Royal Mail and CWU Dog Awareness Week

Dog Awareness Week July 2017:

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Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union are launching their annual dog awareness week 3 – 7 July.
As the UK school break for their summer holidays, families enjoy the summer weather, which is good news for them but BAD NEWS FOR POSTAL WORKERS as this signals what Posties know as the ‘dog-bite season’ and the time of the year which traditionally sees a big spike in the number of attacks.

Royal Mail and postal workers trade union the CWU will be campaigning again to raise public awareness and urge customers to be responsible dog owners as well as urge caution amongst postmen and women who want to provide a good service but sometimes pay a heavy price.

CWU National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce said: "Seven postal workers are attacked by dogs every day of the year. It is unacceptable and the whole idea of Dog Awareness Week is to highlight the problem and the repercussions for dog owners and the victims, many of whom are seriously injured and some can not return to mail delivery work”.

“Over 70% of Dog Attacks on Postmen and Women occur on the garden path or at the doorstep of the dog owners home. It just needs owners to restrict their animals access to the front garden or to put their dog in another room before opening the door to collect a parcel or sign for an item.”

“Customers are always pleased to see the Postman or Postwoman arrive as they’re eager to take delivery of their goods they’ve ordered and paid for on the internet but thousands of customers who own a dog unfortunately don’t give a second thought to the Postal Worker’s safety by putting the dog in a safe, secure place.”  

“The vast majority of our customers and their dogs aren't a problem but irresponsible and reckless dog owners are.”

“The new dog control laws now identify and penalises irresponsible dog owners and many are now facing prosecution and paying heavy court penalties and end up withcriminal records. So it’s in their best interest in more ways than one to make sure the dog don’t bite the Postman.”

“One Essex dog owner was recently fined £8,800 after his dog injured a Postwoman’s fingers as she put letters through the door – which is another problem Postal workers face!”

“The penalties can also include losing their dogs, being banned from dog ownership, paying compensation and even a Jail sentence.”

“Dog owners need to fully understand that their actions usually are the cause of a dog being dangerous and simple precautions can prevent the pain for everyone concerned. No matter what breed of dog is involved, the dog can present a substantial danger to postal workers."

Top tips for dog owners to help the postman or woman deliver the post in safety:
• Keep your dog indoors around the time that the postman calls to deliver mail.
• Before you opened the door to collect a parcel or sign for an item - put your dog in another room.
• Make sure children don’t open the door, as dogs can push by them and attack the postman.
• If you have a back garden, close off the access, so your dog can't get round to the front when the postman calls.
• If your dog attacks the mail and could bite a postman’s fingers as he puts mail through your letterbox, please fit a letter box cage.
• If it’s not practical for you to keep your dog away from a postman delivering your mail, consider fitting a secure mailbox on the edge of your property.

Global End-BSL Rally and Protests

Dog defenders to rally at Westminster in peaceful protest against failed law that targets types of dog – breed specific legislation (BSL).

Peaceful protests have been organised around the world for July 2016 – the Westminster event takes place on the 16th July at Old Palace Yard, Westminster, SW1P 3JY at 1pm to 5pm. Other UK events have been organised for Wales, Northern Ireland, Herefordshire and the South West of England.

Ontario, Quebec, Winnipeg, Victoria, Ottawa Canada and Germany also have protests panned for the same day as part of a global movement to repeal breed specific laws.

The London event is organised by DDA Watch and will mark 25 years of failed legislation – the UK introduced breed specific legislation in the Dangerous Dogs 1991 Act and campaigners say the law continues to cost millions of pounds in taxpayers' money to enforce and does nothing to protect people nor dogs alike, neither does it promote responsible dog ownership.

Thousands of pets continue to be put to death or deemed ‘dangerous’ based on their physical appearance, the law makes no sense, is barbaric and is long overdue for repeal, dogs continue to be ripped apart from their families even though they have never put a paw wrong.

People are coming together, making a stand and speaking out in defence of ALL dogs regardless of what shape or size they happen to be.

Leading animal welfare charities have disagreed with and openly discredited BSL for many years, outlining the fact that dogs cannot be labelled 'dangerous' for their looks alone and they have called for an end to this outdated legislation.

The peaceful protest takes place at Westminster, London UK on the 16th July, event details can be found on the DDAW event page on FB.

Dog Bite Incidents Database Proposed:

We have received this news released from the KC, following a meeting which took place in London earlier this week:

A meeting of dangerous dogs experts, led by the UK's largest dog welfare organisation, the Kennel Club, has laid the groundwork for an agreed strategy for reducing dog bite incidents in the UK.

The meeting enabled experts from across the veterinary and medical professions, the police, local authorities, government representatives, academics, sociologists and animal welfare charities, to share existing knowledge and information on dog bite incidents in order to develop a plan to garner government support and funding for a new nationwide strategy for dangerous, or out of control dogs.

A proposal will now be developed which will incorporate the need for a robust central database for the investigation of dog bite incidents, which can be fed into by relevant parties including vets, medics, the police and dog wardens.  This will provide crucial data on the causes of dog bites and will enable more preventative measures to be implemented, such as required training for any dog which shows early signs of aggression.

Also included in the proposed strategy will be the need to treat dog aggression as a public health issue and the importance of educating dog owners, the general public, children and educators on responsible dog ownership and how to safely interact with dogs.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said:  "Dog bites are clearly a public health issue, and to ensure that both public safety and dog welfare remain paramount we need to make changes to this country's strategy on dogs which are allowed to be out of control. It is absolutely crucial that we get it right to avoid a further increase in dog bite incidents.

"We believe the key to this is through gathering data on incidents as they happen through immediate and thorough investigation, so that genuinely preventative measures can be put in place and the law can be overhauled to reflect this.

"There are so many factors that need to be looked at when a dog bites someone, including social, medical, cultural, psychological and behavioural elements, and by gathering such data we can get far better insight into the reasons for bites.

"A key part of a preventative strategy is education on how to interact safely with dogs.  The majority of recorded incidents involve children in some way, so educating them from an early age is crucial.  There are initiatives and information resources that exist already, such as the Kennel Club's Safe and Sound programme and Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme, as well as the Pet Education Resources group, but we would like to see a more unified education programme to reduce dog bite incidents.

"We were overwhelmed by the turnout and the level of interest in the roundtable discussion and are glad that all relevant stakeholders are keen to move forward together on this important issue.  The meeting was very much the first step in pushing for a new strategy on dangerous dogs and we are particularly appreciative for the support of our speakers at the meeting, Kendal Shepherd, Danielle Greenberg and Chris Mannion, who delivered effective arguments for why we need urgent change."

The Kennel Club believes that dangerous dog law should be updated and consolidated and replaced with preventative measures based on evidence gathered through data collected on a national level from hospitals and GPs, veterinary surgeries, police dog units, and dog wardens, amongst other sources, instead of laws based on the stereotyping of certain breeds. 

Biographies for four key speakers at the dangerous dog meeting held by the Kennel Club:

Kendal Shepherd BVSc CCAB MRCVS
Kendal qualified from Bristol University in 1978.  With extensive experience in small animal practice, she was the first veterinary surgeon to be accredited by ASAB as a certificated clinical animal behaviourist in 2005.  She is currently heavily involved in the behavioural assessment of dogs for the Courts under both sections 1 and 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Danielle Greenberg BA Hons (Oxon.) MA BVSc MRCVS

Danielle studied Modern History at Oxford University before following her dream to become a vet. She qualified in 1998, and works in a busy small animal hospital in Liverpool.

Christopher J. Mannion FRCS(Eng.) FDSRCS(Eng.) PGC MedEd FHEA

Christopher qualified in Dentistry and then in Medicine from Guys, Kings and St Thomas' Medical school. Christopher works as a Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He has a subspecialty interest in trauma and facial reconstruction. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds, School of Medicine, and is the Training Programme Director for training in Maxillofacial Surgery.

Bill Lambert

Bill is the Kennel Club Health & Breeder Services Manager. Bill has been involved with dogs all his life and bred his first litter in 1982. He is a Championship show judge of Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers and has officiated in a number of countries around the world. He is a former Vice Chairman of the Bull Terrier Club, and was a Committee Member from 1984 to 2007. Bill's interest in dangerous dogs began as early as the late 1970s when the American Pit Bull Terrier was first imported into the UK in large numbers and since that time he has visited breeders across the globe to gain a fuller understanding.

Anti-BSL Peaceful Protests-UK

These peaceful protests have been organised through the social networking site - Facebook, the events are not organised by us.


A-Z. For details, information and updates, please visit each link to find out more:


Belfast - Peaceful Protest for Lennox
Saturday 11th August
1-4pm
Outside Belfast City Hall
BT1 5GS
Event Details


Birmingham Peaceful Protest against BSl
Saturday 15th September
11-3pm
Victoria Square, Waterloo Street


Cardiff Anti-BSL Peaceful Protest
Meeting at the Anirin Beven statue at the bottom of Queen Street
Saturday 28th July
11am - 3pm


Crawley Peaceful Protest Against BSL
Crawley, West Sussex -meet by the bandstand in the main Queens square from 12 MIDDAY.
Saturday 28th July 2012
12 Noon – 2.30pm
NO DOGS PLEASE


Glasgow Peaceful Protest against BSl marking 21st Anniversary of DDA
Sunday 12th August
12-3pm
George Square G2 1DU


London - Peaceful Protest against BSl marking 21st Anniversary of DDA
Sunday 12th August
12-5pm
Old palace Yard, Westminster SW1
No Dogs
Event Details

Liverpool Peaceful Protest against BSL marking 21st Anniversary of DDA
Saturday 11th August
12noon-4pm
Lime Street Station
Liverpool L1 1JJ
No Dogs
Event Details


Nottingham Peaceful Protest Against BSL
Speakers Corner/Brian Clough Statue at the junction of King Street and Queen Street.
Saturday 28th July 2012
11am – 4pm
Please DO NOT bring dogs.


Peterborough-Anti-BSL Peaceful Protest
Saturday 6th October
11-3pm
The Embankment PE28
No Dogs Please
Click Here

Wolverhampton-Peaceful protest Against BSL
Queens Square, Wolverhampton
Saturday 4th August
11am – 3pm
Click Here

Peaceful Anti-BSL Protests - UK

These peaceful protests have been organised through the facebook social networking site (not by us) where you can find a group/page for each venue, with further information and details. Leave dogs at home unless otherwise stated.

Being held on Saturday 14th July 2012 at 11am.

Six peaceful protests will be taking place around the UK.

These protests will be calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to repeal Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Section 1 is Breed Specific Legislation which has been shown as ineffectual with regards to protecting the public and other animals from so-called ‘dangerous’ dog breeds.

We believe that innocent family pets should not be seized simply because of how they look. A large number of dogs who have never shown any aggression, or posed any threat, have been killed or held in secure kennels for months, sometimes years, just because they fit the ‘type’ profile.

Any dog, regardless of breed, can be dangerous when in the wrong hands; it is those wrong hands that the law should focus on. If you believe that it should be the deed, not the breed, join our fight for their right to life by attending one of these peaceful protests:

Check with the groups listed below on facebook in case any details have changed.
Website: Peaceful Protests Around the UK Against the DDA
Email: londonprotest@btinternet.com


Brighton - The Pier, Madeira Drive 11am and then then a walk along to The Ocean Room on Morley Street. No Dogs please. Visit the facebook event page 'Brighton Peaceful Protest Against Sec 1 (BSL) of the DDA'

Cardiff - Meet outside the Castle - Queen Street. Visit the facebook group - 'Welsh Protest Against BSL'

Glasgow - George Square. Visit the facebook group - 'Glasgow Protest Against BSL'

Hampshire - Southsea Common. Visit the facebook group - 'Hampshire Protest March Against BSL'

London - 11am -3pm Old Palace Yard - Westminster. Visit the facebook group 'London Protest March Against BSL' Facebook Event page - 'London Protest Against BSL' Dogs best left at home please

Manchester - Piccadilly Gardens, Visit the facebook event page 'Peaceful Protest Around the UK-Manchester Demo' No Dogs please.



The organisers hope to be making this a yearly event, next year America, Australia and France will be joining in on the same day.
Date to be confirmed and we hope many other countries who are affected by BSL will join.

The No Voice No Choice Event

On Saturday the 6^th of August we attended the No Voice No Choice family day out and dog show held at the Company of Animals (COA) on Ruxbury Farm in Surrey.

The event was a celebration of responsible dog ownership which was organised by campaign group DDA Watch in association with the COA which also provided a great venue.

Around fifty stalls were booked, ourselves included, there was also a fun dog show with celebrity judges, canine agility, obedience, displays, talks, demonstrations, k9 hurdles, free health checks, free micro chipping and free entry and car parking, bouncy castles, face painting, refreshments, beer tent, even super clean mobile toilets, in fact everything you could want for a great day out was laid on!

We arrived extra early to set up, thanks to Paula Kelly we managed to get sorted on time and then helped out as volunteers on the day, leaving late, the whole day was busy, busy with all hands on deck pulling together to produce a well-run event which was enjoyed by everyone who attended, human and canine!

EDDR hadn’t run a stall recently, so we decided to start from scratch. We purchased a cream gazebo, two folding tables from the army surplus shop which we strengthened and an all-important copy of MS Office 2010 to polish up or renew the literature.

We wrote some new information sheets, updated what we had and got printing, after replacing several ink cartridges we eventually produced a good range of literature covering responsible dog ownership, dog law, canine welfare issues and campaigns.

As August marks twenty years of the draconian Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA), we took along plenty of template letters for people to send off to their MP and a separate one for Defra, both calling for total repeal of failed breed specific legislation, around eighty were taken home by people to send in. There was a poster up for Lennox & dog owners were shocked, many vowed to go home & sign the online petition.

We spoke to a family who had attended court the day before under section 4b of the DDA and were now waiting for their pet to be exempted as ordered by the court, this had been nothing short of a nightmare for them, we spoke to a lady we helped out a couple of months ago, this rescue dog pictured here had been accused of being ‘type’ was due to be destroyed and not rehomed because of it, then was breed identified as ‘not type’ and now allowed to live, he was walking round the show all day and spent a long time quietly sat outside the vet world tent whilst his carer worked inside it. Crazy law springs to mind constantly as you speak to these folks and meet their dogs!

With help from Tony, we set up a display board, designed to stand up in an open field! Luckily it did stand well and was handy to cover our posters with, quite a few people were shocked to learn more about the issues including the over-breeding of the bull breeds in particular the awful situation now faced as thousands die unwanted in this country, several people asked for copies of the info to be sent to them, posters included, helping to spread the word. During the course of the day, we were pretty much run off our feet, as was everyone, talking and giving out literature and advice.

It was great to meet so many good people and put actual human faces to names and emails, the stalls covered a wide range of issues including dog and animal rescue, welfare, campaign groups as well as interesting trade stands.

We brought along an extra table for the ‘bargain basement’ stall, pictured here with a collection of, well of anything we could try and sell really! All proceeds going to the care of the eight dogs who are in kennels and in need of much support to give them a chance of a real future having been held for over a year under BSL and later released, maybe you could make a donation or offer a permanent or foster home? Please see the DDA Watch rehoming page for details on how you can help the 'extraordinary eight'.

EDDR had also purchased a large waterproof gazebo to cover the bargain stall and offer extra shade and a quiet area for a dog/human if needed, pictured here rescue dog Charlie having a pose, the heat wave missed us, thankfully, so did any rain and our new larger gazebo stood in as an emergency replacement for ‘vet world’ where all the free microchipping etc took place. Having to take this down was not a fun part of the day, we’re just so glad that we had help to get the thing up in one piece!

We also had printed two new posters with our logo on and a large banner with the web site address on, this arrived in time and we made a last minute pick-up, one of many pick-ups or drop-offs, this transport run thanks to heavy traffic took over half a day!

Also we ordered new collection boxes with printed logo/sticky labels and a collection bucket for DDA Watch to  help raise much needed funds to care for their dogs.

Our behavioural advisor Colin Goff ran a competent handler test, this was good to see, muzzled dogs were welcomed as Colin designed his own course to allow this, it was slow to begin with-no one wanting to be first in the ring, but soon got busy with handlers & dogs receiving certificates, Amanda and Ozzie passed gold with a young helper, read about on Amanda's blog here.

It was nice to meet new people all associated with canine rescue, welfare, training & behaviour as well as friends including legal advisor solicitor Tina Hay, barrister Pamela Rose who we have worked with for years and renowed animal behaviourist Dr. Roger Mugford who was there also early till late working away pictured here with EDDR founder Amanda Dunckley. There were also several campaign groups present, all busy spreading the word to educate and protecting our canine pals.

Maria Daines, took round her new CD ‘Faith, Hope & Sanctuary’ and donated some to every stall to sell to raise funds, such a wonderful donation, the 16 track CD is a collection of songs for dogs. Claire Matthews donated some canine items for us to sell on our stall-many thanks to you both!

The dog show went very well, pictured here is the last class for registered dogs.  With an exempted dog taking best in show at the very end but always the best dog is the one you take home with you, it was a lot of fun for the dogs, as was the hurdles which so many people said they really enjoyed having seen nothing like it before.

 We spoke to the owners of a beautiful black shepherd, passing a comment that he would steal the show, only to find out this dog now four years old had spent the first two years of his life shut inside a garden shed, found filthy, stinking and a shivering wreck, a rescue had taken him in and here he was two years later, what a transformation, just one dog of many who had been given a second chance.

The DDAWatch grand raffle was drawn on the big day.

A crowd gathered at the end of the event, tickets had been sold in the weeks prior to the show and on the actual day itself,  the first prize was a one night stay at the beautiful Powder Mills Hotel, we provided several of the smaller raffle prizes and there was a fantastic range of prizes won on the day bringing more smiles to more faces.

Well now we have a stall organised, we hope to improve on what we have and get round to some more shows. If you can recommend a good event to attend, or have a space for our display stand please let us know.

Canine & Family Day Out - August 2011 Surrey

A fun filled family day out celebrating & supporting responsible dog ownership, packed out with canine & trade stalls and stands (come and say hello) there will also be canine competent handler classes to give you a chance to try out dog training, agility, k9 hurdles-fast and lots of fun, plus a fun dog show to join in.

NO VOICE NO CHOICE 2011

August 6th will be a day to remember at Ruxbury Farm, Chertsey, Surrey, the home of Dr Roger Mugford's Company of Animals, Training and Behaviour Centre.

The event, a celebration of responsible dog ownership and family fun day is organised by canine campaign group DDA Watch.

On the programme will be a fun dog show judged by celebrities, demonstrations, have-a-go agility, free micro chipping, free legal advice, free vet checks and many stalls promoting animal rescue and pet friendly businesses.

The organisers hope it will be a memorable occasion for members of the public, families and dog owners, showing the vital role our canine friends play within our lives. Alison Green, founder of DDA Watch says ‘The happy experience of owning a dog reaches maximum fulfilment for dog and owner when dogs are given a voice by being owned and cared for responsibly. We would like to maximise the chances of family dogs reaching their full potential by being safely owned and kept and a benefit to society as a whole. When dogs have no voice, they have no choice; today will be our day to have fun and share a great experience of good dogs and good owners.’

Dr. Roger Mugford, who founded Company of Animals Behavioural Therapy and Training Centre in 1979, says ‘I am very pleased to participate in this remarkable event celebrating well behaved dogs and responsible owners and I am sure the event will be well attended because people love to have a fun day out with their dogs and families. On my farm in glorious Surrey there are sheep, cattle, horses and Llamas to show city dogs the other side of life.’

Entry and car parking is free and there will be refreshments and food on sale throughout the day, face painting and bouncy castles for young canine friends, a Grand Raffle, Reiki for animals and professional speakers in the Dog House tent.

All dogs must be kept on a lead. Registered dogs also welcome