Dogsey

DUP Assembly Member Peter Weir has questioned the effectiveness of existing legislation governing the rules around dangerous dogs and has said that a further review of the law may be needed. Mr. Weir was speaking after receiving a ministerial reply from DARD Minister Michelle O’Neill to a question he tabled asking for her assessment of the effectiveness of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The Dangerous Dogs Act (1991) is widely regarded as a botched piece of legislation that was rushed through. In the period immediately before the introduction of the law, there were several high profile cases of children being attacked by dogs. The then government, in response to a media firestorm, drove the legislation through Parliament. Ever since the interpretation of the law, particularly around what is and what is not a "pit bull" type dog, has been fraught with difficulty. I believe that greater clarity is called for.