It is believed fewer people will escape punishment in court from August, with more people being banned from keeping dogs if they put the public at risk and compensation being arranged for victims.
But animal welfare charities and victims remain unconvinced the tougher punishments will be enforced and believe more should be done to prevent attacks happening in the first place.
But Norwich MPs insist the guidelines are another way to tackle the increasing problem in the city, alongside better education and microchipping.
Simon Wright, Norwich South MP, said today’s proposals would make it clearer for judges to decide when someone should be banned from keeping dogs or face prison.
He said: “We are seeing more and more cases of dog offences being committed and more and more people being convicted.”
It has been reported hospital admissions for bites have more than doubled in 15 years.
Pets can also be victims, as seen with Jeannette Gladwell’s dog Thomas, a lhasa apso, in February.
Her pet lost an eye after he was attacked at the play area of Mile Cross Primary School by another dog.
Mrs Gladwell, 68, of Mile Cross, Norwich, said allowing the courts to increase prison sentences would have little effect, cost a lot of taxpayers’ cash and be difficult to police. She said a better solution would be to have every dogs wear a muzzle.
Mrs Gladwell said: “It’s never the dog to blame, it’s always the owners. I honestly think we live in a society where people don’t fear the police like they used to because the police are pretty powerless.”
George Rockingham, co-founder of Woodrising-based Pact Animal Sanctuary, said the issue of dangerous dogs needed to be examined as a whole, rather than in bits and pieces.
He said: “I am in favour of tougher sentences but it will not do anything to stop it. The problem is the people who use the dogs as weapons will do it regardless. You need to stop people breeding the dogs.”
(Evening News - May 15, 2012)
