Government response
No government response is recorded for this review.
About this review
Summary written by this siteReport of the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce, which brought together veterinary bodies, welfare organisations, local authorities and police, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs providing the secretariat. Published on 24 September 2026. The report names no chair.
Recommendations 20
Recommendation 1
Introduce a statutory recording duty for enforcement authorities
Recommendation 2
Explore creating a dog control database to support recording by enforcement authorities
Recommendation 3
Work with Department for Health and Social Care and NHS Trusts to deliver greater recording of dog bite wounds and the underlying contextual factors
Recommendation 4
Improve multi-agency accessibility of existing healthcare data, such as the dataset underpinning NHS Hospital Episode Statistics
Recommendation 5
Design additional surveys to better understand enforcement practices and any barriers to the use of existing powers and information sharing agreements
Recommendation 6
Undertake additional research on the underlying causes of dog attacks and the effectiveness of interventions
Recommendation 7
Evaluating and developing potential options for new legal requirements on dog ownership
Recommendation 8
Consider potential legal requirements for professional dog walkers, and take forward best options
Recommendation 9
Introduce a statutory duty for local authorities to provide a dog control service to tackle low level dog control issues
Recommendation 10
Promote greater use of preventative enforcement models
Recommendation 11
Consolidate and update existing guidance for enforcers into one easily navigable document
Recommendation 12
Deliver webinars on enforcement best practice for enforcement authorities
Recommendation 13
Introduce fixed penalty notices for offences under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (complete)
Recommendation 14
Develop and support a childhood education plan to promote safe interactions between children and dogs
Recommendation 15
Conduct targeted awareness campaigns to promote safe interactions between people of all ages and dogs
Recommendation 16
Collate existing educational resources into a ‘one-stop-shop’
Recommendation 17
Commission further research to study the long-term impact of existing education initiatives and whether they result in behaviour change
Recommendation 18
Further explore options for regulating dog trainers and behaviourists, and take forward best options
Recommendation 19
Work with stakeholders to develop clear messaging to improve consumer awareness and signpost dog owners to quality training and behavioural support
Recommendation 20
Support wider participation in dog awareness courses such as the Blue Cross Responsible Dog Ownership Course and Royal Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme and evaluation of these schemes
All text above is the review's.
No recommendations have this response.