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Irresponsible dog owners have had their chips
On Friday last week, the much talked about Dog Control Bill made it to committee stage at the House of Lords.
For those of you who aren?t already familiar, the bill is looking to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and hold owners accountable for their dog through control notices.
These issues were also highlighted in last week's Sunday Express where David Blunkett spoke out about the three attacks a month suffered by guide dogs.
The bill proposes that owners subjected to a control notice will have to microchip their dogs. But at Guide Dogs we?d like the legislation to go further, like in Northern Ireland where they are considering compulsory microchipping for all dogs.
I recently got chatting with a young and active twenty-something guide dog owner who?s enjoying the metropolitan life in London. In October last year, his guide dog Yasmin was attacked while they were out walking and she couldn?t work for weeks.
The owner was left virtually housebound, which compounded the horrendous experience of the attack and left him feeling withdrawn for some time.
It?s important that the public doesn?t underestimate the consequences of a dog attack. Some guide dogs may need to be retrained or even retired as a result, leaving the owners without a trusted companion and a mobility aid.
This in turn has a huge personal impact so we must never underestimate the consequences of dog attacks.
People ask me how putting a microchip will help prevent dog attacks? The answer is it will increase responsible dog ownership by preventing backstreet breeding, provide police with control mechanisms and enforcement of dog control orders.
Small steps can create a big change in society and compulsory microchipping is one of them. On a more positive note, think about the benefits of compulsory microchipping. If your dog became lost, stolen or involved in an accident, the microchip could help reunite you and your friend.
They are also pretty cheap - between £5 to £15 from your local vet.
Some charities are even offering either a free chipping service or they will cover the cost of chipping if you can?t afford it.
There is a long way to go but I believe that the compulsory microchipping makes sense at every level. It will cost the government nothing to run or maintain and provides an answer to responsible dog ownership for everyone.
Comments
Diane, 7:40am Thu 10 Feb 2011:
Dear Sir
I am a guide dog owner and branch organiser for Hove Guide Dogs and must say that I completely agree with the sentiments in this article and quite frankly there shouldn't even be a consideration of voluntary. It should be compulsory immediately to put the onus on the dog owners. Living in Brighton w, GD Thomas and I, see a lot of dogs who are not on the leads and this makes me very cross as being totally blind I am unable to judge from the leadless dog what state it is in. I don't see why my dog must be put in danger when all he is trying to do is his job. My dog is extremely friendly and will always attempt to say hello to the other dog and thus he has been attacked, thank God not damaged, twice. What is £5 to get a dog chipped if you are sincere about looking after your dog's welfare. I say we must get dogs chipped as a compulsory measure and never mind this pussy footing around that the government is undertaking. Let's have some backbone in this country and stand up for our four legged friends.
Yours sincerely
Diane Marks
Gary, 5:06pm Thu 24 Feb 2011:
I totally agree with Diane’s comments regarding dog onership, I think before even getting a dog potential owners should learn about dog behaviour and the importance of all aspects of animal ownership.
Margaret, 7:37pm Wed 29 Jun 2011:
I agree that dogs should be microchipped, however I cannot see how simply chipping the dogs will deter irresponsible dog owners. The law needs to have more teeth, and those who do not look after their pets adequately leading to malnutrition, and disease as well as behavioral problems caused by allowing them to stray should face prison instead of fines or community service and fines.
Torie, 1:03am Wed 3 Aug 2011:
I just discovered this article. My guide dog was attacked on the 14th February 2011. Thankfully she was not injured, but we were very very shaken up. As a totally blind person it really did scare me. Even now i am still very wary of other dogs, especially ones who sound nasty, and especially stray dogs. It really can shake a team up.
I was only 5 months into my partnership at the time, and Ushi my guide dog is my first. The only thing that could happen was that the dog was destroyed. (The owner was on drugs according to the police, and even accused my dog of attacking his! He never appologised, nor did he come up to help me. His kids then had the nerve to ask me if i had ever heard dogs fighting before!
I remind myself every day that it could have been alot worse, and thankfully Ushi is still working well. I am working hard myself particularly on one of my walks where there is a very nasty sounding dog behind a gate, to be confident around it. I don't want my fears to transfer over to Ushi, and I have to remind myself of this all the time.
I feel very strongly about this issue, and hope it never happens again. A guide dog should never ever be attacked, simple as.
David, 11:19am Wed 3 Aug 2011:
We absolutely agree with everything you say Torie. This is why we are calling upon the government to introduce compulsory micro chipping for dogs. This will give the police the targeted improvement tool they need. All Best, David Cowdrey (Head of Public Policy and Campaigns, Guide Dogs)
Gwen, 11:42am Sat 3 Dec 2011:
I remember having to license my dog, but as times have moved on and there seems to be an increase in unwanted dogs I would agree that compulsory micro chipping is overdue and would help to weed out irresponsible owners and breeders!