More on the Welfare of Seized Dogs.

This morning I had a very distressing phone call from the owner of a dog that had been seized by the police that I was due to assess. She had been contacted by the police force holding her healthy three-year-old dog and informed that her dog, Rocco, had been found dead in his kennel. At this stage, it is unknown what the cause of Rocco’s death was or if it could have been prevented, a post-mortem will be carried out.

Rocco was seized five months ago along with the family’s other dog Luna, following an incident where they had got out from the garden and became involved in an altercation with another dog, during which an injury was sustained by someone breaking up the dogs. Since then Rocco and Luna’s owners have been distraught, and obviously very concerned for their dog’s welfare as they had never been away from the family before. No charges have been made by the police as yet, and communication from the police regarding the dog’s welfare and the investigation of the case has been very limited.

Tragic events

This tragic set of events further highlights the need for the spot checking of kennels housing seized dogs to ensure welfare needs are being met, and the RSPCA guidelines for these establishments are being adhered to. To clarify, at this stage we don’t know why the dog, in this case, has tragically passed away. Having regular checks carried out on police contracted kennels would also provide transparency and reassurance when incidents like this happen and the establishment concerned is not at fault.

On 26th January 2021, I spoke at a virtual meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group where to an audience of 500 people I presented my Kennel Welfare Visiting Scheme proposal. I have the full backing of the RSPCA and we are working together to take the matter forward. I have yet to have a reply from the National Police Chiefs Council regarding the scheme. Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of the all-party group is going to share my proposal in parliament.

I do feel that it’s important to add that the Kennel Welfare Visiting Scheme would not be intended solely for checking on the welfare of dogs seized by the police but also to ensure that the welfare needs of dogs held in local authority kennels are being met.

My determination to ensure that kennelled dogs are treated appropriately and that those involved in their care are educated in respect of kennel welfare is strengthened. It is only through the agencies concerned working together that we can ensure this happens and I am hopeful that those agencies will engage with my proposal.

I am also trying to engage with a number of police forces in relation to providing and input to dog handlers regarding canine behaviour and understanding aggression. I feel that those officers coming into contact with dogs that are alleged to dangerous should have a thorough understanding of canine behaviour in order to handle and assess these dogs appropriately in order to avoid the risk of harm to both the dog and the officers concerned. Work on this continues.

My heart goes out to Rocco’s family and a full investigation into his death will be carried out.