San Francisco continues to be America's surefire joke material - rivaled perhaps only by its East Bay neighbor Berkeley. The latest frolic by Gommorah-on-the-Bay concerns a new law under consideration by San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare that would ban all pet sales..except for fish. "People buy small animals all the time as an impulse buy, don't know what the...

One of the blogs I follow contains the thoughts of Mr Stan. He has written about a recent report that people are abandoning their pets to animal welfare organisations because they cannot afford to keep them. The specific point he addresses is vets' bills. I am not an animal man unless the animal is in front of me on a plate, with gravy, I have never had a pet and do not understand the concept...

Being something of an animal lover (in the traditional sense - not the sentimental "animals have rights, too!" way), I find this story a little sad. The charity fears that pets are becoming the latest victims of the credit crunch as owners struggle to pay for food, vets' bills and insurance. The Stan household has a couple of pets who, touch wood, are pretty healthy - but there have been occa...

A while ago I received a letter from PETA, “People for Ethical Treatment of Animals”, which claims to be the largest animal welfare organisation in the world.  I see it more as an animal rights organisation than animal welfare, and there is a real difference.  Its primary focus appears to be on political campaigning, rather

Pet owners and animal welfare groups have criticised the Government's proposed codes of conduct for pet owners. Here are some of the guidelines set out in the codes together with the objections raised.

     Next year under the E.U. PET WELFARE BILL a new law comes into the canine world, namely if  you own an overweight dog you will face a 6 month jail sentence and/or £2000 fine while if you commit "Actual Bodily Harm" you might be given a smack on the wrist.   Are we going to see prisons full of people whose only crime is they love their dog...

Pet lovers and welfare organisations are rebelling against "ridiculous" government guidelines which tell them how to look after animals.

One of the advances made when Franz Fischler was farm commissioner was to recognise farm animals as sentient beings rather than agricultural products. This provided a basis for treating animal welfare as one of the planks of multifunctionality. However, a vet who is an animal welfare expert suggested in a talk (under Chatham House rules) that I attended that this could face a challenge under WTO r...

Click HERE and say over and over to yourself: Long live the Nanny State! We now need the government to tell us how to treat our pets, apparently. Cats need "somewhere suitable to go to the toilet". "It is your responsibility to read the complete Code of Practice to fully understand your cat's welfare needs and what the law requires you to do." Owners must provide their pets with a "suitable p...

Plaid Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones AM, has launched guidance to protect animal welfare. Wales is the first country in the UK to publish guidance on the welfare of dogs, cats and horses in a bid to inform people of the responsibility, time and cost that looking after an animal entails. ... full story