Pet protection

[Blackdog]

I would hazard a guess that a significant proportion of WABers are also pet owners, who, like me think of themselves as responsible and caring (even doting perhaps) towards their animals.

I have just found this on the BBC News website; BBC NEWS | England | Pet welfare act coming into force

On the face of it, a good sound piece of legislation. I just hope though, it's enforced sensibly.

[Kymba]

This is great news and not before time. But I am not sure if it goes far enough.
This is fine as long as they enforce it as we tend to let animals get in quite a state before anything is done about it. And we tend to let owners who are charged with cruelty off to Lightly. I believe if you are charged with Animal cruelty you should be banned from keeping them for Life, not just a few years..
I also feel that before you can purchase certain pets ( Dogs, cats, horses, Pot-bellied Pigs, Goats etc) You should have to have a Licence per pet and it should be quite expensive (at least £20 a year) . My reason for this is if you cant afford a licence then you cant afford to keep a pet. With food, Innoculations, Illness etc they aren't cheap to keep..

This is just my personnal view, having had dealings with animal cruelty I have seen first hand how cruel some people can be... Some times it is intentional cruelty, but sometimes it is total ignorance on how much money you need to spend to keep a pet fit and healthy!

[brainfarmer]

Originally Posted by Kymba

This is great news and not before time. But I am not sure if it goes far enough.
This is fine as long as they enforce it as we tend to let animals get in quite a state before anything is done about it. And we tend to let owners who are charged with cruelty off to Lightly. I believe if you are charged with Animal cruelty you should be banned from keeping them for Life, not just a few years..
I also feel that before you can purchase certain pets ( Dogs, cats, horses, Pot-bellied Pigs, Goats etc) You should have to have a Licence per pet and it should be quite expensive (at least £20 a year) . My reason for this is if you cant afford a licence then you cant afford to keep a pet. With food, Innoculations, Illness etc they aren't cheap to keep..

This is just my personnal view, having had dealings with animal cruelty I have seen first hand how cruel some people can be... Some times it is intentional cruelty, but sometimes it is total ignorance on how much money you need to spend to keep a pet fit and healthy!

i couldnt agree more, its far too easy to obtain an animal and wether by design or ignorance subject it to cruelty.
im worried by the explosion in young men having bull terrier type dogs as a fashion accessory to say nothing of them being used as intimidation and every christmas there are the 'dogs arent just for xmas' ads with seemingly no effect. when u think its costs £131.50 to own a television i dont think an annual fee for keeping a dog of around £30 - £40 pounds is unreasonable and that a licence should be introduced for anyone dealing in pets be it cats dogs or snakes.

[Ann2]

Some further info on the new Animal Welfare Act here, for anyone interested

Defra, UK - Animal Health and Welfare - Animal Welfare - Animal Welfare Bill

[Wild-Woman]

I certainly hope the new laws are enforced strongly and that everyone who is a pet owner takes heed.Let's hope that the poor dogs left to fry in over-heated cars to the forsaken and forgotten ponies left in a bedraggled messes in fields, reap the benefit.

[Blackdog]

Originally Posted by brainfarmer

....im worried by the explosion in young men having bull terrier type dogs as a fashion accessory to say nothing of them being used as intimidation....

I couldn't agree more. I'm afraid these days I have rather 'gone off' these types of dogs precisely because of that. It's not the animals fault - more the animal that owns it usually...

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by brainfarmer

i couldnt agree more, its far too easy to obtain an animal and wether by design or ignorance subject it to cruelty.
im worried by the explosion in young men having bull terrier type dogs as a fashion accessory to say nothing of them being used as intimidation and every christmas there are the 'dogs arent just for xmas' ads with seemingly no effect. when u think its costs £131.50 to own a television i dont think an annual fee for keeping a dog of around £30 - £40 pounds is unreasonable and that a licence should be introduced for anyone dealing in pets be it cats dogs or snakes.

Do any of us seriously think that such charges will prevent cruelty to animals. That sort of thing unfortunatly happens regardless of the law or cost. Those who would be cruel or neglect an animal are hardly going to stop it to pop down the post office to get their licence.. nor are they going to attend training.. they will just slide out of it. All such fees will do is prevent the elderly or infirm on low incomes from taking on an animal which might be a life saving event for them. I certainly could not afford to pay £40 pounds per year each of my dogs. Because of ill health I have an income of just over £80 per week. Tell me where I and others like me are to find such sums of money for such a licence!

My dogs are company, entertainment, affection and burglar alarms and I would not want to be without them.

jaki

PS. I dont own a television

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Do any of us seriously think that such charges will prevent cruelty to animals. That sort of thing unfortunatly happens regardless of the law or cost. Those who would be cruel or neglect an animal are hardly going to stop it to pop down the post office to get their licence.. nor are they going to attend training.. they will just slide out of it. All such fees will do is prevent the elderly or infirm on low incomes from taking on an animal which might be a life saving event for them. I certainly could not afford to pay £40 pounds per year each of my dogs. Because of ill health I have an income of just over £80 per week. Tell me where I and others like me are to find such sums of money for such a licence!

My dogs are company, entertainment, affection and burglar alarms and I would not want to be without them.

jaki

PS. I dont own a television

if some onecant afford the licence fee how are they going to afford to pay for vetinary treatment if the dog gets ill - or for that matter for a decent diet.

Dont get me wrong Jaki I am not talking about you here , I have no doubt that you feed your dogs properly and would find the money if they needed vet treatment.

But there are far too many halfwits who buy a dog without having any conception of what it would cost to keep - if a licence fee would make these morons think twice then i'm for it - and not just for dogs either IMO every pet should be licenced.

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by eeyore

if some onecant afford the licence fee how are they going to afford to pay for vetinary treatment if the dog gets ill - or for that matter for a decent diet.

Dont get me wrong Jaki I am not talking about you here , I have no doubt that you feed your dogs properly and would find the money if they needed vet treatment.

But there are far too many halfwits who buy a dog without having any conception of what it would cost to keep - if a licence fee would make these morons think twice then i'm for it - and not just for dogs either IMO every pet should be licenced.

Thank you Pete... you are right.. most people who have a pet will feed and care for them properly. I can not see that those who dont or who are cruel to them will pay this fee. Again.. all this will do is make it harder for those who care for their animals to have them. As to paying for their vetinary fees.. a lot of vets allow you to put money into an account with them to be used in the event of need and there are many pet insurances... facilities that the morons who are cruel and neglectful wont take up.

Jaki, Twizzle(jack russel X) and Gizmo... Pedigree chihuahua.. both rescue doggies.. woof woof

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

I can not see that those who dont or who are cruel to them will pay this fee.

if there was a licence register it would make it easier for rspca and police to spot unlicenced owners and thus deal swiftly with cases before they became issues of serious neglect

£40 per year per dog might be a bit high - but if the owner was licenced rather than the dog it could be £40 per year regardless of how many you have (payable weekly at 80p per week for those that need to budget)

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by eeyore

if there was a licence register it would make it easier for rspca and police to spot unlicenced owners and thus deal swiftly with cases before they became issues of serious neglect

£40 per year per dog might be a bit high - but if the owner was licenced rather than the dog it could be £40 per year regardless of how many you have (payable weekly at 80p per week for those that need to budget)

OK...I think if such a fee was to work it would have to be per animal. How else would we stop those stupid people who have multiple dogs in barns etc. Now then Pete... how do you fancy standing as the MoP for WAB ?

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Now then Pete... how do you fancy standing as the MoP for WAB ?

not a chance - put gizmo up for parliment instead

[Gaina]

I am extremely happy this legislation has been introduced, but a few things do worry me and that is that a lot of RSPCA officers will need to have an understanding of the very particular needs of certain animals (I'm thinking of falconers in particular who are often subject to a rediculous number of 'lightning visits' by officers who don't have the first clue about Hawk Husbandry). Maybe this means we'll see a change in the Officer's training to allow for 'specialities' - for instance officers that own reptiles assesing all of these reports?

Also something I noticed when I was watching the Animal Planet series 'RSPCA: Have you got what it takes?' was that two people in particular were letting their feelings about animals in capitivity and eating meat respectively get in the way of their objectivity.

And vets fees? AGH! Don't get me started. I think a lot more people would be able to afford to have pets if the vets fees didn't differ so vastly. I think its high time someone looked into this and regulated the charges for at least the necessities like yearly boosters which I personally am fastidious about.

[Kayleigh]

There was the case of the Newfoudlands last year left in a car over 40% one of the dogs died but the other was let back home with the owners. The owners went to a garden centre and stopped for a meal while the dogs were dyeing. The case went to court but they still got the dog back. I hope this new law works to save other animals. We will see. People like this need to be banned.

[demicav]

Glad about the new laws. Just hope it's enough.