Using our voice to make a difference for those without one... Like most of the nation, we are crazy about animals and believe our pets are part of the family and we wouldn’t ever be without them. Sadly though, there are still those out there that would willingly cause harm or neglect innocent animals and it needs to stop! We are committed to doing all we can to support animal welfare at home and around the world and determined to use our voice and our platform to bring about necessary change to further protect vulnerable pets and wildlife. Here are a couple of ways in which Animal Friends has and continues to fight for those with no voice. Pets are more than just property! Pet theft is devastating, and the current punishment doesn’t reflect the emotional trauma of losing an animal or the devastating conditions stolen pets are made to endure. Currently, under English and Welsh law, pets are still classified as property, just like a mobile phone or laptop. We don’t think this is good enough and while change is slowly coming, there’s still more to be done.
Pet theft must be taken seriously, which
is why as part of our ongoing commitment to promote animal welfare, in 2021 we joined forces with Pet Theft Reform. After a lengthy battle, the Government has announced plans to add a new criminal offence for dog abduction in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill but it has not included cats in the proposed legislation. We’re committed to working with Pet Theft Reform to make sure cats are given the same rights as our canine companions. Changing the lawone paw step at a time Not only that, we’ve also been advocating for Fern’s Law to be incorporated into the newAct, making it a compulsory requirement for vets to scan for microchips and a single, centralised microchip database to be created, accessible by police, vets, authorities and rescues to provide quick unifications and to support criminal investigations.
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