21
May
PETA Urges Parliament to Adopt Swiss Animal Law
- posted at 7:38 PM
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This morning, our Managing Director, Ingrid, sent a letter to all members of Parliament asking them to introduce a law like the new Swiss one you might remember me telling you about. It states that prospective adopters of cats, dogs, birds and other companion animals must demonstrate their ability to properly care for animals by first taking a course and passing an exam. Which is only fair really.
Here’s what Ingrid said:
“The UK is supposed to be “a nation of animal lovers”, yet we now seriously lag behind other EU countries when it comes to our animal protection laws.
The law in Switzerland, which would be a good starting point for a new law in the UK, requires anyone who wishes to acquire a dog to take a course and pass an exam. The law has similar requirements for other animals, including a requirement that guinea pigs and budgies must have companionship, since they are, of course, highly social animals.
Such a law in the UK could not be timelier. The latest reports show that the number of abandoned dogs, cats and other companion animals rose by almost one-quarter last year, and animal shelter workers warn that the upward trend is likely to continue. Anyone who has ever worked or volunteered at an animal shelter knows that many people casually acquire animals and then discard them like rubbish, and recent pet purchases by high-profile celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have exacerbated this sad trend.
Of course, every abandoned animal is a tragedy and a betrayal, but this growing trend accentuates a larger problem: That people are growing up not knowing how to care for animals, and they don’t think about the commitment that such a responsibility entails.
Legislation that emulates Switzerland’s new law requiring some basic knowledge for anyone who wishes to acquire a companion animal – whether a cat, a dog, a rabbit, a fish or any other animal – as well as some basic species-specific requirements about physical and psychological stimulation would be supported by all kind Britons and people all over the world who care about animals.”
