New law would be dogged by trouble (From York Press)

New law would be dogged by trouble

10:10am Friday 12th March 2010 in

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Since 1991, the Dangerous Dogs Act has proved difficult to enforce and the dangerous dogs have continued to wreak death and serious injuries on the population.

Figures for 2008 record that approximately 3,800 persons had been admitted to accident and emergency departments with injuries from dogs.

Yet another political initiative threatens a compulsory insurance for dog owners in case their pet injures a member of the public (Hounds facing “Dogbo” orders, The Press, March 9).

Consider the myriad complications this would entail, if ever it were to become a law.

Presumably the owner would need to be old enough to be able to qualify for an insurance (unless mum or dad insured for them).

Each dog would need a “chip” and separate insurance. There will surely be many who could be exempt, such as the disabled, aged or unemployed.

There would, no doubt, be many mitigations though various levels of the courts, with further expenses for solicitors acting for those who dispute their pets’ misdemeanour.

Most painful of all (apart from the dog bites) would be that insurance premiums are taxed, meaning another stealth income for the Treasury’s coffers.

J Beisly, Osprey Close, York.

• Typical of our New Labour Government – it now wants to bring in a law forcing every dog owner to take out an insurance policy so as anyone bitten by a dog can claim compensation from its owner. In theory a not too daft idea, but in practice I know what will happen.

The majority of dog owners are good, law-abiding, decent, responsible folk, and these people would get an insurance policy, even though their dogs were unlikely to attack or bite anyone. The sort of people who keep pit bull terriers and other wild, dangerous, untrained dogs, will in no way change their behaviour, and most certainly will ignore this new law.

It is just the same as with cars: the worst and most dangerously driven cars are owned by the worst type of people, who drive badly and never bother with any insurance cover.

The Government needs to target ruthlessly the minority offenders, alter the bad Dangerous Dogs Act, and stop rushing to legislate even more pointless, unenforceable laws, that only penalise the good members of our “broken society”.

By the way, I have been bitten four times by dogs while out at work.

David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.