Jersey’s main animal charity was not consulted on proposed dangerous dog regulations – even though it may end up responsible for enforcing them.
The issue was highlighted by scrutineers ahead of a debate next week on plans from the Comité des Connétables to update Dogs Law.
Current plans would see an registration scheme introduced for dogs designated as ‘dangerous’ and changes in the information required on their collars.
If the amendments to the Dogs Law are approved by the States, dogs of an “XL bully type” will have to be registered. They would not be allowed to breed, and would have to be kept muzzled in public places.
The law would also ban under-18s from owning XL bully-type dogs, and make owners get third-party liability insurance.
But the JSPCA said on Thursday that they had concerns “that the proposed approach to regulating dangerous dogs appears to focus on breed-specific restrictions rather than on the behaviour of the individual dog or the actions of the owner”.
And, commenting on the plans on Friday, the group of politicians responsible for scrutinising the law – the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel – raised concerns about the “apparent lack of consultation on matters relating to dangerous dogs”.
The panel had previously grilled Environment Minister Steve Luce and States Vet Susana Ramos about the proposed approach in a hearing at the end of October.
Ms Ramos – who during the hearing revealed that litters of XL bullies had been born – acknowledged the issue at the hearing and said there was no “right” answer as to how to define a ‘dangerous’ dog.
Reflecting on her answer, the panel said: “No clear justification was provided by the Comité as to why this approach had been chosen, nor whether alternative, behaviour-focused frameworks had been considered.”
The issue, they said, “warrants careful consideration” and the Comité des Connétables should explain how they decided to regulate based on dogs’ breeds.
They should also explain how much they had consulted the JSPCA and States police, the panel added.
The law is set to be debated next week.