“Lunatic Jones, well done I agree with you all the way, If a loose dog comes near yours tough, you are in control of your's. The others owner should call it back and ask you if yours is ok to say "hi" and "sniff my butt" as most dog's do”

“I have two German Shepherds, and am fed up of people looking at me like they are evil dogs. They are both well trained, chipped and insured. When walked together, they are both wearing head collars to allow me control over them. The male does NOT go off the lead, as I know he doesn't like other dogs. If an owner lets their dog off the lead and said dog approaches mine, is it my fault if they get bitten? After all, MY dogs are completely under control. We have a basket to prevent a risk to the postman, and they are not allowed out when the milkman is due. But what if someone breaks into our house? If my dogs bite, do I get in trouble, even though I have warnings about guard dogs clearly visible? Judging by what is being said, the answer is yes, my dogs will be classed as dangerous if they bite an intruder. This is wrong. I pay my insurance premiums like i'm sure all responsible dog owners do, so I should not be expected to pay out more because of the minority who allow their dogs to run riot. It is them who should be punished, not us.
Oh and one more thing. I always clean up after my dogs wherever it may be. If I didn't, I'd be fined. So what about cat owners? Are they expected to clean up after their cats? No. The grass verges in our area are covered in cat faeces, but no one bats an eyelid. One rule for one as they say......”

“i av a rotty and never bit anyone,and also my dog has a microchipand insurance,been neuter,always on a leash,yes i do av a muzzle for my dog,but it dont mean my dog bad in anyway.......”

“It seems like yet another imaginary problem. Just a year or two we heard about getting our trees inspected. Not long before that, wasn't it a national crisis that gravestones were unstable and could potentially crush someone?

I confidently predict that next year's national crisis will be that a rapidly increasing number of people fall down stairs at night. Night lights will be mandated

I see that I sound like a grunpy old man. But really, if I lived anywhere else, it would be hugely amusing.”

“Pet Lover, Glos: "...people say 95% of dog owners are responsible, so are 95% or car drivers but the law says they have to have insurance, I dont see any difference."

There's a world of difference. Those percentages are a red herring. There are many many more deaths and serious injuries caused by driving than by dogs.

Third party insurance for all dog owners would be bureaucratic overkill for all concerned, while being totally irrelevant to most dog owners, and undeservedly lucrative for insurance companies.

The proposal sounds like another political U-turn waiting to happen.”

“I will add also as an example: in the past I had a dog treated with homeopathic methods as he had severe allergies to many medicines, when I moved I didnt register him with the local vets as there was simply no point, he was already chipped, I clipped his nails and treatments (including vaccinations) were dealt with at home”

“often it's not a case of not registered at the vets because they cant afford to, there can be many other reasons attached besides income, yes I gave the 'poor' reason in my previous post, but the 'buck' doesnt stop there.
I mean come on, how often have you heard of a dog / cat /canary being registered at the vets as something needs to be done, people often also bounce between many vets surgerys remaining loyal to none and all is based often on price charged.
if vets didnt charge people from whatever income these stupidly high rates for their services this issue of not all pets registered at the vets wouldnt exist in the proportions it is now, and this act would be better policed
look at the wider picture”

“Considering the millions of dogs in the UK, that must mean most dog owners are responsible. Every one should ensure that their pet is micro chipped and only own a dog or any pet for that matter if you can afford to care for properly, ie food and vets bills. Its not that difficult to control a dog if you take the trouble to train it in the basics commands, and the dog recognises you as "the leader of the pack". seems to me that now the government has squeezed all the pips out the motorist they need another soft target to squeeze cash out of. By all means target irresponsible owners, but not people who care and look after their pets properly”

“Some years ago my dog who was on a lead whilst being walked was attacked and killed out right by a large alsatian. The owner of the dog was elderley and had his window open, his dog saw mine dived out of the window and it was all over.
I totally agree with dogs being chipped, and everyone having to have liability insurance if they own a dog no matter what size it is, as people say 95% of dog owners are responsible, so are 95% or car drivers but the law says they have to have insurance, I dont see any difference.
I dont like the thought of dogs having to have muzels on, as what is nicer to see than a dog playing with a ball or chasing a stick in the park but all dogs should be treated the same, introduce muzels at an early age and they wont know any difference.
There is always the case of the dog getting out of the garden and causing a problem, if all are chipped and insured any problems and the authorities will know where to find the owners.”

“hhhhhmmmmmmm, If people can't afford to have their dog registered at a vets they shouldn't be allowed to keep one for the dog's sake. What are the 'poor' people going to do when it needs medical attention? It doesn't actually cost anything to register your dog at a vets either so there is no excuse.”