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Taking dogs off the streets is not the answer
• THE Mayhew Animal Home certainly agrees that there is a large and growing problem of the misuse and mistreatment of dogs across London (Police in warning over ‘vicious’ dogs, July 23) and most other urban areas.
But simply removing these dogs off the streets is not going to make this problem go away. More onus for responsible pet ownership should be placed on the dog breeder and dog owners to prevent this problem escalating. In effect, it is the people we need to target and work with not the dogs. More needs to be done to address the unchecked breeding of dogs and the ease with which dogs fall into the hands of irresponsible owners.
The Mayhew would like to see tighter regulations placed on the trade in pets on the web and other forms of media, and priority given to the stricter monitoring of both registered and “back-street” breeders.
In addition, there needs to be more thought given to an effective registration system for dog owners which would embody the principles of responsible pet ownership.
Each council should invest in designated and trained personnel, such as animal welfare officers and/or dog wardens, who can work both with residents and pet owners. Across-the-board collaboration between government and non-government bodies, as well as animal welfare organisations, will help to produce more comprehensive and cohesive methods to resolve this issue.
The Mayhew is represented on the Camden Dog Control Advisory Group. We offer free neutering for bull breeds at our clinic in Kensal Green as well as low-cost neutering and vaccinations for cats, dogs and rabbits.
CAROLINE YATES
CEO, The Mayhew
Animal Home, NW10
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