Scanning of Stray and Dead Dogs

In January 2010, GRW contacted all 22 local authorities in Wales and the three Trunk Road Agencies. Like most responsible animal welfare charities, GRW insists on all dogs in its care being microchipped and wanted to check local Councils would scan any dog found straying, and also how they deal with dog fatalities as a result of a road accident.

The table below lists all 22 Councils and their responses. All Councils claim that if they find a dog wearing a collar and tag (which is a legal requirement) then they will attempt to contact the owner. The table below simply reports the answers given by the Councils we do not speculate on how Councils can recognise a first time offenders.

For dead dogs, none of the Trunk Road Agencies in Wales scan fatalities. In England, the Highways Agency (equivalent organisation) does.

A number of Councils pointed out that even if a dog is microchipped, sometimes the chip can move round the body and not be easily read or can fail after a number of years. The charity agrees and understands that microchipping is not an infallible form of identification.

A further point raised was that when a dog is scanned, and a chip is present, strays in particular are often found to have contact information that is out of date the charity strongly recommends all dog owners ensure that their details are correct and updated on databases used.

NB Anglesey and Gwynedd Councils have their own Voluntary Dog Registration Schemes. Any dog found straying in these areas that is a member of the scheme will be returned directly to its owner without going into the pound kennels. These systems have holiday membership available if you are planning a trip to these areas with your dog. A small fee is payable (typically around £3) you can find further details on the Councils websites.

The following Councils will unequivocally scan both live and dead dogs “ Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Flintshire, Monmouthshire, Swansea and Wrexham.

The following Councils do not routinely scan dead dogs and do not always scan live strays “ if your dog has strayed in or near one of these areas, you should NOT assume you will be contacted. Anglesey*, Bridgend, Ceredigion, Conwy, Vale of Glamorgan, Neath Port Talbot.

*Except for dogs in Voluntary Scheme

The Sunday Time's Daniel Foggo has uncovered another greyhound slaughterhouse, this time in Hertfordshire, (Sunday Times 02 November 2008). The difference between this and the "killing fields" he exposed at Seaham, is that this is an actual knackers yard that charges owners £20 a time to kill their greyhounds using a bolt gun. The activity is said to be legal and the owners of the knackers yard say that their service is necessary to help owners dispose of old or injured dogs.

GRW first published a paper in 2004 that outlined the "routine" way in which many greyhounds are disposed of after they finish racing. This article underlines the nature of the problem and provides more evidence that there is in place a well organised system to kill and dispose of large numbers of unwanted greyhounds when they "retire".

The expose reinforces the need for proper independent control over welfare standards in greyhound racing. Hopefully, the National Assembly for Wales will do just that within one or two years. Self-regulation, as being proposed in England is simply not enough and will only perpetuate the status quo, and the slaughter.