Monday 3 August 2009

The truth about dogs

One of our families favourite programs is "The Dog Whisperer". Having told you this, it won't surprise you to hear we've got a dog. We''ve got a lovely Boxer, who is a valued member of our household. As such it may surprise you to hear that I think that dog ownership should be clamped down on. I'm of the opinion that to keep a dog, you should pass a fitness test and get a license. I'd advocate a test, rather like the driving test.

The thing is that there are far too many people who don't know how to care for their dog, don't know how to make it behave and some who use it as a weapon. I'm of the opinion that if you keep a dangerous dog which attacks someone, you should receive a ban. The dangerous dogs act was one of the worst pieces of legislation ever. They should have passed the stupid owners act. Any dog, be it a pit bull or a sausage dog, can be good or bad. It just depends on the environment it's kept in.

I'd ban people who :-
1) Attack train dogs
2) Don't clean up their poo
3) Don't properly exercise them
4) Keep large dogs in small flats

I'd fund a proper warden service from a beefed up dog license. I'd also clamp down on dog minding services which walk large packs of unruly dogs on public land. I asked Matthew Offord about this a while back. His response - "It's a free country. It's not the council's job to tell people how to keep dogs". Responsible? Fit to be an MP?

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