Ariane Burgess, Scottish Greens MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, has welcomed the Scottish Government’s move to implement a bill promoting higher welfare standards for dogs.
The Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill was passed by MSPs on Friday (23 January).
The new legislation will lead to the drawing up of a new code of practice for prospective dog owners and will also crack down on poor breeding practices.
Ms Burgess secured reassurances from the Scottish Government that part of the code of practice would advise new owners to register their pets at a vets.
She had already secured an amendment requiring new owners to seek out existing health records from their dog’s veterinary practice at an earlier stage of the Bill’s passage through Parliament.
The regional MSP said:
“I am pleased that the Minister has taken on board my suggestion for the code of practice to ask prospective owners to register with a vet as soon as they prepare to welcome their new dog home.
“Vets see first-hand the impacts of low-welfare breeding and the stress this causes to dogs as well as their owners.
“I hope that with more puppies being brought to a vet early on, any hidden health problems can be addressed early.
“Doing so will cut down on unnecessary suffering.
“I would now urge the Government to keep its promises and deliver a code of practice that ensures people purchase dogs in a responsible manner and then look after them properly.
“It must also give this code of conduct enough publicity so that it reaches owners across Scotland.”
Reacting to the rest of the Bill, Ms Burgess said:
“There has been a rise in the ‘impulse’ purchasing of dogs in recent years.
“That surge in demand has driven an increase in puppies being bred, sometimes in the most appalling conditions.
“I have spoken previously of constituents in my region who discovered to their horror that their rental property had been used as a front to sell puppies that had been raised in a pitiful condition.
“Unsuspecting buyers did not know that the sellers did not live at the property.
“With dog breeding being a multimillion-pound industry, it attracts those wishing to exploit for profit and the trade has links to organised crime.
“Increasing public awareness of the illegal side of this trade is an important step in ending puppy farming and fostering responsible dog ownership.
“This Bill aims for exactly that, I am pleased to see it has passed.”
The Highlands and Islands MSP added that she hoped animal welfare legislation for other species would now be improved.
In recent months, the Scottish Greens have secured a ban on cruel snare traps and have bolstered protections for raptors.