A 64 years old woman has been killed by dog in house in the Ely area of Cardiff on Friday night. A 23 years old
man has been charged with 2 offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
CWU National Health & Safety Officer Dave Joyce who led the Unions 'Bite-Back' Campaign which resulted in
new tougher Dangerous Dogs Laws across the UK said " This is a yet another tragic incident, which I know will
shock and upset the local community and public in general." Dave said "29 people have now been killed in Dog
Attacks in the UK - 16 Children and 13 Adults."
The CWU campaigned for seven years to secure changes to the Dangerous Dog Act, during which time 30,000
postal workers were attacked by dogs, some suffering serious and near-fatal injuries. Its Bite-Back campaign
was supported by animal charities, the police, trade unions, employers, vets, medics and dog trainers.
Dave Joyce, added "Our campaign closed a huge loophole in the law finally ending the, past immunity from
prosecution enjoyed by irresponsible dog owners for private property attacks like this one in Cardiff. Additionally,
New tougher penalties and prison sentences are now in force - a huge victory for CWU after seven years of
campaigning."
Dave added “However, there is still work to be done. The government needs to focus on ensuring there's
sufficient enforcement resources for prevention and effective, consistent enforcement of the law, clamping
down on irresponsible dog owners. There also needs to be increased public awareness about the
requirements of good dog ownership, training and education and people need to know what happens to
those who don't do the right thing."
"Dog owners also need to ensure the safety of workers when carrying out their duties on private land. For too
long, postal workers have been subjected to reckless dog ownership leaving them vulnerable at work and
unprotected when a dog attack occurred."
"Too many children and members of the public have also lost lives and numbers keep increasing. We've seen
some truly terrible incidences where postal workers have been left with life-threatening injuries because of
out-of-control dogs. I am delighted that after a long and hard campaign, workers around the country they will
now be properly protected in Criminal Law.”
Dave Joyce, CWU Health and Safety Officer, added "The Cardiff death is another tragic loss of a life and CWU
sends condolences to the family and friends of the victim. It highlights again the danger posed by dogs and
the need to tackle irresponsible ownership. How many more lives must be lost before effective action is taken?"
"Dog owners must keep their dogs under control. Police and local authorities now have new powers to deal with
irresponsible dog owners and dangerous dogs."
New laws introduced in May as a result of the CWU Bite-Back Campaign can see irresponsible owners of a
dangerous dog jailed for up to 14 years and face unlimited fines if their dog kills someone and it now applies
on private property as well as in public places.
Dave concluded "What’s needed now is sufficient resources put into Dog Warden and Police services to enforce
both preventative action as well as Prosecutions - not until more people are brought before the Courts will the
public realise that they can't excuse themselves of their responsibilities if they own dangerous dogs which the
fail to control."
Source: CWU