Government can't procrastinate on tougher dog laws

The $2000 fine and two months imprisonment for the owners of the dog that attacked Carolina Anderson shows the need for tougher dog control laws, says National MP Paul Hutchison.

"All commentators agree that dog laws must be tightened and tougher sentences introduced to reinforce owner responsibility.

"If the attack on Carolina had been a direct physical attack by a human being, the sentence would be many years in prison.

"The Government have indicated that the Local Government law reform amendments won't be heard until June at the earliest, and possibly not till the end of the year.

"The Government has failed for three years to act on this issue. Significant pressure needs to be applied to force them to act.

"For every three months the Government delays tightening dog control laws, on average there are one hundred serious dog attacks requiring hospitalisation. Most of these attacks are preventable.

"The Government is guilty of negligence if they don't move quickly," said Dr Hutchison.

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