What would you think of a dog licence being reintroduced?

[CruCru]

The reason I ask is that I keep hearing about people getting dogs because someone thought it would be a lovely surprise - this would make me nutty, I love dogs but don't want one as a present. Perhaps a dog licence would stop this?

Also there's meant to be some town that has introduced ones with DNA so that if dog poo gets left anywhere, they test it and fine the owners.

However, there may be some drawbacks I haven't thought of.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I think it is a fantastic idea, and would probably work much better with modern technology.

Dogs would requite to be micro chipped and licensed.
Microchips only available to approved people so no back yard breeders/puppy farms
Cost of licence would put off people who can't actually afford dog
Could also link microchip with DNA.
So many advantages and I can't see a single disadvantage.

[Twitterqueen]

I would be very much in favour.

A young family relative has just bought home a husky (a husky FFS), very much against his parents' wishes. He is looking after it for 2 weeks whilst the owners are on holiday. Except that he is working and out a lot. The dog howls all day every day.

I would like to see huskies, malamutes, and other working dogs prohibited for sale to 'normal' families and licensed only to those who can prove a profession that enables proper and correct exercise for these lovely dogs.

Maybe it would help cut down on cross-breeding too, plus illegal puppy farms.

I can't see the negatives tbh.

[SurlyCue]

We have it here in NI. Tbh it isnt enforced unless your dog either comes through a rescue/pound or escapes at some point and is picked up by the warden.

I think dog ownership needs to be far more tightly regulated. I support a dog license that is backed up with obligatory home checks, microchipping, and DNA recording. Along with proper investment in the enforcement of it and proper consequences if you dont license.

[SurlyCue]

I also think anyone selling a dog should be licensed to do so, even if your bitch just got upduffed in the park when you werent looking. It should cost enough to put people off not neutering their dogs.

[Catswiththumbs]

I would support it.
They tried to introduce equine passports, sadly there are some that are above the law so that it's practically unenforceable.

Anything that limits breeding (especially designer breeds ) should be supported by all dog lovers.
Any who spout "nanny state" or "big brother" nonsense ought to be blacklisted

[SurlyCue]

I think i remember my dad talking about his horse's passport, something to do with taking her to the vet to get her markings done? This was possibly 15-20 years ago in NI. Am i imagining things or do we have horse passports here?

[Chattymummyhere]

My own issue is puppy farmers could very easily pay £100's for it just like some are kc accredited. Where as the odd show breeder by not have £100's to spare.

If liceneced it needs to be inspected randomly not just who can pay the most. Don't pass? Take the pups away and spay the bitch/dog but most breeders dont really make money once taking costs into account. It's puppys born to the local dog off lead in its normal bed where people just leave them alone and go it will be alright and don't vac/mircochip Ect that make money.

We have puppies and before we even knew we where going to have puppies we have spent over £1,000 then once we knew it was the costs of all the whelping items as we don't re-use to minimise risk of infection.

[cheminotte]

Non dog owner here. I would fully support it. I remember a thread on here a year or more from a vet who had to put down healthy dogs basically because the owners had got bored and the refuges were full. We don't have dogs as we know we wouldn't have enough time to give enough exercise due to work, young DC etc.

[lapetitesiren]

I wonder if a written test could be introduced that would cover basic care and training and responsible dog ownership. People who passed could be allowed to hold a license.

[SurlyCue]

Chatty i agree with you. A sellers license shouldnt just be a case of paying ££ and you get it. It should be subject to inspections including ensuring home inspections are being carried out for all prospective buyers and that the buyers have a license to own. Im thinking of how a car has a V45 for when you buy/sell it, new and previous owner sign it and ownership transferred. This would be like a Dog registration certificate. Make it illegal to buy or sell a dog without its certificate. Also illegal to own a dog without an owners license, not the way we have dog licences here in NI. They are licenses on the dog. I mean a license to own or sell.

[SurlyCue]

I could go further with the car analogy and insist on compulsory insurance and an annual health check (MOT) with a vet who issued an all good certificate (if even just online)

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

There are some fantastic ideas here. I love the car analogy. Yearly tests, check ups, tests for licences, proof of sale and purchase. Would create lots of jobs for people, all the testing and checking up. I would absolutely be in favour of this and would willingly pay to prove I am a responsible dog owner if it gets rid of all those bloody people on Facebook advertising yet another litter of mongrels. Not to mention the bastards stealing family pets and baiting and fighting dogs.

[SurlyCue]

Just realised i said v45 instead of v5. Not sure what a v45 is!

And yes to creating lots of jobs (paid for with the licensing fees etc.

[CruCru]

Yes, I think horses do have passports (my SIL's horse does) but I think part of it is to stop a horse being sold for horse meat if it has had bute.

[GrouchyKiwi]

Licence and compulsory microchipping both very sensible.

[TooOldForGlitter]

I agree. I don't know what the exact answer/solution is but it needs to be harder to own a dog. I also wish, and it is a wish because I cannot see it happening, that breeding, particularly mongrel 'designer' crosses of poo this and shit that could be stamped on with a massive boot.

[Bubble2bubble]

Licences have always existed in Northern Ireland and it means nothing. I can go online tonight and purchase a dog licence for any dog I want. I get reminders every year to renew my licences, but most people have never bought a licence in the first place and therefore never enter the system, and their dogs are not traceable.

Microchipping has also been compulsory here for at least a year, and you now can't buy a licence without a chip. Well guess what - the vast majority of strays picked up/ dogs found abandoned are not chipped despite endless campaigns and free Dogs Trust microchipping days held all over the place.

Licensing and microchipping is sadly not the magic bullet, but I don't really know what is.

[SurlyCue]

Licensing and microchipping is sadly not the magic bullet, but I don't really know what is.

Because they arent enforced. They dont work without enforcement. You could introduce any law you like but if you dont also provide the staff to enforce it and the consequences to deter the behaviour then its meaningless. Licenses and microchipping are meaningless without the enforcement officers with the power to issue real (removal of animal), painful (costly) consequences. It would take investment by the government that sadly i cant see them ever providing.

[Bubble2bubble]

Well exactly. Where I live there is one dog warden who is supposed to cover three largish towns and all the area in between....not a lot of time for enforcing anything.
And if you don't care enough to want your dog back if it goes missing, you're certainly not going to licence or microchip it especially if that means you'll be fined for letting it stray..

[Sossidge]

I'm in NI and we have licences here, it's simply a fee you pay to the council every year for no apparent reason. Literally nothing happens, you just give the council money. So it's a complete farce, but if there was something that would stop backyard breeder scum, shit owners, treating dogs as commodities or heavily restricted objects, and the surplus of genetic wrecks and huskies and other dogs not suited to life in a house, I would support it, but that'll never happen. Sigh.

[SistersofPercy]

I'd fully support it. I'd also go so far as to support proper breeding control with registered licenced breeders.
Probably a controversial POV but I'd like to see some kind of control over the amount of staffy and staffy cross breeding because the amount of these in rescue is saddening to read. But then, I think if I had my way there would be a dog owner exam to sit which would weed out the vanity owners.

[TooOldForGlitter]

The thing is, and I find it difficult to say, nothing is going to change. If it does it will take a million years. People still spout the same rubbish about ooh I couldn't have a rescue dog, we have 19 children and neeeeed a puppy. People will always spout shite about breeding their dogs and those need a puppy types will but their 'designer' mutts.

We live in a world where pets are disposable play things. It shocks me that in 2015 there are still people who believe in dominance/pack theory, but there are very many, they spout it here often enough.

I just don't think it matters enough to people. You only need to look around your immediate neighbourhood. How many people are out all day and leave their dog? How many are selling puppies? How many do you know have dogs that are never walked, ever?

[Buttholelane]

I think it's stupid.

They have licences in Northern Ireland i believe and it's done nothing to deter bad owners, dog fighters etc etc.

Once again, good people will pay out for microchips, pay for their licences and the bad will continue just as before! Not registering or chipping their illegal dogs, breeding dogs and selling them on illegally.
Ireland also has a pretty shitty reputation for its poor treatment of working dogs, plenty of ex working sheepdogs, gun dogs and lurchers are brought into uk rescue in appalling condition from there so what good are the licences doing to safeguard their welfare?

Then you have to consider the breeders, there's no guarantee that under licensing you'll get good breeders!
The kennel club is a bit of a joke with regards to health so what standards do you have in place for someone to become a dog breeder?

A really silly idea I think to squeeze yet more money out of good people and do sod all for the bad.

[VivaLeBeaver]

If I thought it would stop irresponsible owners getting a dog Id be all for it but sadly I don't think it will.

I remember when we used to have dog licenses in the UK, idiots still had dogs. Think they cost £10 and you just used to go to the post office and buy a licence over the counter.

[Buttholelane]

And as for twitter queen, ridiculous comments like that make me absolutely furious!

It's a dog ffs!
You train it, feed it and exercise it.
Some might need more training or exercise than others granted but working type dogs aren't a separate species.
They're just dogs.

My (highly driven, working bred) dog is a calmer, better behaved, more sociable dog than many of the show/pet type Labradors, spaniels, small dogs of numerous breeds I see.

In fact, many owners of working bred dogs will tell you that they are often lovely and calm indoors and not at all crazy or in need of specialist care or training.

Plenty of 'companion' type breeds of dogs can be incredibly demanding of exercise, stimulation and have behavioural problems.
It's really unfair to assume only a working breed would behave like this.

You mention huskies, it's just a dog with a high prey drive and a tendency to question 'what's in it for them' in common with pretty much all high intelligence breeds. Keep it exercised, away from small furries and really work hard on obedience.