Continued.......

We have given a key note speech at the National Dog Wardens Association annual conference in October 2007 were we laid out our thoughts on breed specific legislation and the injustices and failures of the current system. We were able to detail our thoughts and ideas on exactly how public safety could be improved with the emphasis on responsible dog ownership and owner responsibility and accountability. The conference was attended by 200 members of the NDWA and other speakers included Cuthbert Jackson of the NDWA, Trevor Cooper, canine law specialist, Inspector Neil Davies of the Merseyside Police Dog Section and PC Peter Tallack of the Metropolitan Police. The conference gave us a massive boost onto the national stage and we were able to present our ideas to those in the front line; it was lifting to have our suggestions both welcomed and discussed.

This increased profile came to the fore in the last few weeks as we were asked to give comments and interviews to the national press and to Sky News following the terrible death of Archie-lee Hurst. Ourselves and others including Dr Roger Mugford, Ryan O Mera of K9 Magazine, a spokesperson for the Dogs Trust and trainers including Victoria Stilwell all gave interviews and enabled a sensible debate focussing not on banning more breeds, but on responsible ownership.

We have also been part of a documentary film to be broadcast later this year and created good working relationships and links with officers in several police forces including Merseyside, South Wales, Bolton and The Met. This has taken us to the situation where now the Merseyside, Bolton and South Wales police give out Deed Not Breed helpline numbers to owners of seized dogs, enabling us to put responsible dog owners in touch with an experienced team who are able to help them through their ordeal, an ordeal which many endure for months.

So what has changed after this year?

Sadly, in many ways nothing much has changed. Last week another small child died after an attack by his grandparents dog. A dog that is not banned under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

People are still being injured by dogs, irresponsible owners and breeders still breed and raise dogs to use in inappropriate ways, and the police are still prosecuting naive but loving owners of dogs that happen to fit the vague description of a banned breed, regardless of the dogs actual behaviour.

The media are still talking about ‘Devil dogs’ and the Liberal Democrats ended 2007 wanting to add Rotties to the banned list, apparently oblivious to the fact that this would do nothing to protect children.

But it is not all bad.

At the start of the year Deed Not Breed were viewed by many as an animal liberation group, not to be taken seriously.

By the middle of the year we were being asked for our input into a new Dangerous Dog policy by Merseyside police and have provided them with detailed information sheets for all owners of dogs going home. They are now in the initial stages of implementing this new policy that puts the welfare of the dogs much more at the forefront of their actions. This is not to say that this situation is ideal - we would far rather no dogs were seized, and no owners were prosecuted, but if it is going to happen, this policy of engagement rather than constant opposition places us in a better position to push for better conditions now and ultimately a change in the law.

So what's next for Deed not Breed?

This year we will hope to see a change in the law about dangerous dogs. If we do nothing we could see more breeds being added and maybe more restrictions on certain breeds.

However, if we act decisively we can shift the focus away from targeting specific breeds and move towards targeting bad owners and breeders.

The Government has promised to review the law, and the Liberal Democrat Home affairs spokesperson, Chris Hulme (who, don't forget, was 500 votes away from being their leader) has asked if we shouldn't add Rotties to the banned list.

There is the possibility of an election in 2008 and we need to make dog ownership a key issue. Politicians will listen to us at times of heightened public awareness such as now. They will also listen when they want votes.

Deed Not Breed need to concentrate on campaigning through 2008, and do to this we will need a lot of help.
We need people prepared to write to their MP's, local press and radio phone-in.

As always we’ll need to raise funds but more than anything we need to have a plan of action and a clear campaign plan.

We need to push for the Index of Exempted Dogs to be reopened for owner led registration. This would enable anyone with a dog classed as type could register their dog without the need for long term kennelling and the issues that causes.

We need the continued support of animal lovers – their smiles when we are down, the praise when something goes right and their voices when we need to be heard.

On the first anniversary of DNB we would to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has shown their support. Whether you have raised funds, signed petitions, written letters or purchased an item from our shop. Whatever you’ve done to show us your support we really have appreciated it, we could not continue without you!