Dogsey

A new petition has been launched to try get dog laws in the UK overhauled. The hope is to get over 100,000 signatures on the online petition to force a House of Commons debate. Prime Minister David Cameron had given assurances after last years Defra consultation that the topic would be discussed in Government.

After failing to have any discussion about the changes, that are backed by 20 different animal welfare organisations including the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club, Police Federation, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, The Blue Cross and the BVA, the organisations have come together in the hope of having these changes made in the Queen's speech.

Each organisation agrees the six key areas that need to be addressed are:

Consolidation of Legislation: Any Bill must consolidate legislation concerning dog control; give greater flexibility and discretion to enforcers and the courts; include a genuine preventative effect; update some offences; improve public safety and animal welfare; and reduce the costs of enforcement.

Breed specific legislation: This is not effective in tackling the real cause of the problem, which relates to the owner’s actions or omissions rather than the type of dog concerned. We believe if political will is not there to repeal breed specific legislation, then amendments must be made to ensure better canine welfare and a clear strategy put in place to regularly review, and with the intention of, ultimately phasing out breed specific legislation.

Private Property: The scope of updated legislation must be extended to cover all places, including private property, to ensure better public safety and animal welfare. It must also provide suitable defences for responsible dog owners, e.g. where someone is attacked and their dog defends them.

Permanent Identification: To assist with encouraging more responsible dog ownership, all dogs should be permanently identified, such as with a microchip, so that animals can be matched to their owners and traceability can be improved.

Better Funding: To support this there needs to be sufficient funding streams for dog wardens and police Dog Legislation Officer (DLO) roles so that the law can be adequately enforced and public safety and animal welfare improvements can be practiced. This will save money for the public purse in the short and long term, for example through savings to the NHS for treating dog-related injuries and costs of kennelling seized dogs.

Education and engagement: This should go hand-in-hand with any changes to the law and many animal welfare organisations can provide resources for this. However, the Government should play a lead role in coordinating such work, especially within hard to reach areas, and ensuring it is properly evaluated for its effectiveness.

The petition, which is also currently being circulated throughout many animal welfare sites, can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22631