Dogs roaming the streets.

silvermist05

Hi I have two questions. Firstly are dogs allowed to roam freely. The reason I ask is my dog was attacked yesterday evening on the road outside a property. Now this dog is always out and about in the village unsupervised usually in the park and around the cycle path. This dog has snarled and gone for my dog in the park before but I managed to pick my dog up and walk away however yesterday we were walking past the owner s house the owner came down the drive to say hello and the dog went for mine. Secondly would it be unreasonable of me to ask her to keep her dog out of the park and the immediate area? I am more than happy to avoid walking past her house but I don't see why I should have to avoid other areas of my own village.

SnowyOwl_2

No, it is not permissable for dogs to wander freely without supervision from their owner. About all you can do is call the dog warden and ask for it to be picked up. The owner, if s/he is bothered enough can collect the dog from the pound, and will be charged a fee for this service.

krlyr

With the recent change in laws, I get the impression they're going to be a bit more strict about the "dangerously out of control in public" aspect of the DDA.

I would ring your local dog warden, who should collect a straying dog if you report it, but also speak to your local police - explain that the dog is showing signs of aggression. You may need to emphasise the worry/threat of being harmed yourself, as currently a dog-on-dog attack is a civil offense rather than criminal, but if you feel threatened yourself then it's a breach of the DDA.

meames_2

Sorry to hear about your dog. I hope he is ok.