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.

The trouble is that the existing legislation around dogs that we already have is very rarely implemented and certainly not policed so I'm not sure that more would help.

In an ideal world I agree that a similar system to cars would be best, including log books and official transfer of ownership.

But I'm afraid what would actually happen is that responsible owners would follow the rules and pay the costs while irresponsible owners would not and if there was no will/budget to police and enforce it it would be pretty useless.

Sorry to be cynical but when an out of control husky killed an elderly yorkie in my local park, it took local park users to locate the dog, find witnesses to this and previous incidents and hand the police the case on a plate before they would take action.

So what we is per say a better enforced kennel club with acredited breeder status where the houses are checked randomly and regularly.

Kennel club has registration fee's per puppy, then the new owner pays to transfer. If I remember correctly they now have a section for non pedigree dogs too. Any litters raised by a non acredited breeder per say cannot be registered and there for not sold. Microchips linked to paperwork. All dogs who's owners don't intend to become "acredited" dogs must be spayed? Any strays picked up will be spayed instantly unless the microchip links back to an "acredited" person.

Compulsory 3rd party insurance I only say that due to many owners using savings to pay vets rather than a company who might not pay out anyway.

Vaccinations/worming and flea treatment could be harder as my experience within the raw feeding community a lot don't use what we consider the norm and use more herbal things to fight off fleas/worms, and as there is ongoing research into vaccinations shortening life spans and just giving the dogs said disease it's meant to stop. As well as those who believe that 8weeks is to early to vaccinate due to still having mothers antibodys.

I would like to see more regulation on dog food itself but that's a whole other can of worms with the pure crap company's sell some of witch vets prescribe that actually have cancer causing chemicals in them.

What about those of us who don't want to spay or neuter our dogs?
There is not, as far as I am aware, any benefit to neutering male dogs and the only real benefit I see to spaying females is the elimination of pyometra.

In larger breeds, spaying should not be carried out until 2 or 3 and doing so before can cause joint problems and cancer but if all non accredited owners had to spay their dogs then presumably the dogs would be done at 6 months.

Not to mention that the kennel club is a joke as it is, I wouldn't want a kennel club accredited puppy.
The kennel club have destroyed many dog breeds physically - just look at Pekingese, Bulldogs etc. And the working dogs who can't work anymore.
Then you have to take into account the damage they have done with in breeding and breeding known carriers or sufferers of certain diseases because the dog does well in shows.

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?

Ireland and NI are two separate countries. Does Ireland have dog licensing?

Have just done a quick google and the first result says if you want a dog and live in Ireland you need to buy a licence so I assume so.

What about those of us who don't want to spay or neuter our dogs?
There is not, as far as I am aware, any benefit to neutering male dogs and the only real benefit I see to spaying females is the elimination of pyometra.

All dogs should be spayed or neutered unless you are a,professional breeder. Its not just about the health of that dog, its about preventing extra puppies being born.

In larger breeds, spaying should not be carried out until 2 or 3 and doing so before can cause joint problems and cancer but if all non accredited owners had to spay their dogs then presumably the dogs would be done at 6 months.

I'd imagine that as the system would track from birth the database entry fort the microchip would have the age appropriate age listed to aid enforcement.

surlycue southern Ireland does have licensing and theyare bringing in microchipping.
If you take a dog from a pound in the south can can either buy a Southern licence or come with a NI licence.
I believe the same applies as on the north - most people have never bought a licence in the first place, and enforcement is non existent. On the others hand they do have BSL with restrictions regarding muzzling of certain breeds etc, but I am not sure how much this is enforced except that if a restricted breed strays it is highly likely to be PTS no questions asked.

What makes you think an owner of an entire dog is automatically going to breed them?

It's only really America and the UK that are obsessed with neutering dogs.
Quite a few other countries, like Norway, Germany, Sweden and others tend to leave the dogs entire.
And interestingly, they don't have anywhere near the sort of problem the UK and America have with unwanted dogs.

For male dogs, the health benefits are minute and more and more vets agree.
In fact, neutering males can actually make some fear based behaviours worse.
Pyonetea is life threatening so the elimination of that is an obvious benefit, but that's about it.

Most vets advise spaying after one or two seasons, well, a dog could very easily get pregnant in those seasons before the spay so unless you spay dogs before puberty which is especially bad practise for large breeds, you aren't actually going to to stop poor breeding practices are you?

There seems to be a completely different attitude to dog ownership in hose countries butthole .
The issue we have in Ireland and possibly to a lesser extent in the UK is that yes, many,many people consider it acceptable and even their right to breed from their dog, pedigree or otherwise- either for financial gain or through ignorance. Indeed most see nothing wrong with this. This is the culture which has lead to a massive overpopulation of dogs and litter after litter of puppies that noone wants.
While I completely see the arguments against neutering, unfortunately here it is a faster solution to neuter some more dogs than it is to educate people on responsible ownership :(

Its just Ireland (no southern) but thats good to know, pretty much the same as NI- not enforced. Its the lack of enforcement that makes licenses pointless. Implemented properly they would work. It just requires more investment than Anyone is willing to make.

Well we've pretty much got that all wrapped up. Why don't we form our own government department and handle it ourselves? The problems would be gone in about five minutes.

Dog owner here, I would support it wholeheartedly.

Yes, I'd happily support it.

I would also support compulsory spaying and castration for those who haven't got a breeders licence and it should be bloody difficult to get the licence.

Why don't we form our own government department and handle it ourselves? The problems would be gone in about five minutes

I'm in. Whats the pay like?

I think there needs to be more regulation to breeding and ownership so if licencing helps that I would support, I presume you'd have to if you had a dog :o

I've always had working breeds (quite a lot of dog breeds were bred for work for some reason or another) and I agree with butthole.

I remember the dog licences we had for our collie and lurcher in the 70's, bought from the post office . Not worth the paper they were written on.
But do it properly and I would be on favor .

SurlyCue Let's get the Mumsnet Political Party up and running and then put it on the agenda.

What are you like at making gin tea?

So everyone in my family wants a dog but I'm yet to be won over- sorry to say more of a cat person . Anyway - looking for advice on what breed for a family - DSs are 10 and 14. I don't want anything too big, DH who has always had dogs growing up doesn't want a small one. I don't want hairs everywhere either!! any suggestions please?

Oops! Sorry I meant to start a new thread! As you were!

What are you like at making gintea?

Oodles of experience at both

You're in.

I live somewhere with a dog licencing scheme. We pay about $30 a year for our dog, and get a tag for his collar to prove he has his licence. If the bylaw enforcement officer sees him without it we would get fined. If he gets loose and is picked up by the bylaw officer he'd be taken to the pound, his tag checked and we'd be contacted (and fined). Our city use the scheme to fund the pound and to try and stop people having more than two dogs (local rule).

I don't really mind the fee, but I don't think it does very much. The people I know with more than two dogs don't have any of them licenced and tend to keep them on their properties and not walk them. So not a great life really. I guess they can be reported though, but I'm not sure it's in the dog's interests really. There are very few dogs at our local shelter though (all dogs go to the shelter if not claimed).

We have a much bigger problem with cats.

The problem is that the sort of dog owners who support a license are the sort who generally are good owners anyway .

Part of me wishes that we could enforce a breeding ban on all bull type breeds for the next couple of years . There are two bull crosses free to a good home on facebook in my local area just at the moment , all with accompanying sob story about why they can't keep it now it has got big and is no longer their little bae

The problem is that the sort of dog owners who support a license are the sort who generally are good owners anyway

Yup. Which is why a new dog licence would have to have more than a no!final fee in order to pay for policing the new system. As others have said it should encompass the whole dog industry so you would need to have a (even more expensive) licence to breed etc.