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Lady and 4 dogs Art Deco print-framed
When a dog is off its lead, the owner is the real problem.
By John Cooper QC
The sad demise of Freddie the seal after it was savaged by a barrister’s dog raises the thorny question of pets on leads. Owners’ control over their dogs, or lack of it, is a contentious and volatile issue, played out daily on footpaths, fields and parks up and down the country, and can range from mutual exchanges of suburban frowning to the trading of blows in cornfields.
At its heart is the “My Dog is Friendly” syndrome, which manifests itself like this:” My dog is bouncy and friendly, well-mannered and an utter delight, so I do not see the need to put him/her on a lead. You dog is the problem because it is on a lead. Unfortunately, the dog on the lead sees it rather differently: “I am restrained and cannot properly defend myself from this dog running towards me and threatening me so I will have to respond defensively”.
Result unpleasant scenes between your dog and “My Dog is Friendly” or a dog killing or injuring wildlife.
Dogs off the lead are by definition uncontrolled especially if their ability to respond to command is overwhelmed by the chase instinct. Dog owners amongst us have learnt this the hard way. I wonder if the famous Fenton ever heard his owner shouting at him all those years ago as he blissfully chased a herd of deer?
It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control if it injures someone or makes someone worried that it might injure them. A court might consider a dog is dangerously out of control if it attacks another animal. It’s also an offence if someone is injured trying to separate two fighting animals. Furthermore, it’s a criminal matter if your dog injures livestock.
So, it can hardly be said that the law does not offer a reasonable toolbox for any community police officer to use if they come upon a “My Dog is Friendly” incident. Sadly, few of them seem willing to use the law and regard such clashes as a mere spat between dog owners. The death of Freddie might make them think again. But let’s be clear this has nothing to do with dangerous dogs -it’s dangerous owners who are the problem. Dogs are dogs and do what dogs do. It is up to the owners to understand not only their pets but the world in which they allow them liberty.
John Cooper QC is the owner of Lawrence a rescue lurcher.
