Ennvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation
1. This response is submitted on behalf of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) by Glynn Evans, Head of Game and Gamekeeping with responsibility for BASC’s gundog programme. BASC was founded in 1908 as the Wildfowlers’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland (WAGBI). Constituted as an Industrial and Provident Society, it is the largest representative body for sporting shooting in the UK, with more than 130,000 members; more than 61,000 of these own one or more working dogs.
2. BASC submitted an initial response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee regarding Dog Control and Welfare on 2 July 2012 and welcomes the opportunity to comment further on the proposed draft Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill.
3. BASC is concerned and seeks clarification regarding a “householder case”. Many working dogs will be kept in kennel accommodation and not actually within a dwelling. BASC would recommend that if a dog is secured within its own recognised accommodation or area then a “householder case” should also apply to this situation.
4. BASC cannot see the rationale of the provision that a person responsible for a dog would have to be present for a “householder case” to apply. If a dog were to be securely locked within a dwelling or its own separate secure accommodation whilst its keeper was absent (subject to due regard for its welfare needs), it would be a reasonable assumption, that a trespasser entering the property would have done so with dubious intent. BASC suggests in this scenario it would be reasonable for a dog to act in its own defence. It is estimated that over 50,000 dogs are stolen each year.
5. BASC is concerned at the proposed wording in the draft bill, section (5) (b) “(1A) A constable or an officer of a local authority authorised by it to exercise the powers conferred by this subsection may seize any dog in a place in England or Wales which is not a public place, if the dog appears to the constable or officer to be dangerously out of control” this opens up the possibility that dogs kept securely away from the public could be seized without ever posing a risk to public safety. What criteria/tests and safeguards would apply for such seizure?
6. BASC seeks assurance that working dogs such as gundogs, hounds and terriers are specifically excluded from this provision whilst they are being used in connection with lawful sporting activities. As drafted, individuals biased against field sports or those without sufficient training and specific knowledge, could wrongly determine a dog such as a hound following a scent and barking to be out of control whereas in reality it is not.
April 2013