Jack Lis: Dog laws must change says mum after son killed

The mother of a 10-year-old boy killed in a 2021 dog attack has said dangerous dog laws need "fundamental" changes.

Jack Lis suffered "unsurvivable" injuries to the head and neck at a house in Caerphilly on 8 November 2021.

Jack's mum Emma Whitfield said she wanted to see change across "the whole spectrum" from breeding to sentencing.

The UK government said a working group due to report later this year was looking at ways to reduce dog attacks

A man and a woman in charge of an American XL Bully called "Beast" that mauled Jack to death were jailed last year.

Ms Whitfield said her family had been "devastated" by Jack's death.

"We never expected this to happen at all, and to go from picking him up from school to less than an hour later being told he's gone," she said.

"That is something that stays with me every day."

"I'd like to see more changes around breeding so not just anyone can breed dogs," she added.

She said it was not "fair" that "anyone can sell an animal with no prior knowledge or care for who it's going to".

American Bullies are not banned in the UK, but historically they have been cross-bred with pit bulls which are banned.

Ms Whitfield was in Westminster with the Caerphilly MP Wayne David to lobby for new laws on dogs.

Mr David said: "At the moment the law identifies simply four breeds as dangerous dogs.

"We want a different approach that includes all dogs and focuses on breeding, training, the sale of dogs and everything concerned with dogs."

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it an offence to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control.

But Ms Whitfiled says she did not think sentencing for the offence was "much of a deterrent to stop people from doing what they're doing".

Brandon Hayden, 19, from Penyrheol, Caerphilly, was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting owning or being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog.

Amy Salter, 29, of Trethomas, Caerphilly, was jailed for three years for the same offence.

"Feeling the things I've been through and seeing what it's done to my family and his friends, that's got to stop," Ms Whitfield said.

"We can't let this keep happening to other people."

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said: "We recently published research examining potential measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership.

"Since then, we have set up a working group with the police, local authority representatives and animal welfare stakeholders to advise on how these proposals could work in practice. Recommendations are expected later this year."

The Welsh government called on the UK government to "strengthen" the law on dangerous dogs.

A spokesperson said responsible dog ownership was "a priority".

"Our programme for government includes several measures that will improve standards of dog breeding and keeping in Wales," they added.