11/04/2018
IMPORTANT:
Government Consultation Affecting Your Pet Collars
Dear Customer,
You may have seen in the papers that the government is looking into the use of e-collars for pets in England.
Ministers are concerned that handheld remote training collars can be misused. However there is emphatic evidence that the collars you use to stop your pets becoming road traffic victims do not cause any harm. (See the Lincoln University research below.)
There is a significant risk that the government may copy the Welsh government and ban both types of collar. Only you know how harmful this could be to your pet’s welfare.
To avoid this we would appreciate your help in the campaign we are organising with a communications agency in London.
Please would you do some or all of the following:
1) Provide Evidence For Government/Parliament: send an email to Emil at our agency ([email protected]) explaining how your fence system has helped you and your pets. We will submit it on your behalf. Do include your phone number and your address - these will not be published. If you are a vet please make that clear.
2) Email Your MP: tell them your views on garden boundary systems. You can find their email address here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/. Make sure they know that you live in their constituency. Tell them your story and include some of the evidence points below.
3) Tweet Key MPs: Please tweet the MPs on the House of Commons environment committee explaining the benefits of garden fence systems. Use the hashtag .
Something like this might work for you: Defra’s proposed ban on e-collars could cause my pet to get run over. Please tell not to ban garden fence systems.
The committee’s Twitter usernames are: .
Finally you are not alone. There are tens of thousands of pet lovers using garden fence systems including some high profile celebrities. They will be coming out in support of garden fence systems. But we really do need your help as well. We also have a petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214766
Yours sincerely,
Peter
Evidence:
300,000 cats killed annually: This Defra funded Companion Animal Welfare Council said an estimated 300,000 cats are killed on UK roads every year.
Lincoln University 2016: “no evidence of long-term welfare problems” for cats from garden pet protection systems. http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/2016/09/1265.asp
Defra 2014: The minister George Eustice wrote that there was no evidence that garden systems caused “unnecessary suffering” for dogs or cats.
Companion Animal Welfare Council 2013: said “the term ‘shock’ is misleading” as the stimulus produced in collar systems is not strong enough to produce shock. It criticised the Welsh ban on garden systems as “not being conducive to the promotion of good welfare.”
Bristol University 2008: Professor Gruffydd-Jones wrote that garden systems have “enormous welfare benefits…there is an irrefutable case for the benefits of containment fences.”
RSPCA Hypocrisy: its former chief vet bought a garden system with an e-collar to protect his cat. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2020343/Dogs-Trust-veterinary-director-Chris-Laurence-Hypocrisy-bunny-hugger.html
RSPCA Policy: it states that “fatal road accidents… are a significant welfare problem” for cats.http://politicalanimal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ElectronictrainingdevicesJan2014-2.pdf
Welsh ban: has a penalty of £20,000 and six months in jail for the use of garden pet protection systems. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-21030763
The Government has started a consultation on banning electronic training aids for cats and dogs. It is vital that containment systems do not get caught up in any ban. These systems save the lives of thousands of cats and dogs each year. Over 250,000 cats & countless dogs are run over on our roads.
