Ennvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by Caroline Wright

I understand that if I send a message there may be a slim chance that someone may read and take note of my suggestions with regard to dogs here in the UK. Firstly just to put you in the picture, I own four Weimeraner dogs,two of which are rehomed. I am saddened and appalled to see so many dogs that are being put to sleep just because of over breeding and inter breeding...some dogs literally are bred, sold and ended up in the wrong persons hands, consequently meaning they are then abandoned, used for dog fighting, abused or kept at the hands of an irresponsible dog owner. Let’s be honest here, all dogs are capable of being out of control due to their wild ancestors, however I do believe that with certain standards in place this will inevitably reduce the number of dogs that are being mistreated, bred, abandoned and out of control. Absolutely delighted to hear that all dogs should be tagged...but I also think that dog licences should also be brought back...with four dogs it would be expensive but I am prepared to pay this. Lastly, I also think that breeding licences should be in place in order to make sure that dogs are not being interbred—I think a charge to breed will reduce the amount of breeding people are doing for money.

Thank you for your time and I do hope you read this and take note of what dog owners in the UK are looking for our government to take action on.

April 2013