Alex Neil has launched his proposed Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, with the proposals being broadly welcomed by The Kennel Club.

Neil said that he had spent many months carefully analysing the flaws in the existing laws.

He said: "The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act has failed because it focuses primarily on four breeds, and owners of other breeds are left to largely do as they please.

"The recent tragic killing by a Rottweiler of a baby boy in Wakefield serves as yet another reminder that dogs of any breed can act dangerously.”

He added: "We need to focus on the deed – not the breed. My bill will offer a flexible range of Control Orders – an 'ASBO for dogs' if you like – which contain practical measures which will stop dogs from getting out of control.

"Importantly, this bill puts the onus on the owners – not the dogs – to ensure that this does not happen.

"A gaping hole in the Dangerous Dogs Act is the lack of protection against attacks on private property where the dog is permitted to be. This means that the postman, the gas man, or any tradesman visiting the dog's home can be attacked, without criminal charges being brought against the owner.”

The Kennel Club said that, providing the appropriate defences are put into place, it believes that introducing streamlined ‘control orders’, for example to order irresponsible dog owners to keep their dogs subject to conditions including being kept on a lead and/or muzzled or, in severe cases, and to disqualify irresponsible dog owners from owning animals, would better protect the public and thus the welfare of dogs. However, the Kennel Club added they wanted the Bill to go further and fully reflect its position of ‘deed not breed’ by making significant changes to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act which would have ultimately repealed it.

Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: “We very much welcome Alex Neil’s Members Bill as a step in the right direction to making dangerous dogs legislation more effective. However, it is a shame that the proposals contained in the Bill have not gone so far as to change the highly flawed Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act and recognise that certain types of dogs are not inherently dangerous or that the actions of dog owners and a dog’s training have more of an impact on dogs’ behaviour than breed”.

The consultation on the proposed Bill runs until 14th April.