To be a responsible Dog/Rottweiler owner in the UK, you must know the UK law applied to dog ownership.
By not knowing or knowingly breaking the law ,you could potentially cost your dog its life.
The law is there to protect the public, yourself and your dog. I have listed some of the Acts & Policies in place in the UK as of 2009, I will update them as new ones are bought in.
A lot of these Laws have been developed as a results of reckless and unresponsible dog ownership. Do not allow your dog to become a statistic,be a " Good Citizen" Respect others space, make yourself aware of these laws, follow them and be responsible for yours and your dogs behaviour. Do not give the government an excuse to add our beautiful breed to the Dangerous Dogs Act.If you ever find yourself in a position where you need legal advice regarding you dog,please contact Trevor Cooper on www.doglaw.co.uk .
Click onto each ACT to see the full text .
Dogs Act 1871
It is a civil offence if a dog is dangerous (to people or animals) and not kept under proper control (generally regarded as not on a lead nor muzzled). This law can apply wherever the incident happened. The dog can be subject to a control or a destruction order and you may have to pay costs.
As a dog owner, you should be aware of laws which affect you and your dog.
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953
Your dog must not worry (chase or attack) livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and poultry) on agricultural land, so keep your dog on a lead around livestock. If your dog worries livestock, the farmer has the right to stop your dog (even by shooting your dog in certain circumstances).
Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
Anyone boarding animals as a business (even at home) needs to be licensed by the local authority.
Animals Act 1971
You could be liable for damage caused by your dog under this Act or under some degree of negligence. It is highly advisable to have third party liability insurance to cover this, something that is included in most pet and some household insurance policies.
The Road Traffic Act 1988
It is an offence to have a dog on a designated road without it being held on a lead. Local authorities may have similar bye-laws covering public areas. Dogs travelling in vehicles should not be a nuisance or in any way distract the driver during a journey.
If a dog is injured in a car accident, the driver must stop and give their details to the person in charge of the dog. If there is no person in charge of the dog, the incident must be reported to the police within 24 hours.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
It is a criminal offence (for the owner and/or the person in charge of the dog) to allow a dog to be ‘dangerously out of control’ in a public place, a place where it is not permitted to be, and some other areas. A ‘dangerously out of control’ dog can be defined as a dog that has injured someone or a dog that a person has grounds for reasonable apprehension that it may do so.
Something as simple as your dog chasing, barking at or jumping up at a person or child could lead to a complaint, so ensure that your dog is under control at all times.
If your dog injures a person, it may be seized by the police and your penalty may include a prison sentence and/or a ban on keeping dogs. There is also an automatic presumption that your dog will be destroyed (unless you can persuade the court that it is not a danger to the public, in which case it may be subject to a control order). You may also have to pay a fine, compensation and costs. The following breeds are banned under the Dangerous Dog Act:-
American Pit Bull Terriers, Fila Brasiliero, Dogo Argentino and Japanese Tosa.
Please Note the Rottweiler is NOT mentioned as a banned breed on the DDA ,Please help us keep it that way
The Control of Dogs Order 1992
This mandates that any dog in a public place must wear a collar with the name and address (including postcode) of the owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag. Your telephone number is optional (but advisable).
Animal Welfare Act 2006(PDF)
The Animal Welfare Act introduced on April 6th 2007 received Royal Assent in 2006. From April 2007, the Act will repeal the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960. The new Act increases and introduces new penalties to tackle acts of cruelty, neglect, mutilation, tail docking, animal fighting and the giving of pets as prizes. In addition to this it will introduce a duty of care for all pet owners to provide for their animals a suitable environment, a suitable diet, the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease and consideration of the animal’s needs to be housed with, or apart from, other animals.
