LONDON — In a country where guns are tightly controlled and even carrying a kitchen knife can bring prison time, some thugs use dogs to menace their victims. Now the British government is proposing that dog owners be forced to get microchips and take out insurance for their pets.
Postal workers were delighted by the proposal announced Tuesday. But opponents complained it would impose a financial penalty on innocent pet owners while criminals with violent animals would simply shirk the law.
The plan risks “penalizing millions of law-abiding dog owners with the blunt instrument of a dog tax,” warned opposition lawmaker Nick Herbert.
Home Office Secretary Alan Johnson said there was “no doubt that some people breed and keep dogs for the sole purpose of intimidating others.”
Use of microchips would help trace the owners of dogs involved in attacks, while insurance would mean that victims of dog attacks are compensated for their injuries, he said.
Hospital admissions and court cases involving dangerous dogs have been on the rise in England. In London, court cases have climbed, from 35 in 2002-2003 to 719 in 2008-2009.
Dog fighting complaints have also soared tenfold since 2004, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which reported 284 cases in 2008. About 6,000 postal workers are bitten each year.
Ryan O’Meara, chief editor of K9 Magazine, said the government’s plan would not solve the problem of dangerous dogs attacking humans.
“There is nothing in this that is preventative,” he said. “If you put a chip in a dangerous dog, the bite will hurt you just as much.”
“Microchips, about the size of a grain of rice, are painlessly inserted between a dog’s shoulder blades and details about the owner are easily readable by scanners. While microchips run between $15 and $52 insurance is far more expensive — and could cost pet owners hundreds of dollars a year, especially for high-risk breeds.
Most pet insurers offer third-party liability insurance wrapped into larger plans that also cover vet fees and emergency care. Petplan, Britain’s largest pet insurer, said that for a Labrador in southeast England, coverage costs $34 a month and would be pricier in London.
Sanctions imposed on those who refuse to comply weren’t spelled out.
Some European countries — including Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Croatia, Italy and Portugal — have introduced mandatory microchips. Mandatory dog insurance is in place in parts of Switzerland and Germany.
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