The law in the UK has to change to better recognise that dogs are sentient beings, not possessions. Currently, there is no legal power if a dog attacks, injures or even kills another dog unless a human being feared for their own safety or was injured. This is wrong, not only because of the obvious cruelty caused to the injured animal but to the family left to deal with the consequences or left behind. We love our dogs, they are family, NOT property.

There is a wealth of scientific evidence that dogs form loving attachments towards people more akin to parents and children than property and owner. We have caused the genetic changes that ultimately led to dogs loving us and we have a moral responsibility that comes with that power. Anyone who has loved a dog will understand the devastation that is caused when they are attacked or killed by other dogs and the lifelong impact on welfare these attacks can have. Deaths, thankfully, are rare, but injuries are not. And in any case one death is a death too many.

People who love their dogs and are responsible will be prepared to be accountable and explain the steps they take to protect others. If a dog is known to be aggressive towards other dogs they should be under appropriate control, which could include being muzzled, on a lead and the owner seeking the help of a qualified trainer or behaviourist, for their own dog’s welfare and the welfare of others. Neither the aggressive dog, nor the owner, are necessarily to blame, but the owners ARE responsible for the safety of other dogs if they know their own dog poses a risk to others.  
The solution to dog aggression towards other dogs is complex and unlikely to be ‘one size fits all’. It’s not for me to dictate what that solution looks like, proper consultation is needed with other experts.

This isn’t to vilify owners with aggressive dogs and make them feel worse than they already do, and those dogs certainly matter too. It’s to break the cycle of dogs being attacked, becoming aggressive and attacking others, somehow, by making the owners that are not as responsible as they should be accountable. We know that dogs think and feel, and they deserve more recognition in our society than a pair of shoes. Our relationship with them matters too, the depth of the bond between us needs recognition and if a dog is seriously injured or killed ‘it doesn’t count’ isn’t good enough. 

The UK petition committee is currently closed after the general election but if we gather enough signatures (10,000) the government will respond when the petition committee reassembles.