UK Laws All Pet Owners Should Know.

Being a pet owner is a massive responsibility. Our non-human family members rely on their human parents for everything. If we get it right, and why wouldn't we? We are repaid with their love and devotion, and that's a great feeling. On the other hand. get it wrong, or much worse, treat them cruelly or violently then we can only be described as, I will let you insert your own word or words here, but you get my meaning.

As pet owners, we are all subject to certain UK laws and regulations (Note: some laws may differ in the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Thanks to the Blue Cross website for this. 

Animal Welfare

All animals have the right to five basic rights, sometimes referred to as the 'Five Freedoms.'

These are:

• The right to live in a suitable place
• The right to eat suitable food
• The right to act normally
• The right to be housed with or without other animals
• The right to be protected from pain, injury or disease

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, Section 9, owners can be taken to court if their pets are not looked after properly. They can face up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £20,000. Plus, they may also have their pets taken from them or be banned from keeping animals in the future.

Tail Docking

Some years ago this cruel practice was a popular thing to do with certain breeds. Now thankfully unless it's for medical reasons, or the dog is a puppy under five days old and destined to become a working dog, the practice of docking for purely aesthetic reasons has been outlawed. A dog's tail is not just an appendage, it plays a major part in how they communicate to us and to other animals.

Controlling Your Dog In Your Own Or Someone Else's Property

Under the law, a dog must not be allowed to be dangerously out of control in your home, including the front and back garden and out in public, including pubs, etc. With the exception of anyone not visiting your home for legitimate reasons, a burglar, for example, anyone with a legitimate reason for visiting, such as a postal worker, a delivery person, health visitors, other professionals, and your family and friends have the right to visit without fear of attack. A dog owner can be prosecuted if their pet attacks someone with a legitimate reason to be there, or if their dog attacks a person or another animal in public. As much as we like to believe they think the same way as us, they don't and therefore can be unpredictable. I would highly recommend reading up on the fascinating subject of doggie body language to learn about the sort of triggers in their body language to look for. It may save you a lot of heartaches.

A dog does not have to have actually physically bitten or injured someone for an offence to have taken place. If someone feels that your dog may harm them, the dog may still be considered to be dangerously out of control. This applies to all dogs no matter the size or breed.

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 amends the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Barking Too Much

Most dogs bark, or talk as I like to put it, but if they bark too much, for too long, or too loudly, this can become a noise nuisance to your neighbours and your local authority environmental health team can formally tell you to get the dog to stop, and if you can't or don't they can take the dog away from you.

A dog doesn't bark for no reason. if they are barking too much there's a good underlying reason for it. They might be distressed about something, it may be fear that their humans have all gone out and left them, Separation Anxiety, or they are just trying to get attention. A well recommended and qualified animal behaviourist can help you get to the bottom of this.  

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Walkies In Public Places

It's worth checking your local authority website for any by-laws in place that you need to adhere to. 

Cleaning Up Your Dogs Poopies.

As a professional dog walker, one of my hates is seeing dog poop on the ground where the owner hasn't been bothered to spend a few seconds cleaning it up, or even more weirdly bags of dog poop hanging in a tree, what's that all about? The law is simple, in most public places you must scoop the poop, unless you have an exception such as being blind with a service dog. As I say, it takes seconds to scoop, bag, and place the bag in the nearest public bin, or your bin at home. Dog poop is dangerous, it has parasites in it that can cause blindness in people or pregnant cattle to abort. So remember when your dog poops, scoop, bag and bin.

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 amends the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Keeping Your Dog On A Lead

There is no blanket law to cover this. Local by-laws may make it mandatory in certain areas such as roads, children's play areas, and sports pitches. Basically, it's about using your common sense. Personally, as a professional dog walker, I would never walk a dog off the lead unless I have the owner's written consent to do so and it is in a safe place well away from any roads and the dog has good recall. 

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 amends the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Thanks for reading, further rules and laws can be found by clicking on this link to the Blue Cross website

Two Cats Pet Care