MPs Agree Much More To Be Done On Dog Welfare And Control
13 years ago
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15th February, 2013 10h55
The concerns of veterinary associations about dog welfare and control have been echoed by a cross-party committee of MPs, which has criticised the Government’s inaction over these important issues.
Vets have welcomed the report, which calls for consolidated legislation and preventive measures to tackle dog control problems and further action to address the welfare issues of dog breeding. But veterinary associations have warned that the committee’s call for more types and breeds of dogs to be banned will do nothing to solve the problem of dangerous dogs.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) provided written and oral evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee (EfraCom) based on scientific evidence and the experiences of veterinary surgeons in practice.
Many of the policies that BVA and BSAVA called for have been taken up by the committee in its final report, including:
- Consolidation of legislation relating to dangerous dogs (recommendation 2)
- Microchipping of all dogs (rec. 4)
- Adequate resourcing for dog warden services (rec. 8)
- Introduction of Dog Control Notices as a preventive approach (rec. 14)
- Reduction in the threshold for licensing breeders to two litters per year (rec. 19)
- Publicity for the puppy contract to improve buying and selling of puppies (rec. 20)
- A voluntary code of practice for internet sale of dogs and puppies (rec. 21)
- Coordinated efforts to share and gather data on health problems in dogs (recs. 24 and 25)
- An annual independent review of breed standards led by members of the veterinary profession (rec. 27)
- Giving consideration to the Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding to be given a regulatory role (rec. 29)
- Amending legislation to place a duty on anyone breeding dogs to have regard for the health and welfare of offspring (rec. 30)
Commenting on the dog control elements of the report, BVA President Peter Jones, said:
“There has long been agreement amongst those working with dogs that a radical overhaul of the failed Dangerous Dogs Act is needed, and so we welcome this cross-party call for an urgent consolidation of dangerous dogs legislation and a move towards a more preventive approach.
“Whilst the Committee’s report champions the principle of deed not breed we are concerned by the suggestion that the Secretary of State should be able to ban more breeds of types of dog. Breed specific legislation has failed in the UK. Adding more breeds will only criminalise more innocent dogs without educating the public about responsible ownership.”
BSAVA President Mark Johnston added:
“Any type of dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands and so it is time for the outdated approach of breed specific legislation to be replaced with preventive action, such as Dog Control Notices.
“We welcome the committee’s call for legislation to be extended to cover dog attacks on assistance dogs but we still believe this should go further. Sadly the results of attacks by out of control dogs on other dogs and cats are seen too often in our surgeries and they should be afforded some protection under the law.”
On the dog welfare aspects of the report Mr Jones said:
“We are very pleased that the Committee has taken on board so much of our evidence. There is a strong call for a tightening up of breeding legislation and reducing the threshold for licensing to two litters per year and we hope Defra takes action on this recommendation soon.
“We also welcome the Committee’s support for puppy contracts. The AWF/RSPCA puppy contract is supported by the major dog welfare organisations and we hope it will become the norm for everyone thinking of buying a puppy.”
Mr Johnston added:
“The call for an annual independent review of breed standards is very welcome and the veterinary profession is keen to take a lead on this issue to ensure pedigree dogs in the show ring are the most healthy examples of the breed. By focusing on fitness and function of the show dogs we hope to improve all pedigree dogs’ potential for a long and healthy life.
“There is also strong support for data gathering, which the veterinary profession is already playing a key role in. Data from insurance companies will be invaluable in furthering our understanding of dog health.”
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