Replace Breed Specific Legislation with a new statutory framework
118,641 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 11 March 2020; it closed on 11 September 2020. The Government responded on 17 April 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 5 July 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Replace Breed Specific Legislation with a new statutory framework
Breed Specific Legislation fails to achieve what Parliament intended, to protect the public. It focuses on specific breeds, which fails to appreciate a dog is not aggressive purely on the basis of its breed. It allows seizure of other breeds, but the rules are not applied homogeneously by councils.
We need a system that focuses on the aggressive behaviour of dogs, and the failure of owners to control their dog, rather than the way a dog looks. Reconsider a licensing system. The framework must be applied by local authorities the same, whereas currently some destroy dogs with no court order. It must be much more strictly controlled than it is currently. The system needs to be fairer for all, dogs and humans. We are touched by cases of people committing suicide over the current system.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 17 April 2020; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:
The Government considers that prohibition on the four types of fighting dog under Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 should remain in place. This is supported by police who are responsible for enforcing the Act.
The opening 280 words of the 544-word response:
The law on dangerous dogs is concerned with protecting the safety of the public. The four types of dog, pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro are prohibited because they are types bred for fighting. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 states that no person shall give away, breed or breed from, sell, or exchange a prohibited dog. However, the law allows a person to keep an individual dog where a court has considered that it does not present a danger to public safety. The court must consider the temperament of the dog and whether the intended keeper is a “fit and proper person” and other matters such as suitability of accommodation. Dogs placed on the Index of Exempted dogs may be kept by the owner under strict conditions, including that the dog is neutered, microchipped and kept on a lead and muzzled in public. There are currently around 3,000 dogs where a court has granted an exemption and allowed them to stay with their owner.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 also makes it an offence to allow a dog of any breed or type to become dangerously out of control in any place. The maximum penalty for this offence is 14 years imprisonment, where the offence has led to a death and 5 years imprisonment where someone is injured.
Enforcers are able to take action before dog attacks happen. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes specific measures to enable the police and local authorities to tackle irresponsible dog ownership before a dog attack occurs. Practitioners can intervene at an early stage to help to prevent situations involving irresponsible owners of dogs from becoming serious.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 466, came from Wansbeck.
117,312 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,329 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Wansbeck | 466 |
| York Central | 428 |
| Hastings and Rye | 379 |
| Bassetlaw | 378 |
| Wellingborough | 374 |
| Harlow | 365 |
| Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford | 355 |
| Corby | 349 |
| Birkenhead | 343 |
| Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 341 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 16,078 |
| North West | 14,731 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 11,389 |
| South West | 10,449 |
| West Midlands | 10,336 |
| East of England | 10,123 |
| Scotland | 10,079 |
| East Midlands | 9,304 |
| North East | 7,060 |
| London | 6,922 |
| Wales | 5,959 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,873 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 5 July 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/300561.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
82ad831b3d7764b2… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.