Yesterday was International Dog Day so, in tribute to our canine companions, here are five fun legal facts about our puppy pals and mongrel mates.
Our best fur-end
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 require that all dog owners meet their pets’ five Welfare Needs which covers the animal’s environment, diet, behaviour, companionship, and health. A failure to meet any of a dog’s Welfare Needs can result in prosecution and potentially face time in prison and a ban from keeping animals.
The leash you can do
It is a legal requirement under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 that all dogs must wear a collar containing specific information when it on a highway or a place of ‘public resort’. The information must include the name and address of the dog’s owner. There is an exception for dogs that are on duty with the armed forces or police and got guide dogs for the blind.
No pit-y
Since 1991 it has been illegal to breed, sell or give away Pit Bulls, Japanese Tosas, Dog Argentinos, or Filo Brazilieros in the UK.
Mutt-ternity and pup-ternity
In England, if dogs kept at a single premises have five or more litters in a 12 month period then those premises will be deemed under section 1 of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 to be a “boarding establishment”. A “boarding establishment” must be licensed by the local authority and a failure to obtain such a licence could result in a fine or, in some circumstances, imprisonment for up to three months.
Some paws-itively crazy laws
As with most subjects, there are plenty of odd laws to be found relating to dogs in the United States. For example, in Anchorage, Alaska, it is illegal to tie your pet dog to the roof of a car, in Hartford, Connecticut it is illegal to educate dogs, in Chicago it is illegal to give dogs whiskey, and in North Brook, Illinois it is illegal for a dog to bark for more than 15 minutes.
