The RSPCA works on a range of companion animal/pet welfare issues in Wales.
A Better Bet for Greyhounds
The Assembly has the power to protect racing greyhounds in Wales, but unfortunately greyhound racing is currently unregulated. In England in 2010, DEFRA brought in Regulations to protect the welfare of these dogs on independent tracks, i.e. those tracks not already regulated by the Greyhound Board for Great Britain (GBGB) who have additional rules designed to protect welfare (GBGB don’t have any tracks in Wales). The situation in England is far from ideal, and the RSPCA has called for the welfare of racing greyhounds to be protected from cradle to grave - not simply for the relatively short time they spend on the race track. However, Wales is unfortunately lagging far behind. The RSPCA has been working with Greyhound Rescue Wales and the Dogs Trust to campaign for regulations - a campaign which 43 out of the eligible 45 Assembly Members in 2010 signed up to.
The Greyhound Forum for Wales report "A Better Bet for Greyhounds" 2007 (English) (Cymraeg)
APGAW report "The Fate of Racing Greyhounds and Lurchers in Wales" 2003
Livery Yards
The RSPCA is concerned about the welfare of horses at livery yards. These establishments are not required to be licensed and as such are not regularly inspected by any authority. No experience or qualifications are therefore required in order to manage such establishments, despite the complex nature of these animals. The RSPCA advocates a system of licensing for these commercial premises that can better protect the welfare of the animals being cared for.
Brief coming soon
Shock Collars
The RSPCA worked closely with the Welsh Assembly Government on the legislation to ban electronic devices such as shock collars for cats and dogs and thus were delighted to see the first legislation of this kind passed in the UK in 2010 . The legislation also successfully withstood a Judicial Review, which was an important test of the Assembly’s powers under the Animal Welfare Act.
RSPCA consultation response - 28.01.11
Final decision by the Royal Courts of Justice on the shock collar legislation judical review
The Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (Wales) Regulations 2010 (English) (Cymraeg)
Tail Docking
The RSPCA remains opposed to the cosmetic docking of dogs tails. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is illegal to amputate part of, or all of, a dog’s tail unless for medical purposes. However, certified working dogs of certain breeds were exempted from this ban when the legislation was passed by the Assembly in 2007, subject to several conditions. WAG proposed the same exemption list as in England (Scotland introduced a complete ban) and thus the RSPCA supported a backbench amendment in the National Assembly for Wales, which was successful, in further reducing the number of breeds exempted [see the legislation below for details]. There is now sufficient scientific evidence available to support the RSPCA’s argument that the legislation should be further amended to provide for a complete ban on tail docking in Wales.
The Docking of Working Dogs' Tails (Wales) Regulations 2007 (English) (Cymraeg)
Defra report on tail injury in dogs and it's association with docking
Puppy Breeding
There are a spectrum of issues associated with the breeding of dogs which are of great concern to the RSPCA. The welfare issues associated with pedigree dog breeding are very serious and our position on this important issue was informed by an independent scientific report we commissioned, which can be downloaded below.
The irresponsible breeders; the unlicensed dog breeders – the ‘puppy farmers’ in Wales; as well as the standards required for licensed breeders have also been issues on which the RSPCA has been working hard recently. In 2010 we participated in the Minister’s Task and Finish Group which examined the case for new regulations governing breeding. WAG has issued two consultations on the basis of this group’s work, the RSPCA’s responses to which can be accessed here.
RSPCA Consultation response - 13.01.11
RSPCA Consultation response - 11.05.12
RSPCA Pedigree Dogs Report - Executive Summary (English) (Cymraeg)
Irresponsible Dog Ownership
The RSPCA has concerns about a number of dog related issues from dealing with strays, to tackling the ownership of status and dangerous dogs, and trying to stop the overpopulation of dogs in the UK.
The RSPCA believes that irresponsible dog ownership is a significant problem for many communities. The costs to the taxpayer for this could run to many million pounds per year. The RSPCA believes this is unsustainable especially in light of the current spending cuts and that a more effective strategy should be developed.
Status[1] and dangerous dogs appear to be an increasing problem for urban areas and are often associated with social-deprivation as well as crime and anti-social behaviour. Straying dogs is another area of concern for the RSPCA and is another aspect of irresponsible dog ownership. For further information about stray dogs see the local authority pages on this website.
The RSPCA believes this issue needs to be considered at both a practical and policy level and solutions developed that will be more sustainable in the long term. It is essential that local authorities, police, registered social landlords, youth offending teams, the RSPCA and others work closely together in partnership to develop practical programmes that educate owners about responsible dog ownership and take enforcement action under the current laws where necessary. (See also the local authority page).
The RSPCA would like the current dog control laws reviewed, consolidated and updated in Wales so that there is a genuine preventative effect that allows local authorities and the police to intervene at a much earlier stage so that tragedies can be prevented from happening in the future and the costs of enforcement can be kept to a minimum.
RSPCA Tackling Status and Dangerous Dogs Brief (English) (Cymraeg)
RSPCA Dog Licencing Brief (English) (Cymraeg)
RSPCA welfare indicator on irresponsible dog ownership
[1] By this the RSPCA means dogs which are often powerful and are bred and conditioned to be used as part of anti-social behaviour. This can be of any breed or type which is encouraged by irresponsible owners to intimidate other people and animals.