In the news...
This week Hilary Benn said that the proposed compulsory dog insurance would not be turned into policy.
Although the idea was suggested only recently, reports state that Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has said that the proposed compulsory dog insurance would not be turned into policy.
According to the BBC’s story, Mr Benn stated: "We can rule out compulsory insurance for all dogs. The idea of compulsory insurance was something that was raised with us because of the horrific injuries some very dangerous dogs can cause.
"It was therefore included in the government consultation document. But we would still be interested in views on whether third-party insurance could be a requirement of a dog control notice (i.e if a dog is causing a problem)."
"We don't want to penalise the vast majority of responsible dog owners because they're just as concerned as everybody else about that small minority who mistreat dogs, get them involved in dog fighting or use dogs as weapons.
"We've got to make sure that the public are protected and we're taking public concern seriously by asking how can we sensibly review the law that we've currently got."
The conservatives have described this as “humiliating” for Labour and many of the papers picked up on the effect the ‘U-turn’ may have on Labour.
A dog tax on more than five million owners was proposed last week, and is now ruled out by Hilary Benn in a humiliating U-turn that just proves how tired and incompetent this government has become.
They focused on how this was seen as a ‘humiliating’ u-turn for the labour government and wrote how: “The Tories said yesterday that Labour had made a 'political dog's dinner' of its consultation paper. Nick Herbert, Tory environment spokesman, said: 'A dog tax on more than five million owners was proposed last week, and is now ruled out by Hilary Benn in a humiliating U-turn that just proves how tired and incompetent this government has become.””
Both the Guardian and the Independent mentioned the large amount of scepticism the proposals had been greeted with, both by the general public and the insurance industry. The Independent article stated: “The plans were also greeted with scepticism by the insurance industry, which raised questions over how compensation would work for uninsured dogs. Opposition parties were quick to sense the mood, with the Tories releasing a poster with Gordon Brown's head superimposed on a Churchill Dog with the line: "A dog tax on 5 million owners? Oh yes."”
To read the Independent article entitled "'Dog tax' proposal ditched a week after it was mooted” please click here and to read the Guardian article entitled “Ministers backtrack over insurance proposals for dog owners” please click here.
The Daily Mail used the headline: “Labour ditches 'dog tax' after furious backlash from pet owners”
One of the Guardian’s bloggers has also picked up on the issue of Dangerous Dogs and used it to examine the way in which people view animal stories. The article is provocatively entitled: "Jon Venables and dangerous dogs have more in common than you think” and the standfirst reads “Animal stories and murders are interesting, but people read about them to be entertained, not because you can infer something important from them”.
Some papers have also picked up on a report published in the Vet Record which states that moves by the European Commission to loosen controls on pet passports could spark the return of rabies to the UK.
The Commission wishes to harmonise the regulations for all pets travelling between EU member states and abandon additional controls for rabies, ticks, and tapeworms on the grounds that these diseases are now rare and pose little threat but vets have warned against this – and papers too are showing the risks. The Telegraph’s article “Rabies could return to Britain if rules are relaxed, warn vets” mentions that there is other opposition to this move also including the BVA and Defra.
A new invention in Japan has also got people talking – Peter Wedderburn asks whether the automated pet washing machine will ever catch on in Britian in another of his blogs. Read it here.
On a lighter note, why not read the following articles:
“Lucky labrador cheats death after football he swallowed gets stuck next to his heart”
“The cute dormouse blissfully unaware he was saved from the jaws of death”
Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.
