Welsh Assembly issues guide to owning pets

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WALES has become the first country in the UK to publish guidance on the welfare of dogs, cats and horses.
The guidance is aimed at educating people about the responsibility, time and cost involved in caring properly for an animal.
Cases of animal cruelty and abandonment continue to rise, and the Welsh Assembly believes this suggests that not all prospective pet owners have considered carefully the responsibilities associated with looking after a pet.
Recent RSPCA figures showed that cruelty investigations in England and Wales rose from 105,000 in 2003 to just below 140,000 in 2007.
Other animal welfare charities have also seen a rise in the number of animals in their sanctuaries.
The new codes of practice have all-Party support at the National Assembly, and have been produced following consultation with animal welfare groups.
Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: “There may be people who will wonder why guidance is needed on the welfare of pet animals.
“The sad truth is that while many people will care for their pet and provide them with a safe home for their lifetime, far too many animals are subjected to cruel treatment and are abandoned. Cruelty figures continue to rise and we only have to look at reports in the media to see that this is a very real issue.
“Local authorities also face costs by pursuing cruelty cases through the courts, funding which could be used for other things.

Responsibility

“Taking on a pet is a big responsibility. There are costs involved, such as feeding and vet fees, as well as the time that is needed to look after them properly.
“These guides set out what is expected if someone is considering having a pet.”
At Christmas, parents may feel pressurised to buy an animal for their children, he said. “I would urge anyone thinking of having a pet to check these guides and see if they can, in all honesty, provide the care that is needed for the animal.”
The Kennel Club was involved with drafting the codes.
Its secretary Caroline Kisko said: “In general we think that these codes represent a positive step forward in this area.
“We congratulate the Welsh Assembly Government on being the first administration in the UK to implement these codes, and we hope this will provide owners with a greater understanding of their duty of care under the Animal Welfare Act.”
Dogs Trust chief executive Clarrisa Baldwin said her charity welcomed the codes.
“Anything that can be done to improve the public’s knowledge of how dogs should be kept is very important, as many welfare problems we encounter are the result of ignorance rather than deliberate neglect.
“We will be using the codes to help advise people adopting dogs from our centre in Bridgend on how to provide good care for their dogs.”
But a Conservative MP labelled the codes unnecessary.
MP for Monmouth David Davies said the document was patronising to animal owners who have managed thus far to raise healthy dogs and cats without guidelines from what he called a nanny state.
“The sort of people who abuse dogs, cats and horses are obviously not the sort who will read a 50, 100 or even a 1,000-word document from the Assembly Government,” he said.
“I don’t feel I need to read advice in chapter 2.4 appendix three or whatever of a document… that my cat needs to be fed milk or water out of a saucer three times a day.
“Which families are going to bother looking this up on the internet?”

Well-meant

Dog owner Debbie Brown of Welshpool said the guidance was well-meant but targeted at the wrong people.
“This type of advice should be obvious to most people who realise that buying a pet is a big responsibility and that they need to be fed, watered, loved and exercised,” she said.
“I would like to find out how much it costs to prepare such a document which contains what is surely just common sense to most people.”