Whilst it is extremely noble of petitioners who are calling for dogs to be held for 28 days rather than 7 days, there are a few questions that need to be addressed.

The legislation relating to stray dogs is from the 1990’s so just how outdated is it?

Documentation IS available to the public, or at least it should be, it is called the Register of Seized Dogs and shows which dogs have been seized by a particular council. All councils have to keep this register by law.

If a person has let a dog stray because they no longer want the dog, what can the council do even if they know who the owner is yet they refuse to reclaim it? There is no requirement for a dog owner to claim their dog even if there was no charge before it would be handed back.

If a dog has been through the local council holding kennels, it will be at a facility such as an RSPCA, Blue Cross, and Battersea Dogs Home, Dog’s Trust or smaller animal charity. The dog will be in the rehoming system after it has done it’s time as a stray as the major charities moved away from holding dogs on behalf of councils to force the councils to deal with stray dogs. This was something that councils have had to deal with since the inception of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The reason dogs that are now at animal charities may have to be destroyed is down to a number of scenarios, the main ones being irresponsible dog ownership closely followed by irresponsible breeding. Why as a point of interest are there currently so many Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the rehoming system?

These dogs and other unwanted bull breeds are contributing to the canine equivalent of NHS bed blocking, is it down to too many being bred or a sudden downturn in the popularity of bull breeds, whatever the reason there are a lot of them in the rehoming chain at present.

Another factor may be the lack of commitment from a number of charities for taking on Staffordshire Bull Terrier and other bull breeds, if no one is going to take them on from a council holding kennels, just what options are left?

In an ideal world there would be no stray dogs, dog wardens or the need for organisations such as the RSPCA as there would also be no animal cruelty or welfare issues.

There is currently a crisis with stray dogs that are going through holding kennels and on to animal charities after the seven day period, what will happen and who will pay if dogs have to be kept by council holding kennels for twenty eight days?

Many holding kennels hold on to their dogs for longer than seven days and do indeed find places with animal charities for the dogs to go on to and there are many hard working stressed people going the extra mile for the dogs in their care and this petition whilst having noble reasons ignores the contribution and commitment of these people.

What needs to be addressed is the practice where some wealthy charities are able to keep dogs forever in their kennels whilst others fight for every penny to enable dogs to be placed with new owners.

As all the dog charities have an ultimate and primary goal to help dogs, why is it not possible for an enormous coalition of dog charities to be formed where there is a division of funding that allows frontline smaller charities and societies to receive funding to work with the major charities?

Inadequate funding from government, poorly written legislation as well as poor guidance to local authorities contributes to the current problems with stray dogs. Without proper funding and support local councils have to make the best of a bad job with the resources they have to hand.

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Related posts:

1. DEFRA Announce Date for Police to Hand Over Stray Dog Responsibilities
2. Bull Breed Discrimination is Clogging up Rescue System
3. Charity Teams Up With Council in Effort to Reduce Number of Strays
4. Dog Wardens Hit Out at Dogs Trust ‘Spin’
5. Investigation Called as Police Leave Dog to Die With no Food or Water for 10 Days