Lots of ideas around at the moment as to what would improve the lives of dogs - compulsory microchipping and so on. Here's Dog Trust's response to the proposal to re-introduce the dog licence:
Dogs Trust response on the proposal to re-introduce the dog licence
Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, does not believe that a return to the dog licence would provide the suggested welfare benefit for dogs. The charity is very surprised that the RSPCA believes that this could be beneficial to animal welfare when the dog licence is simply a tax on dog ownership. This view is extremely naïve; responsible owners might struggle to pay what is likely to be a punitive annual licence.
The dog licence has also been shown to be an ineffective measure in the UK. In Northern Ireland, where the dog licence is still a requirement, only an estimated one-third of all dog owners currently have their dogs licensed. Northern Ireland still has the highest number of stray dogs per head of population of any region in the UK and the number of dogs put to sleep in the region represents a staggering 34% of the total UK figure.
Dogs Trust recommends compulsory microchipping as the most effective means of registration as well as identification of a dog. Unlike the dog licence, which involves an annual fee, microchipping involves just a small one-off fee (Dogs Trust offers microchipping at its centres for £10). The benefit to responsible owners and their dogs is therefore relatively cheap and effective.
Microchipping a dog should infer legal ownership and reinforces the responsibilities of the owner under the Animal Welfare Act. The introduction of compulsory microchipping would allow stray dogs to be quickly returned to their owners, make easier the identification of owners who persistently allow their dogs to stray or cause nuisance, and make all puppies traceable to their breeder, helping to reduce the widespread problem of battery farming of dogs.
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs each year through its network of 17 Rehoming Centres nationwide.
Dogs Trust is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction