Anna MacNeil-Allcock
InfoStream Staff
Writer
British Parliament has become increasingly aware of, and
concerned with, dog-related issues. Whether about dangerous dogs, irresponsible
breeding and trading or cruelty there have been numerous debates, meetings, parliamentary questions and
petitions.
Dogs affect the
economy both positively and negatively and aside from farm animals, are one of
the most significant animals in relation to people with most individuals having
some sort of contact with them on a daily basis.
To give an idea of the estimated costs to the taxpayer of
irresponsible dog guardianship a British University was commissioned to carry
out a study for the RSPCA in 2013. It is estimated that irresponsible dog
guardianship can cost the British taxpayer just over £80 million per year
($146,707,380 Canadian dollars) due to attacks on livestock, attacks on humans,
dangerous dog control, dog welfare issues, stray dog control, road traffic
accidents and zoonotic diseases. This may be an important consideration in
every country for reducing or eliminating a huge cost to tax payers.
In September 2014, an
e-petition calling for an upgrade of dog legislation was brought to the
House of Commons, triggering a debate and the creation of the ‘All-Party
parliamentary group for animal welfare; sub-group for dogs’.
Not an easy feat, this group brought together politicians,
humane, and animal control organizations, Veterinarians and others in the pet
industry. It was acknowledged that key stakeholders had made numerous previous
attempts to address individual problems but were hindered by the lack of a
collaborative approach, lack of resources, insufficient legislation or
inconsistent messaging and education.
The All-Party Parliamentary group believes that only with the
involvement of all of these organisations and by combining resources, knowledge
and expertise can progress be achieved. What is needed is a holistic approach to a clear vision for dogs that
encourages responsible dog ownership. However, it is fundamental to set out
exactly what responsible dog ownership and guardianship should look like.
In the end, twenty-one recommendations were made, which represent
stage one in the process. The second stage will begin in 2015, to collaborate on more specific
approaches to uphold the recommendations.
North American leaders in the pet industry will notice two common
and familiar themes woven throughout these recommendations. First, there is a
need to find a regular and reliable source of funding for these initiatives,
beyond donations. Second, there is a need for input and collaboration from all
sectors of the industry.
As each sector recognizes these two needs, on a global scale, we
will see forward movement on some of the most complex but important animal
welfare initiatives.
Other important concepts touched upon in the recommendations
include the need for evidence based legislation, clear and consistent messaging
within and between the sectors, and animal welfare and behaviour training for
all local authority officers.
READ MORE: Veterinary Record Abstract
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