Dog licences would curb irresponsible owners - Yorkshire Post Letters

Excellent article from GP Taylor (29/07/22). Yes, a dog-licence scheme is the best answer to the growing problems of dog ownership.

Powerful pet food manufacturers and others continue to promote dog ownership as similar to buying a fluffy, amusing toy, when dogs are highly intelligent and sensitive and need careful training, as well as protection from abuse.

There needs to be effective curbs on irresponsible dog owners for the dog’s sake as well as the general public and a licensing scheme would help here and also provide substantial funds for local authorities to establish dedicated dog parks and recruit sufficient dog wardens.

Thoughtless “dog exercising” (especially off-lead) can cause enormous damage to ground-nesting birds and other wildlife, as well as annoyance and distress for local people.