ALMOST 4,000 PEOPLE have signed an online petition calling on the British government to change laws relating to dog ownership.
The campaign has been set up by the family of Jade Anderson, the 14-year-old girl who was killed in a dog attack in Manchester last month.
Relative John Anderson said they want to see owners made accountable for their dogs actions, noting that police currently have no powers to prosecute if an attack occurs on private property.
The Justice for Jade campaign has also asked for regulation of the breeding of certain breeds. “This would give police the power to confiscate vicious dogs that are unlicensed,” according to John Anderson.
“Hopefully we can save other family’s suffering like we have gone through (sic).”
Jade died at a friend’s house on 26 March. She was attacked and fatally injured by two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers at the property in Atherton following a sleepover party.
According to The Sun, the teenager walked into a room with a meat pie and one of the dogs went for the meal. The animals were later described as “aggressive and out of control”.
All the dogs involved in the attack – none of which were illegal breeds - were humanely destroyed.
Police said that they have no plans to prosecute anyone in relation to the incident. A spokesman said he did not want to be drawn on the politics surrounding the legislation of dangerous dogs but added that the force were “bound by the law”.
The petition, made through the Government’s website, could be debated in parliament if it gathers 100,000 signatures.
A study published this week found a link between violent crime and the trade for dogs on Britain’s streets. The three year study from Middlesex University included over 100 interviews, many with dangerous dog owners and several gang members found evidence of animals changing hands for up to £10,000 each.
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