News In Focus
11 February 2010
"Dog Asbo" bill passes first hurdle
MSPs have supported plans to introduce "dog Asbos" in Scotland to clamp down on irresponsible owners, in the first parliamentary vote on the proposals.
The Control of Dogs Bill would allow councils to impose restrictions on owners who fail to control their pets.
Holyrood's Local Government Committee backed the move, as reported last month, but questioned whether councils would be able to afford to implement the control notices.
The Parliament yesterday voted for the bill at stage 1, which will now go forward to the next stage of scrutiny.
Controls
The backbench bill, brought forward by the SNP's Christine Grahame, could see owners forced to keep their dog on a lead in public or have their dog neutered. It would replace the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which has been criticised as defective as targeting particular breeds and not individual dogs or their owners.
Other measures open to local authorities would include fines of up to £1,000 and requiring irresponsible owners to attend dog control training courses.
Ms Grahame said: "This new legislation will place the onus on the deed and not the breed of the dog, which has caused so much difficulty in England where the legislation remains extremely problematic.
"The legislation I am proposing should improve the behaviour of owners and that should lead to an improvement in the behaviour of their dogs."
Responding to concerns over costs, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the legislation had been designed as a preventative measure, and he did not envisage councils having to issue large numbers of control notices.