Competency test for dog ownership?

CorvusCorax

CorvusCorax

Deary me...
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Thoughts? Part of me really likes this idea...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254356/Now-Government-want-competence-test-dog-owner.html

And before anyone complains about the Daily Fail, it was on the Beeb to this morning
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I heard it discussed this morning too. Good idea in principle but as Clarissa Baldwin from the Dogs Trust pointed out, it will end up like driving licences, car insurance etc in that the irresponsible owners just won't bother and the responsible ones will bear all the costs.
 
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it will end up like driving licences, car insurance etc in that the irresponsible owners just won't bother and the responsible ones will bear all the costs.

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Yup, just like horse passports.
 
The devil would be in the detail - would you have to pass the test every time you got a new dog? Or would you have to resit every few years? And if you failed a resit, what happens to the dogs you already own? These details need to be hammered out before anyone can say if they are in favour or not, I think.

However, I am right behind compulsory microchipping and third party insurance for all pet animals that get out and about, not just dogs, I think it is only responsible to have such things, really.
 
Compulsory identification yes, but as someone whose dogs are all tattooed I wish more people would recognise this as a form of identification too.
 
I read that in my mum's copy of the Mail yesterday night. I agree with the compulsory microchipping (though this isn't the end-all as they move about the body and can be missed) and insurance is just good sense but the rest of it...I could feel the bile rising in my throat.

As Clarissa and MM said, it will only end up punishing the decent owners, it'll get ignored by the 'status dogs' set.

However, by the way this (and previous) government and it's councils have behaved in the past, if you own a dog you're already a criminal anyway - it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to push this through as a knee-jerk reaction (as they are wont to do).
 
I don't think they will, I don't think they will have the resources to be honest. I just don't think it's going to be on their priority list.
 
Predictable, dogs have a specific mention in the new department for animal disease and taxing the life out of honest citizens with pets.

Like horse passports this will give them the simple route to finding all the law abiding citizens to stealth tax.

Yes it would be good in principle but it will be hijacked for other things and I suspect those that do not comply with horse passports will also fail to comply along with a whole host of less than law abiding citizens breeding pit bull lookie likies to guard their ill gotten gains!

Rant over
 
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