'Every' dog owner face having to earn mandatory licence

Fresh calls have been made for dog licences could be made law in the UK. It would mean that it would be mandatory for pet owners to hold one.

Right to Roam has spoken out amid the bid for new dog licences to better control unruly pets, reports BirminghamLive. Its campaigners are pushing for a deal for dogs to protect farmers’ livestock and vulnerable wildlife.

“We love dogs and we recognise their value in getting people out into the outdoors,” said naturalist and author Amy-Jane Beer of the Right to Roam campaign. "For a lot of people, the dog is their connection with nature, but dogs bring challenges and that requires a renewed social contract between dog owners and nature where we manage that relationship with care.”

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Talking about how 'absurd' it was that the government had no idea of the UK’s dog population, she added: “Wildlife and dogs are all being forced into the same spaces, while arguably people are excluded from more robust bits of habitat.

“The Right to Roam policy of registration for owners and dogs is very sensible,” she said. “As farmers, we’re expected to have every single animal electronically tagged so it is fully traceable. It seems crazy that isn’t the case for dogs as well. Owners need to be answerable for the behaviour of their dogs. People don’t understand that their dogs are predators and even the kindest dogs can have a moment.”

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