MP says there is no place for these collars in today’s society
John Baron MP has supported in Parliament this week the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) Bill proposed by Dr Matthew Offord, which will prohibit the use of any collar designed to administer an electric shock. The Bill is in its early stages; its second reading will be on 28th February.
Electric dog collars train a dog to respond out of fear of further punishment. The most common defence for their use is that they train dogs to stop chasing sheep. However, professional dog trainers claim that the success of this is based on luck rather than judgement. It is believed that over 300,000 of these devices are in use. However, the Government argues that the evidence is not strong enough to support a ban.
John said:
“Electric dog collars are cruel and have a negative impact on dog welfare. There is no place for them in today’s society. My hope is that we can persuade the Government to support a ban.”
Ends
Word Count: 183
Date: 24th January 2014
Notes to Editors
- Research by DEFRA highlights that the use of these collars, even by industry trained professionals are not welcome. The challenge is to get the Government to agree.
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