Save Our Welsh Cats & Dogs from Death on the Roads

FOR WELSH RESIDENTS ONLY

We wish to petition the Welsh Government to make it legal, once again, for electronic collars linked to radio containment fencing -(sometimes known as invisible boundary fencing or hidden fencing) to be used by Welsh pet owners to protect their companion pets from death on the roads or from other dangers such as chasing sheep.

In June 2011, more than a year after the ban to outlaw these fences became law in Wales, a former RSPCA Chief Vetinerary Officer & former Vetinerary Director of the Dogs Trust was found to be using these protective fences privately at his home in England to protect his own cat and dog.

Can there be a finer endorsement of the hidden fences' safety and efficiency ?

We are supported by Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones of the Department of Clinical Vetinerary Science at the University of Bristol.

After several years of being legal in Wales, this practice of using boundary fencing linked to electronic collars was made a criminal offence in 2010 with up to 51 weeks in prison or a £20,000 fine for anyone found to be using this domestic containment system to keep their pets safe.

In the Draft legislation of 2009, the Government recognised then, that these hidden radio fences were entirely different from dog training collars and excluded the hidden fencing via a clause to allow continued use under certain criteria.

However, a blanket ban was implemented at the last minute on BOTH as "there could be considerable difficulty in policing the exceptions" i.e. it would be easier for the officials to adminster the law.

So our cats and dogs have to die on the roads to make the officials' work easier !

There were only 51 respondents in the 2nd public consultation, 29 for a blanket ban and 14 against. A small majority of 15 people.

In the 3rd and final public consultation, there were only 18 respondents, 9 for a blanket ban and 5 against.

A tiny majority of 4 people and from these results, a blanket ban was implemented across the whole of Wales.

Hardly a democratic choice by the people of Wales !

These invisible boundary fences or hidden fences are freely available and widely used in England, Scotland, and Irelands North and South...it is only in Wales that they are banned.

This campaign and petition is only for the reinstatement of electronic collars linked to hidden fences/containment fencing.

For comprehensive information about this, please see our Facebook page "Save Our Welsh Cats and Dogs from Death on the Roads" or www.facebook.com/saveourwelshpets and follow our occasional updates on Twitter @saveourwelshpet