Kennel Club welcomes new guidelines on dangerous dog sentencing
The Kennel Club has welcomed the publication of new guidelines by the Sentencing Council concerning the sentencing of dangerous dog offences but have noted that recent proposals by the government to update legislation on dangerous dogs does not include 'genuinely preventative measures'.
The new guidelines encourage the use of the 'full power' of the courts when sentencing owners who irresponsibly allow a dog to be dangerously out of control and now include guidelines on the inclusion of injuries to other animals in the consideration of whether a dog is deemed to be out of control. Furthermore, the penalties for owning a breed which is banned are now extended to ownership of a dangerous dog of any kind, therefore allowing for improvements in granting compensation to victims of dog bites, putting down truly dangerous dogs and banning offenders from keeping dogs.
Commenting, Kennel Club Communications Director Caroline Kisko said “These guidelines go a long way in sending out the message that irresponsible ownership will not be tolerated and will help the courts hold bad owners to account. However, the Kennel Club still has concerns that these measures do not address the real issue, which is the urgent need for genuinely preventative measures.”
The new Sentencing Council guidelines mentioned above can be found here.
Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.
