Dog Seized Under Dangerous Dogs Act is Returned to Joyful Owner

London dog owner Richard Webb and his family are celebrating following the return of their pet dog Gem from police custody on 7th February 2008.

Gem had been seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) 1991 legislation and held as a suspected unregistered pit bull type. At a hearing on the 16th January, the Magistrates court had deemed her not to be a danger to the public and ordered she be registered and entered onto the Index of Exempted Dogs and allowed home.

Richard Webb, a 25 year old father from Camden Town, was out exercising his dogs on 29th November 2007, Gem was happily playing as usual, with his two other dogs, a Cocker Spaniel and an American Bulldog in a north London park when several Police officers walked over and questioned Richard. Gem was seized there and then; she was taken away in a police van and not seen again since her release last week.

Three months previously, Richard had heard about a dog through the Doctors Surgery where he works, a dog which was in desperate need of a home and was going to end up in a kennels or put to sleep. Being the dog lover he is, he got involved and ended up offering a home to this charming, friendly dog Gem. With some effort and patience, Gem soon settled in, she enjoyed her daily long walks where she would meet all her canine friends, she loves children, people and other dogs and was a pleasure to have in the home.

Richard Webb and family were shocked when Gem was taken and entered into a long drawn out process, first awaiting breed identification of their dog, then for a court date and finally for the verdict on the big day itself. Endangered Dogs Defence & Rescue was contacted and gave support and advice. Court proceedings commenced under section 4b of the DDA legislation, in court to support dog owner Richard was Amanda Dunckley who said:

“I arrived in court and found Richard quietly sat there looking ill and clutching an envelope full of photos and letters in support of his dog, he had taken the week off work due to the stress of it all, after waiting for an hour whilst his paperwork was being looked through by the Judges, we entered into the courtroom, it was tense and emotional. The Police breed identification expert explained to the court that Gem had been seized during a local initiative targeting anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhood, she described Gem as ‘gentle and placid’ and ‘with a good temperament’, the court ordered her registered onto the Index.”

Richard Webb had collated statements regarding the good temperament of his dog and left Court relieved but shaking and hardly able to speak. The Police expert kindly agreed to visit the kennels that afternoon and check on Gem’s condition, which was reported back the next day bringing some relief to her worried owner. Registration paperwork from the Index arrived within days and was returned within an hour by Gem’s eager owners who just wanted her back home.

Behaviourist Julie Pett of SAVED-Dogs is giving aftercare advice for Gem and other pet dogs who have been through the same process.

Owner Richard comments: “At the moment I can’t put into words what my family and I have been through, every day I thought of my dog and made enquires but felt like I was getting nowhere, I can’t thank EDDR enough for their support, it is great to have Gem back, her condition was okay, this had worried me a great deal, I’m just so pleased she has been allowed to live by the court and is now back home. I think the law needs to be changed, what we’ve been through is not right nor necessary.”

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