Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by an anonymous contributor

Each week many healthy dogs are put to sleep. There is nowhere for them to go. The pounds and rescues are overflowing. We must act swiftly and make reforms to help their situation. My friend posted this to me this morning. I think she has a wonderful idea as we must include compulsory spaying and neutering at the correct age.

We must punish the deed and not the breed which I will attach my tattoo which I had done to get the positive message out there. I shall also be forwarding this to Lord Redesdale who is for repealing Breed-specific legislation (BSL). He needs help with this. We have thousands of people on the side of the dogs. They work round the clock.

Here is my friends proposal;

This is my dream. People will probably say it could not be done but I wish it could. All rescued dogs and bought pups should come with a registration card. All the details should be entered on a central database (like DVLA). The new owners have to register like when you buy a car. All vets are linked to the database and details entered when the dog is neutered or spayed. If this is not done then it is flagged up and the owners will be contacted and fined. This money would go to a central fund to aid rescues.

Only registered breeders with a license could breed and this would stop people with no morals breeding for money. The database would also help to return strays to their owners (as all dogs and pups will be compulsory micro-chipped). Breeders must chip pups when they are sold and a fee would be charged for registering your dog. This fee could also go to rescues. Just a dream.

I am an administrator on a Staffie group, there are many groups and we all interlink. Home check, Fostering, rescue spaces, transporting, donating etc. We are a big team with a passion to try and get these dogs to safety. We are there to help regardless of breed

I wish that there could be an outright ban on selling live pets in the UK. Free to good home could result in bait sadly. Have you seen a bait dog? I have and the shock took me weeks to get over I had a link on my facebook from Gumtree. Six ex racing greyhounds free to good home due to emigrating. My friend got onto her friend. All six are safely in a rescue.

This brings me to dog fighting, bait dogs and using dogs as weapons. I am not going to read the riot act. These gangs feel that they are listened to. They, in my opinion need agility and sports to do with their dogs to train and show the positivity that can be achieved.

I ask that we can have man’s best friend back. We must educate from a VERY young age that creatures have senses and feel pain just like us. I would also like to see a ban on pet shops selling live pets by 2018.

We can ban cigarettes and hide them behind a screen. Let us not hide behind a screen and face reality.

June 2012