The Government has recognised that dogs are a form of companion and protection. Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said this on Friday during his winding up of The Dog Control Bill 2013 in the Parliament. He said the Government was not discouraging people from owning dogs.
“So anybody in the population who would have been frightened by the headlines that appeared recently about all the fines and the terms of imprisonment and so on, if you wish to avoid all of that, just don’t have a dangerous dog. “You could have any other kind of dog. “You could have a pothound, you could have a Rottweiler, you could have the Alsatian...you could have any other dog, and you would not have to bare the brunt of the burdens that the legislation imposes.
Ramlogan said that was why there were two classes—Class A and Class B. He said Class A was for dangerous dogs and Class B was for all other dogs. He said, “Because we’ve recognised as a government the need for citizens to have maximum latitude to exercise their right under the Constitution with respect to enjoy the freedom of one’s own property, and a dog is your property...so that the bill has constitutional implications.”
He said the Government had erred in favour of allowing people to own the dog, subject to the conditions being imposed. He said Clause 5 of the bill states what fell under reasonable cause. “If, for example, your dog saw someone jump over your fence and break in the house, and the dog rushes out and attacks him, nothing wrong with that,” he said.
Ramlogan said there was liability for that because man was attacked while committing an offence. Sport Minister Anil Roberts, seated in the chair of the chief whip, begged to move that the debate on the bill be adjourned.