Proposed legislation to tackle dangerous dogs is to be unveiled at the Scottish Parliament.
MSP Christine Grahame will officially launch the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which seeks to introduce control orders for dogs which are acting dangerously.
Currently, police can only intervene when a dog is behaving dangerously in a public place or on someone else's property, but the bill would make it possible for action to be taken when an animal is out of control in its owner's home.
The bill was originally put forward last year by Alex Neil MSP, but is being relaunched as he is now Communities Minister and cannot pursue the legislation as an individual member of the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Grahame said: "This is a very important bill and I am very happy to promote it and take this forward.
"It importantly places the onus on the owners, not the dogs, to ensure they are properly controlled.
"The bill will offer a flexible range of control orders, like anti-social behaviour orders for dogs. This will provide practical measures to stop dogs getting out of control and place the focus on the owner."
Animal welfare organisations, dog experts and dog owners have all been officially consulted.
The Communications Workers' Union (CWU) has already backed the bill and called for more "realistic penalties" to be handed down by the courts.
According to the CWU, postal workers in the UK are victim to 5,000 - 6,000 dog attacks every year, with many resulting in serious injuries.
Last updated: 16 March 2009, 10:35
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