British Pet Welfare Legislation

(London, England) Issued for comment is the Animal Welfare Act and interested parties have eight weeks to voice their concerns. The new legislation specifies codes of practice for dogs, cats and horses to prevent cruelty.

Violations of the codes of practice will be used in determining guilt in pet welfare cases which carry a maximum jail sentence of six months or a potential fine of £20,000.

The guidelines cover the environment for animals, diet, the company they enjoy, ensuring they exhibit normal behaviour patterns, as well as health and welfare issues.

The code of practice for dogs advises against taking a dog for a walk during the hottest part of the day or feeding it less than an hour before vigorous exercise in order to avoid "bloating".

Owners should groom dogs with long hair at least once a day and all dogs should have teeth cleaned with dog chews or canine toothpaste as part of routine care. Training dogs should be done through "positive reinforcement" rather than punishment that can lead to behavioural problems in the future.

Owners can spot signs of stress such as barking excessively, urinating indoors or yawning when not tired. The advice stresses cats are not vegetarians and adults do not need bowls of milk. However they do need somewhere to hide and to scratch claws.

The guidelines for horses are based on the same principles.

It's not clear whether the pet welfare police will report to Scotland Yard or MI5. In any event, animal owners will be unable to claim ignorance of the law when they are hauled into court for not brushing their dogs' teeth.

Interestingly, I don't think there are any laws on the books requiring that typical British children and adults brush their teeth. Maybe the British Parliament has the issue under advisement.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.