Bob Kerridge, executive director of the SPCA Auckland, New Zealand has some thoughts on dog licensing:
Imagine a city whose dog-owning residents are aware of their responsibilities, both to the dogs and their fellow humans, and are made accountable for the actions of their dogs.
This is achievable through the simple act of licensing the owner, not the dog. In providing a licence to individuals for the privilege of having a dog it would, in the first instance, be necessary for the person to be educated into the essential responsibilities that go with such an entitlement.
In this regard the Code of Welfare for Dogs is a document, soon to be updated by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which contains the essential standards of canine care so necessary in the health and welfare of the animal, together with helpful guidelines into their care.
[Via : Bob Kerridge: License owners to solve dog's breakfast of canine control - Animals - NZ Herald News.]
The (New Zealand) National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee:
…is a ministerial advisory committee established under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
The Committee’s main function is to advise the Minister of Agriculture on animal welfare matters relating to farm, companion, wild and pest animals. It has a number of other functions, including providing advice on the content of codes of welfare specifying minimum standards for animal treatment and recommendations for best practice.
The Committee is progressively reviewing existing voluntary codes of recommendation and minimum standards which will be replaced by codes of welfare. The minimum standards in codes of welfare can be used to support a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act, or conversely, can be used as a defence to prosecution.
The Code of Animal Welfare was published in May 1998, and includes these areas of concern:
- Nutrition
- Water
- Housing
- Exercise
- Health and disease
- Transport
- Training
- Breeding and reproduction
- Surgical procedures
- Injuries
- Euthanasia
- General
It’s an interesting read, especially (for us townies) the sections on exercise and transport.
What do you think: should we license dogs or their owners? Leave a Comment below.
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