Closed petition ALL DOGS must be assessed by a canine expert before magistrates order it to be destroyed

Closed on 30 March 2015

I am calling for ALL DOGS to be independently assessed before magistrates order them to be destroyed under the Dangerous Dog Act.

At the moment, a dog does NOT have to be assessed by a canine behaviour expert prior to magistrates handing them a destruction order.

Only on appeal is the dog assessed. This is not right. The dog should be assessed before the order for it to be put down is made.

I have spoken to a solicitor who has a 100% success rate in appeals of this nature, proving that these destruction orders made under the Dangerous Dogs Act leads to unnecessary deaths.

Whilst we accept that magistrates are trying to protect the public, they are not dog experts and therefore dogs MUST be assessed before they are ordered to be put down.

I am calling for the Government to make this law.

This is in memory of Tia the Staffordshire Bull Terrier: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/gasp-attempts-save-Derby-death-row-dog-Tia-fail/story-23027051-detail/story.html