THERE is hardly a week goes by that we do not hear of another incident of a dog savaging a child or an owner.

The reality is that these incidents are very rare but we can all be agreed they shouldn’t happen at all.

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible. I have recently become a dog owner myself and have become aware how seriously owners understand their rights and responsibilities regarding dog ownership.

The Animal Welfare Act in 2007 introduced a duty of care for all pet owners to provide a suitable environment, diet, ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns and to protect animals from pain injury and disease.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 imposes fines of up to £1,000 for breaking dog control orders. These include failing to remove dog faeces or not keeping a dog on a lead.

Under the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing act 2014, new public spaces protection orders have been introduced (PSPO).

Any dog in a public place must have a collar with the name and address of the owner engraved and or a telephone number. It is a legal requirement to have the dog microchipped from eight weeks and registered with a database compliant with the Dog Control Regulations.

If a dog’s barking causes serious nuisance to neighbours the local authority can serve a notice at the end of this noise abatement notice which could be followed by a Community Protection Notice if the notice is not complied with.

It is advisable that dog owners have insurance because owners could be liable for damage caused by any dog under the Animals Act 1971.

It is a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control. This was introduced in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which has subsequently been amended. The amendment removed a mandatory destruction on banned breeds, include the Pitbull Terrier.

A dangerously out of control dog is defined as a dog that has injured someone or a dog that a person has reasonable grounds for believing may do so. If a dog injures a person it may be seized by the police and the penalty may include a prison sentence and a ban on keeping dogs and there is an automatic presumption that the dog will be destroyed unless the court can be persuaded it is not a danger to the public. In that case it may be subject to a control order.

Under the Road Traffic Act, dogs travelling in a vehicle should not be nuisance or distract the driver and if a dog is injured in a car accident the driver must stop and give the details to the person in charge of the dog. Under the same act, it is a criminal offence for a dog to be on a public road without being held on a lead.

Community Protection Notices can now be issued by police officers, local authority officers and registered social landlords. A breach of a CPN can result in a criminal offence and a £2,500 fine. It is also open to these bodies to apply for an injunction and the test for the court ordering that injunction is whether or not on a balance of probability the conduct of the person in control of the dog or owner of the dog has caused or likely to cause harassment alarm or distress.

All of the above really only apply to that small minority of antisocial owners who fail to recognise that having a dog comes with responsibilities to act as a responsible citizen.

John McNulty is head of Civil Litigation with Turpin Miller