Neighbourhood disputes in the UK are sadly incredibly common, particularly in cities like London where a relatively large number of people are living in a relatively cramped space.
A report released in 2012 by Rightmove suggested that neighbourhood disputes in the UK were on the rise and predicted that more than 17,000 people would be forced to move in the 12 months that followed as a result of a dispute with a neighbour.
Dogs can be a real nuisance for neighbours and are often the cause of disputes. Many people leave their dogs at home during the day whilst going to work and often those that become bored end up making a lot of noise as a result.
However, there are some types of dogs that are particularly worrisome to have as neighbours and those are the breeds that come under the definition of ‘dangerous dogs.’ 16 people have been killed by dangerous dogs since 2005, more than 200,000 injured and thousands have been hospitalised as a result of a lack of control on behalf of the owner of a dangerous dog.
These figures include the highly publicised case of Jade Anderson, a 14-year-old girl who was killed by four dangerous dogs when she visited the house of a friend. As a result of the publicity surrounding this case there have been calls for neighbours to speak up where they know that there are dangerous dog breeds living next door – particularly if they are not being trained and exercised properly, as this is often what makes them prone to aggression.
Thanks to a combined push by campaigners and those who have experienced issues with dangerous dogs, there are now finally proposals on the table for a significant hike in the prison term for owners of killer dogs. A life sentence could now be imposed on the owner of a dog that kills and if the dog maims someone the suggested maximum jail term is 10 years (currently the maximum term is two years).
Animal welfare minister Lord de Mauley said of the proposals: “Dog attacks are terrifying and we need harsh penalties to punish those who allow their dog to injure people while out of control.” The proposals have to go through a public consultation process and its results will be taken into consideration when the government decides whether or not to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The hope is that the new prison terms will act as a deterrent for owners of dangerous dogs avoiding responsibility for controlling them or discourage people from purchasing them in the first place.
This new change is not the first time that the 1991 piece of legislation has been amended – earlier this year it was announced that the provisions in the 1991 Act that only allow for prosecution if a dog attacks in a public space - or a private area that a dog is prohibited from - were to be changed so that prosecution could take place no matter where a dog attacks.
Whilst this is certainly giving the authorities the opportunity to penalise those whose animals become out of control, it doesn’t solve the issue of prevention. This is where many now feel community spirit must come in – if the owner cannot be relied upon to manage the dog then it may be up to the neighbours to warn both the other locals and the authorities of the potential anti social situation, before it’s too late.