Dangerous dog

How to report a dangerous dog that has either already attacked, or put a person in genuine fear for their safety or the safety of others.

Report it to the police

To report a dangerous dog:

It's against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere whether it's a public or private place. This applies to all dogs.

Some types of dogs are banned.

What does 'out of control' mean?

Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

  • injures someone
  • makes someone worried that it might injure them

A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if:

  • it injures someone's animal
  • the owner of the animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal

A farmer is allowed to kill your dog if it's worrying their livestock.

Penalties

Out of control

You can be fined or sent to prison for up to 6 months (or both) if your dog is dangerously out of control. You may not be allowed to own a dog in the future and your dog may be destroyed.

Injury

If you let your dog injure someone you can be sent to prison for up to 5 years or fined (or both). If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with 'malicious wounding'.

If you allow your dog to injure a guide dog you can be sent to prison for up to 3 years or fined (or both).

Death

If you allow your dog to kill someone you can be sent to prison for up to 14 years or get an unlimited fine (or both).