Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide companion dogs with the same protections as assistance dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control (section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991) applies to attacks on other dogs, livestock and any other animals including companion dogs, as it does to attacks on people and assistance dogs.

This is based on the judgement in the Court of Appeal in R v Gedminintaite [2008] EWCA Crim 814. This case has shown that consideration of a dog being dangerously out of control is not restricted to situations where a person is present.