“We’re all fed up of hearing about these incidents,” Trevor Cooper, solicitor and dog law specialist, said. “There are victims who deserve better and the law that we have is a complete mess.
“It is high time the Dangerous Dogs Act was perhaps thrown away and let’s start again with something that is fit for purpose.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the government body responsible for providing guidance for police and local authorities on enforcing dog control laws.
“We recognise that attacks on pets can have a devastating impact on owners and we take these incidents seriously,” a Defra spokesperson said.
“We continue to work with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds and ensure the current dog control rules are sufficient to protect communities.”
A spokesperson for Dogs Trust UK said: “For more than 30 years, Dogs Trust has been calling on the Government to overhaul the Dangerous Dogs Act, as its current focus on breed-specific legislation is not only detrimental to dog welfare, but it is ineffective and does little to protect members of the public.
“Instead, the issue of dog control should be tackled by introducing preventative, breed-neutral legislation which addresses the unscrupulous breeders who are putting profit before welfare, and owners whose dogs are out of control.”
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said, in response to Sheena’s case, the force took “a public safety approach to dangerous dogs and banned breeds of dog”.
“When we come across or receive information about such a dog we will proactively look to seize it so it can be assessed by our experts and an informed decision can be made as to whether or not to allow that dog to remain with its owner,” they added.
“Public safety is always at the heart of any decision we make, and we have several criminal and civil powers that allow us to take this approach.”