BSL In The UK In the UK, Breed Specific Legislation was introduced and owning certain dog breeds was made illegal. Under Section 1 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 it is an offence to be in possession of any of the following types of dog unless they have been registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs and the conditions of exemption are complied with:
Pit bull terrier
Dogo Argentino
Japanese tosa
Fila Braziliero
This is despite the fact that the majority of these dogs are gentle, loving, affectionate and friendly family dogs, and completely innocent of any wrong doing.
NHS figures showed the number of dog attacks had tripled since 1991, when the Dangerous Dogs Act was brought in and certain dog breeds were made illegal.
Research by the RSPCA has shown that there are now more Pit Bull terriers in the UK than there were when the Dangerous Dogs Act was passed.
David Grant of the RSPCA said: “It’s just a completely out of control situation …[it] is actually worse than before the Act came in.” The RSPCA has said that The Dangerous Dogs Act needs to be changed to focus instead on owners, but despite the complete failure of BSL in the UK, the UK Government continue to think they know better.
Possession of a Prohibited Dog (Section 1 and Section 4B Dangerous Dogs Act 1991)Under Section 1 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 it is an offence to be in possession of any of the following types of dog unless they have been registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs and the conditions of exemption are complied with:
