Over the past three years police have seized 5,000 “dangerous dogs” across the country, with the Metropolitan Police dealing with the most. JESS CLARK reports.

There are only four types of dog breeds banned in the UK: the Pit bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Braziliero.

It is against the law to let any dog be “dangerously out of control”, for example if it injures someone or makes someone worried it might injure them.

However the law is a lot less clear when it comes to dogs attacking other dogs, meaning some dog owners don’t realise they have options if their pet is a victim of an attack.

That is what happened when Terry Jefferys’ beloved German Shepard, Rozie, was attacked by the same dog twice earlier this year.

Mr Jefferys, from Eltham, said he felt there was not enough help or guidance from the authorities on what action he should take.

He said: “It was the same dog twice being walked without a lead. The police didn’t want to know, the council didn’t want to know, it’s a joke and it isn’t fair.

“I just went from the police to the council back to the police, I was just going round in a circle.”

Trevor Cooper, a dog law consultant for Battersea Dogs Home, explained local authorities and the police often do not act because they are not aware of the options available to them.

He said: “It is not straightforward. If it is a dog on dog attack then the Dangerous Dogs Act would only apply if a person is injured.

“The most useful bit of legislation dates back to 1871, but it is so old sometimes people forget that it exists. It can be enacted by either the police or the council, they can both use it.

“There is also a community protection notice that can be taken out against the owner.”

Unlike the more recent Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991, Section 2 of The Dogs Act of 1871 states a dog can show itself to be dangerous in its general behaviour, not just its behaviour towards a person.

Mr Cooper added the best way to make sure dogs do not become dangerous is to make sure they are fully socialised from an early age.

Caroline Kisko, secretary of The Kennel Club, called dangerous dogs a “social problem”.

She said: “The problem of dangerous dogs is a social one and needs to be tackled through the enforcement of effective legislation that seeks to curb irresponsible owners of all types of dog and better educate the dog-owning public to prevent incidents before they occur.”

Mr Cooper added: “It would be so much better if we could look at the law and take the best bits of each.

“We want people to have dogs but we want them to have them responsibly.”