased does not address the fundamental problems of breed-specific legislation.
“Thousands of dogs are seized every year and many of them are targeted simply because of the way they look, not because of their behaviour. This means that well-loved and well-trained family pets spend months in police kennels, which can be detrimental to their welfare, only to be returned.
“We need to move to a system that allows the police and other officials to target a dog’s behaviour and its irresponsible owners and this is something the BVA will continue to campaign for.”
Dogs Trust said it was appalled by Lord Harris’ suggestion that dogs should be shot to save the the cost of kennelling them.
“We believe that euthanasia should always be the last resort with any dog,” said the charity’s chief executive Clarissa Baldwin. “We have long campaigned against the DDA. This breed-specific legislation stipulates that the ‘type of dog known as a pit bull terrier’ and three other breed types – Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasiliero – are banned in the UK. Identification of these banned breed types is based on appearance which is an imprecise and discriminatory way of identifying a supposed ‘dangerous dog’. As a result, hundreds of family pets with no history of aggression have been needlessly seized since the introduction of the Act and held at the taxpayer’s expense.
“We believe that the DDA needs to be completely overhauled. The use of dog control orders is a better way of preventing attacks, promoting responsible dog ownership, and will both save money and reduce the unnecessary suffering and destruction of dogs. Early identification of problem dogs and problem owners is the way to better protect the public.”
The RSPCA said it was ‘extremely concerned’ at comments about the suggestion of a ‘blanket euthanasia’ of dogs seized by the Metropolitan Police.
“Approximately 50 per cent of dogs seized under this legislation by the Met are currently returned to their owners without further problems,” a spokesman said. “We would urge the Government to look at implementing a licensing scheme, as we recently suggested. Not only would this help to tackle this issue but it would raise much-needed funds at a local level which could help to improve dog health and welfare more proactively and actually prevent serious incidents from occurring.
“This has been successfully rolled out in other countries and has helped to tackle this very serious issue. A poll carried out for us showed that there is clear support for a licensing scheme from the majority of the public.
“Any suggestion of speeding up the process of dealing with these cases, thereby shortening the time that dogs are kennelled, would be fully supported by us.”
The Blue Cross said it was shocked to hear the suggestion that certain types of dog should be shot to save on kennel costs.

Rightly returned

Chief vet at the charity’s Hammersmith animal hospital, Richard Green, said: “Many dogs seized and kennelled by the police under section one of the DDA have committed no greater offence than looking a certain way. While some may be a danger to the public, many are not, and will be rightly returned to their owners.
“I share Lord Harris’ concerns about the lengthy process for courts to decide the fate of these dogs, not least because kennelling them for protracted periods of time is a serious compromise to their welfare as well as a burden to the public purse. But I fail to see how allowing police to act as judge, jury and summary executioner would in any way improve the current situation.
“I would urge Lord Harris to support these efforts to establish a clearer, fairer, more practical and enforceable legal framework for dealing with dangerous dogs, without the need for a firing squad.”
A PDSA spokesman said: “We feel that the law should focus on social issues, such as why dogs are used as aggressive ‘weapons’ rather than concentrating solely on specific breeds or types of dog.
“It can be a difficult and lengthy process to confirm whether a dog is one of the specified types within the Act, which involves a great deal of police and court time. In addition, after being seized the dog can be kept in kennels for many months. This has serious welfare implications for the dog, as well as being costly for the authorities involved. The police can only act within the law, but looking at ways to speed up the process would cut the associated costs and reduce the distress it must cause to the dogs who are kennelled in isolation for many months.”
“It can be a difficult and lengthy process to confirm whether a dog is one of the specified types within the Act, which involves a great deal of police and court time. In addition, after being seized the dog can be kept in kennels for many months. This has serious welfare implications for the dog, as well as being costly for the authorities involved.
“The police can only act within the law, but looking at ways to speed up the process would cut the associated costs and reduce the distress it must cause to the dogs who are kennelled in isolation for many months.”
DOG WORLD was unable to speak to Lord Harris. A spokesman for the police said: “Our status dog unit provides an immediate 24-hour response to all incidents involving dangerous or potentially-dangerous dogs. They are able to seize dogs when necessary.
“There is a current need for 400 kennel spaces for seized animals. Officers can complete the paperwork needed for the Crown Prosecution Service within 72 hours, however court cases can take some time to conclude.
“The cost is a continuing concern but we have taken measures, including working with a number of other agencies, to streamline processes and reduce costs. The Status Dog Unit plays a vital role in tackling the problem of dangerous dogs and we are committed to finding and prosecuting the irresponsible owners of banned or dangerous dogs. The animals are treated humanely and kept secure while the due process takes place.”