I posted the following quote on my Facebook page this morning, which resulted in quite a few comments
“As dog breeders, we rely on our dogs to feed our families. It is ridiculous to suggest that one can abuse animals and run a successful, profitable kennel.” Quote from Canine Breeders Of Ireland whose members breed dogs on a commercial basis
This was in relation to the pending Dog Breeding Establishments Bill that was eventually signed into law.
Under this Bill a scale of fees were drawn up in accordance with the number of breeding bitches kept by a single establishment. The new fees will vary in accordance with the number of breeding bitches so as to reflect the size and scale of the operation, as recommended by the working group. To that end the appropriate fee bands will be as follows: in the case of a dog breeding establishment at which six to 18 eligible bitches are kept, €400; for 19 to 30 bitches, €800; for 31 to 100 bitches, €1,600; for 101 to 200 bitches, €3,000; and a further €1,600 for each 100 bitches thereafter. The fee will be payable to the local authority and the moneys raised are intended to cover the costs of regulation and inspection. Any remaining balance will be spent on dog control in general.
Now I also seen a post on a Facebook account today where a person received a letter from their local county council asking them if they had 6 or more female dogs which are more than 6 months old and are capable of breeding, as if so they would have to register the same in accordance with this act.
Now as per my recent BLOG in relation to how good we are at drafting new laws / legislation, but poor to say the least when it comes to enforcing them, I wonder how many large scale dog breeders or what are commonly referred to as back yard breeders have been inspected, or in fact, forced to close as a result of non payment or falling below the acceptable level of care.
Or to use the words of the minster who drafted the legislation “put these people out of business if they do not treat their animals in a responsible and fair manner”
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