Regulating companion dog welfare: A comparative study of legal frameworks in western countries
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Regulating companion dog welfare : A comparative study of legal frameworks in western countries. / Andersen, Søren Stig; Meyer, Iben; Forkman, Björn; Nielsen, Søren Saxmose; Sandøe, Peter.
In: Animals, Vol. 11, No. 6, 1660, 2021.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Regulating companion dog welfare
T2 - A comparative study of legal frameworks in western countries
AU - Andersen, Søren Stig
AU - Meyer, Iben
AU - Forkman, Björn
AU - Nielsen, Søren Saxmose
AU - Sandøe, Peter
N1 - 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.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Animal welfare
KW - Breeding
KW - Companion animals
KW - Dogs
KW - Killing
KW - Legal comparison
KW - Legislation
KW - Regulation
KW - Sales
KW - Surgery
U2 - 10.3390/ani11061660
DO - 10.3390/ani11061660
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 34199669
AN - SCOPUS:85107011235
VL - 11
JO - Animals
JF - Animals
SN - 2076-2615
IS - 6
M1 - 1660
ER -
ID: 271615933