Personal Injury Solicitors

Dog owners who fail to control their dogs could face fines of up to £20,000 in new legislation introduced on Monday (20/10/14).

BBC News reports that Dog ASBOs introduced under the Dangerous Dogs Act could also force owners to muzzle their pets if they are considered a danger to others.

Dog owners across England and Wales will also be forced to take their dogs to be trained properly – and also be microchipped so dogs and their owners can be identified.

Other changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which were introduced earlier in 2014 include prison sentences for owners whose dogs attack and cause serious injury.

A number of high-profile cases in which children and adults have been seriously injured or killed in dog attacks have highlighted the need for tougher laws on dangerous dogs.

The government has also made dog attacks on private property a criminal offence – previously dog attacks which took place on private property were a civil matter and not a criminal matter, meaning the police could not prosecute the owner of a dig which attacked inside a private house or garden.

Those who suffered injury were forced to taken action privately against the owner through the civil court.

The law has now been changed and the owner of a dog involved in a fatal dog attack could now be jailed for 14 years.

The owners of dogs which attack without killing could face a five-year jail term.

The law has also been tightened to protect assistance dogs from being attacked by another dog – the owner of a dog which attacks an assistance dog could be jailed for three years.

The number of injuries requiring hospital treatment after dog attacks rose by 6% between 2012 and 2013.

In 2013, a total of 6,740 people required hospital treatment for injuries sustained in a dog attack.

Since 2005, eight adults and 13 children have been killed in dog attacks –

and every day across the UK, around nine postal workers are attacked by dogs.

Animal Welfare Minister Lord de Mauley said:

“Dog attacks are devastating for victims and their families, which is why we are taking tough action against those who allow them to happen.

“Police and local authorities will now have more powers to demand that irresponsible dog owners take steps to prevent attacks before they occur."

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Lawyers – No Win No Fee Dog Bite Compensation Claims

Duncan Lewis personal injury lawyers can advise those injured in dog attacks on how to make a no win no fee Dog Bite Compensation Claim, including Serious Injury Claims.

Personal injury claimants have three years from the date of injury in which to make a no win no fee compensation claim – and children can claim for up to three years after the age of 18.

Duncan Lewis personal injury lawyers can also advise families on making no win no fee Fatal Injury Claims if a loved one has tragically lost their life as a result of a dog attack.

For expert legal help with no win no fee Dog Bite Compensation Claims, contact Duncan Lewis personal injury lawyers on 020 7923 4020.