A Shaggy Dog Story?

Actually it isn't, because it is true. Not content with dictating how we must behave, the government is now moving into the area of telling us how we should care for our pets.

In an article in the Sunday Telegraph it is reported that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has issued three separate codes of practice on dogs, cats and horses so that an owners responsibilities can be met under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. The 'guidelines' for dogs runs to 28 pages and that for cats to 26 pages.

Whilst breach of these guidelines will not in itself  be a crime, Defra has warned that breaches could prove the deciding factor in whether an individual is prosecuted for cruelty, the maximum penalty being a fine of up to £20,000 or 12 months in prison.

On the subject of a Nanny State - is this not a step too far - maybe it is  'paws for thought'?