Humza Yousaf has defended his stance on not following the UK government ban on XL Bully dogs.
The first minister believes that Scotland has strict enough laws on dogs that a ban would be unnecessary.
New legislation known as the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act came into force in Scotland in 2010. It sets out the responsibilities of dog owners and how they can be enforced.
It includes powers for a dog control notice to be issued, setting out what an owner must do to bring their dog under control.
Owners who do not follow the notice commit a crime, which could result in a fine of up to £1,000 and a ban on owning a dog.
If the dog is dangerous, it could also be euthanised. That was the case when I started this article, but it seems the First Minister has had a change of heart.
Mr Yousaf said reports of people bringing the dangerous dogs to Scotland could prompt a change of approach. He said, “Given some of what we’ve seen over the festive period – the anecdotal evidence of people bringing XL dogs to Scotland – we are reviewing the policy.”
“I think it is important for us to make it very clear that Scotland is not a haven for XL bully dogs.”
“We do have a tight regime in relation to the control of dogs. But given what we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, it’s wise that that policy is immediately being kept under review.”
“I’ve asked for some advice myself as First Minister, not just on the current regime, but on what options there may be for us in order to consider what more we may need to do in order to make sure that we keep people safe because that is our paramount priority.”
We at the Homeland Party welcome the first minister’s more measured response; it is refreshing to see the SNP leader not doubling down on his policy of automatically saying the opposite of what Westminster says.
It is not acceptable to use Scotland as a place to dispose of certain dog breeds that might pose a threat to public safety and who are not initially from the country.
Let’s hold him to this.
