The idea of a dog licence isn’t new, but in the UK it’s never been very ambitious. Basically a small tax on dog ownership without any attention to animal welfare, it was widely ignored and abolished in 1987.
But if we consider the magnitude of what we hold on our leash, doesn’t this deserve something meaningful? Dogs are sentient creatures who instinctively want to cooperate with humans. But dogs can also inflict serious damage. They need knowledgable, responsible people.
That’s why I am advocating for a mandatory dog licence, akin to a theoretical driving test. The written test would require studying for these three modules:
- positive training 101 (recall, leash walking, etc.)
- behaviourism 101 (body language, aggression, etc.)
- vet care 101 (flea/worm treatment, dental care, etc.).
The test would be taken in person and administrated by a dog licence officer. Like a driver’s licence, the test can be repeated if failed. The licence would be for life – unless you lose it through persistent irresponsible behaviour. It would have to be produced at the point of purchase or adoption of a dog. Taking the test would incur a one-time charge (like that for a driving test, £23).
Carrot and stick
Enforcement woud fall initially on the dog licence officers and community support officers, until the owner fails
to comply three times. In that case, the details would be passed to the police for enforcement. If a dog owner loses their licence, the dog will be signed over to a dog charity. The owner is responsible for the associated costs.
I believe a carrot is worth more than a stick. The Calgary Model offers great advantages for owners (e.g. drive-home service for lost dogs), and the 90%+ compliance rate is clear evidence that this ‘carrot’-approach is successful. Dog insurance discounts for licence holders or discounts on the annual fee for those who take additional dog training might also encourage positive engagement.
Driving change
The parallel to a driving licence has also been the backbone of recommendations by the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Middlesex University:
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Dog behavioural training similar to speed awareness courses as part of sentencing/contingent order/community protection notice (CPN) enforcement regime which would be compulsory in the event of a destruction order or contingent order being imposed by the courts. The training is designed to support dog owners to understand their responsibilities and develop best practice in dog control
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Improved recording of dog attack data and incident characteristics
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Introduce statutory enforcement duty
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New legal requirements on dog ownership which require all people about to own a dog to have a ‘clean’ record, i.e. there is no evidence of complaints regarding dog ownership against them.
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Wunderdog’s licence could incorporate these recommendations, which have been passed on to the Responsible Dog Ownership group in parliament.
Money, money, money
Can local councils stump up the money to finance at least one dog licence officer? Likely not. An animal welfare officer earns on average £22,000 p.a. (costing the employer 1.7 times that, so £37,400 p.a.). With 11,930 local councils, we’re looking at an annual salary bill of £446.2m. Dog owners would need to pay £37.18 p.a. per dog to fund one officer per council (based on 12 million dogs).
Here is my demand to the government: consider dogs a health matter. Dog people are healthier and visit the GP less often. The 2016 landmark study Companion Animal Economics put the savings towards healthcare expenditure in the region of £2.45bn. The Department of Health needs to recognise that this licence would greatly benefit the human-canine relationship, and it would also reduce the number of dog bites and related treatment costs (around £70m p.a. according to Scientific Reports). Fund the roll-out of the dog licene for five years, until it funds itself.
Limit dog bites, promote responsible dog ownership, save money. Isn’t prevention the best medicine?