Worksop Guardian 15.05.2024
The UK has long been viewed as a nation of animal lovers and man’s best friend brings joy to many. What sometimes lets us down however are the actions of irresponsible dog owners, which is something many people in Worksop have raised with me.
It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere and the law applies to all dogs.
You can report a dog that’s out of control and some types of dogs are banned.
Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it injures someone or makes someone worried that it might injure them.
A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if it attacks someone’s animal or the owner of an animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal.
You can get an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to 6 months (or both) if your dog is dangerously out of control. You may not be allowed to own a dog in the future and your dog may be destroyed.
If you let your dog injure someone you can be sent to prison for up to 5 years or fined (or both). If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with ‘malicious wounding’.
If you allow your dog to kill someone you can be sent to prison for up to 14 years or get an unlimited fine (or both).
If you allow your dog to injure an assistance dog (for example a guide dog) you can be sent to prison for up to 3 years or fined (or both).
In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dog. It’s also against the law to sell a banned dog, abandon a banned dog, give away a banned dog or breed from a banned dog.
In areas covered by Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) you may have to: keep your dog on a lead; put your dog on a lead if told to by a police officer, police community support officer or someone from the council; stop your dog going to certain places - like farmland or parts of a park
limit the number of dogs you have with you (this applies to professional dog walkers too); clear up after your dog; carry a poop scoop and disposable bags.
If you ignore a PSPO, you can be fined £100 on the spot or up to £1,000 if it goes to court.
