Repeal the current Dangerous Dogs Act and replace with new framework
107,099 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 12 October 2022; it closed on 12 April 2023. The Government responded on 24 January 2023. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 27 November 2023.
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.
Repeal the current Dangerous Dogs Act and replace with new framework
We want the Government to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act and replace it with legislation that focuses on early intervention to prevent dog bites and tackle dog-related issues regardless of breed or type, based solely on their behaviour.
The Government commissioned a steering group to provide advice on policies aimed at reducing dog attacks and promoting responsible ownership of dogs. However, their report is not due until next year.
In view of shocking and tragic events that continue to result from the current legislation, urgent action is required NOW, in the interest of public safety and the welfare of dogs. Organisations involved in the Government's steering group oppose Breed Specific Legislation and agree breed is not a prediction of aggressive behaviour. We believe the current legislation is enabling more fatalities and failing to prevent the dog attack trend. It needs repeal immediately.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 24 January 2023; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:
We currently have no plans to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. We are considering improvements to the existing legal framework through the Responsible Dog Ownership working group.
The opening 379 words of the 743-word response:
We recognise that dog attacks can have horrific consequences, and we take this issue very seriously.
We recognise that some people are opposed to the prohibitions placed on the four types of dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. However, the Government must balance the views of those who want to repeal or amend breed specific legislation with our responsibility to ensure that the public is properly protected from dog attacks. We currently have no plans to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and replace it with a new legal framework.
Simply repealing the breed specific provisions contained in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 with no other changes may increase the risks to public safety, which the Government is unwilling to do. Any changes to current legislation would require careful consideration to ensure that public safety remains at the heart of the regime.
The existing legal framework equips the police and local authorities with appropriate powers to tackle dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog.
Under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (“the 1991 Act”), it is an offence to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control in any place. For the purposes of the 1991 Act, this includes any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that the dog in question will injure someone, whether or not it actually does so. The maximum penalty for such an offence is fourteen years’ imprisonment if it results in the death of a person; five years in the case of injury; three years if it is an attack on an assistance dog and six months where no injury is caused to a person.
Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 allows a complaint to be made to a Magistrates’ court where a dog is “dangerous and not kept under proper control”. The court may make any Order it considers appropriate, to require the owner to keep the dog under proper control, or if necessary, that it be destroyed.
Additionally, the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes specific powers to enable the police and local authorities to tackle irresponsible dog ownership. These powers can help prevent situations involving irresponsible owners of dogs becoming more serious by facilitating intervention earlier on.
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, 928, came from Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire.
106,162 of the signatures were from the UK and 937 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | 928 |
| Torfaen | 542 |
| Preseli Pembrokeshire | 533 |
| Isle of Wight | 435 |
| Havant | 424 |
| Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | 400 |
| Redcar | 390 |
| Bootle | 386 |
| Barrow and Furness | 357 |
| Knowsley | 357 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 15,202 |
| South East | 13,004 |
| South West | 10,289 |
| East of England | 9,412 |
| Scotland | 9,305 |
| Wales | 8,897 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8,691 |
| West Midlands | 8,488 |
| East Midlands | 8,190 |
| North East | 6,509 |
| London | 5,309 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,872 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 27 November 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/624876.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
c3a4cb511aac4e32… - 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.