Rally at Westminster - Calling for Urgent Reform to Dog Law

August marked twenty-seven dismal years since the introduction of breed specific legislation in the UK, contained within the Dangerous Dogs Act which was hastily introduced in 1991.

A London Rally calling for the repeal of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) recently took place as part of the Global Protest Anti-BSL Rallies held each year.

The London event was organised by DDA Watch Ltd and other awareness events were held in Ottawa, Canada, Germany, Ontario Canada and Cardiff, Wales.

Dog lovers travelled to Westminster from all over the UK and from overseas, to show their support for urgent changes to the current law which targets types of dogs and condemns them as 'dangerous' based on their physical appearance.

The Westminster protest was a grass-roots gathering, with volunteers present who actively campaign and support innocent dogs and their families being torn apart by breed specific legislation.

Attending the Westminster event was Robert Stuhldreer with his beautiful assistance dog Flora, along with two exempted dogs who attended to support our call for breed-neural dog law.

The theme for the London event was #IAMHere and pictures of the dogs which have inspired people to get involved with the issue were brought to London on the day, along with banners and placards held high outside the mighty buildings of Westminster.

Some of the photos held were of dogs currently held in custody under breed specific legislation, dogs which have never put a paw wrong, yet sadly caught up in exhaustive legal battles to save their lives.

Other pictures were of dogs killed under the 27-year-old legislation and remembered to this day, including a dog named ‘Marmite’ whose sad story brought many protesters to tears. A teddy bear was laid next to Marmite’s story which can be read here:

DDA Watch information leaflets were distributed in central London and further petition signatures were gained to help create awareness.

One of the passers-by was a member of the House of Lords and requested information be sent directly to him.
A government inquiry is currently taking place on the issue of dangerous dogs and BSL and the EFRA Committee have heard overwhelming evidence in support of the repeal of breed specific legislation with the emphasis moving towards education and breed neutral legislation.

The EFRA committee received heart-breaking evidence from organisations relaying stories of friendly dogs deemed ‘type’ which are not allowed to live under the current severe legislation and are dying simply because they cannot be rehomed due to their physical appearance.

The EFRA Committee will now prepare a report for government and positive news is hoped for after the summer recess.

The London Event page can be found here

K9 Magazine - Dog Lovers Unite for Coordinated Rallies Calling for Urgent reform to Dog Law

Please Contact DDA Watch for further details.

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