That this Assembly calls on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in light of recent revelations about dog fighting in Northern Ireland, and of attacks by dogs on persons and other dogs in recent years, to review the dangerous dogs legislation with a view to providing enhanced protection in terms of both animal welfare and public safety.

Mr Burns: I am pleased that the motion has been tabled, and I welcome the opportunity to speak on it. There have been serious problems with dangerous dogs in my constituency of South Antrim in recent times. One incident involved an attack on the Doherty family, who were out walking their pets in Randalstown Forest Park. The incident received widespread media attention at the time and was covered on last night’s ‘Insight’ programme. I will not go into much detail, but had it not been for the heroics of the family pet — a golden Labrador named Troy, who died from his injuries shortly after the attack — the incident would have been more serious. The attacking dog was shot dead by the police, and the family escaped with cuts, bites, scrapes and bruises, but their much-loved pet was not so lucky.

The definition of a dangerous dog must be made clearer in legislation. One often talks about pit bull terriers, and pit-bull types are named as banned breeds in legislation. However, it is ironic that — as far as I am aware — many of those dangerous dogs are mongrels and not pure-bred American pit bull terriers. I do not intend to dwell on the matter, but a clearer definition of illegal dogs is necessary. The loopholes that permit cross-breeds, such as the Irish Staffordshire bull terrier, must be closed.

Regardless of what changes are made to the law, the Assembly must consider how future legislation is enforced.

Considering the recent accusations of criminal and paramilitary involvement in dog fighting, I am not sure that we can leave the enforcement in the hands of district councils and dog wardens. There must be greater police involvement, and the courts must make an example of those people who ignore the law and continue to keep dangerous and illegal dogs. I call for stiffer penalties in the legislation, and the courts must be particularly tough on those people who breed and train dogs for fighting. We must also make it much easier to prosecute individuals who break the law. I appreciate that progress is being made in that area, but more needs to be done.

Stronger legislation should be implemented, hand in hand with more education. Dog attacks can occur for any number of reasons: the dog may have received inadequate training, had a poor upbringing or lived in an unsuitable environment, for instance. Therefore, all dog owners should be encouraged to be responsible, especially if they own breeds such as Alsatians, Dobermanns and boxers, which are legal but potentially dangerous. If those dogs are raised correctly, I am sure that they can be loyal and loving pets, but owners must be educated on how to care correctly for their dogs to ensure that they are stable and well disciplined.

I hope that the public will not see the debate as an attempt to demonise certain types of dogs: that is not my intention. It is my intention to condemn the criminals, highlight animal welfare issues and enhance public safety. I hope that the Minister will pay close attention to those issues when she eventually reviews the legisl­ation. I support the motion.