Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by Mrs Louise Haig

I am emailing you as I hear that you wish to hear from interested parties with regards to your consultation on dog control and welfare.

At present I am an RSPCA volunteer, and as such an animal lover. Daily I see stories of how dogs are being abused/mistreated and killed.

There are many voluntary rescue organisations who are flooded with dogs, for various reasons.

There are many cases of animal cruelty/neglect carried out daily. Animals are being bred in terrible conditions, puppy farms being the biggest culprit.

Recently I was thinking of getting a dog for my home. I am horrified how easy it is for someone to get a dog with no checks at all as to whether you are a suitable owner who is able to give the dog what it needs.

To tackle this problem completely and properly there is a number of measures which need to be taken.

Tougher sentencing for people found guilty of animal cruelty—Today a Sean Deakin got five months for beating up his dog, then stabbing it and leaving it on his kitchen floor to die. He will be out in two months. If this had happened to a child/person, the perpetrator would be given a lot longer than five months, and wouldn’t be dealt with in a magistrates court.

Puppy Farms need to be made illegal—The majority of puppies sold by these places are poorly socialised, not looked after correctly and are in very poor condition.

License and log book need to be introduced for Dogs and Cats, as well as compulsory micro chipping—A log book would work for dogs and cats like it does for a car registration document. The breeder has to be responsible for checking out the destination of their animals, and registering the animal to the new keeper. Failure to comply with this should be made an offense.

You can only have a breeding bitch if you are licensed and have had checks carried out to make sure they meet a specific standard so that the welfare needs of their animals are properly met. As a breeder you would have responsibility to make sure the home of the animal is suitable.

The sale/giving away of animals on the internet to be made illegal—The dog who met its awful violent end at the hands of Sean Deakin was obtained 4 days prior on the Gumtree website.

You only have to look on the internet to see how many dogs are looking for homes to see this is a massive problem which needs to be tackled decisively and properly.

June 2012