Regulating companion dog welfare: A comparative study of legal frameworks in western countries

Søren Stig Andersen*, Iben Meyer, Björn Forkman, Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Peter Sandøe

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

7 Citationer (Scopus)
62 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

There appear to be growing concerns among experts, NGOs, and members of the public about the welfare of companion dogs. With farm and laboratory animals, legislative initiatives have long been considered valuable tools in the management of welfare whereas the use of legislation to protect companion animal welfare has received less attention. We aim to rectify this by comparing legislation with an impact on the welfare of companion dogs in eleven Western jurisdictions. The comparison also provides a basis for further consideration of regulatory initiatives. We identify the rules applying in the jurisdictions and classify them in accordance with the following categories: breeding of dogs with risks to the health of the offspring, reproductive limitations, sales, surgical interventions, day‐to‐day handling, and killing. We demonstrate that, overall, there is significant variation across the jurisdictions. However, the degree of variation depends on the specific category. Whereas most countries, with the USA being a notable exception, regulate sales of dogs and ban surgical interventions, there is considerable variation in the regulation of day‐to‐day handling and the killing of dogs. Furthermore, different jurisdictions employ different regulatory tools to ensure the desired level of welfare for companion dogs. Overall, there appears to be real potential for dia-logue and mutual inspiration.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer1660
TidsskriftAnimals
Vol/bind11
Udgave nummer6
Antal sider13
ISSN2076-2615
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2021

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
Funding: The article is part of the output of a project initially funded by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and subsequently supported by the Centre for Companion Animal Welfare, which in turn is funded by Skibsreder Per Henriksen, R. og Hustrus Fond.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

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