Harvey's Law- please sign e-petition

Katiehound

This would make it compulsory for all domestic animals found on highways to be scanned for their micro chip. This would reduce the stress when a much loved pet is involved and owners are unaware.
This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.
Background to the petition is on the link as well:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/62490

if this a dupe I apologise- I searched advanced but nothing appeared!!

chris_n_tj

Our Vets has this petition on the counter, loads have signed including myself.
Thanks for the reminder Katiehound. xx

Money_maker

Have just signed.

Fosterdog

In a way I do agree that it would be kinder to the owners to know what happened to their pets but OH sometimes has to "dispose" of animals that have been run over and quite often it is a gruesome scene. He gets upset for days when he has to get rid of a cat or dog like that and it is upsetting enough for the people doing the job to just bag and dispose of an animal without having to scan for a chip especially when the injuries are severe.

The ones who pick up the animals get no special training, no sort of support for dealing with what they have to clean up and usually just minimum wage pay. Unless every council employed someone specifically to deal with dead pets the law would never work.

Katiehound

I think it is the fact of not knowing what has happened to the pet that is as distressing as the event. The owners probably think that one day the pet may return. All I can suggest is to read the back ground to the petition.
Of course it is not a nice thing to have to do,clear up after an incident, but when a pet is chipped ( and that will soon become compulsory for dogs,) then at least identification is easier.

Fosterdog

I know the background of the petition and like I said I can understand why it is wanted, I would hate to not know what happened to one of my dogs.

But it doesn't change the fact that someone would have to physically scan the dead body for the chip, some of the dogs have extreme injuries with bones/internals hanging out, if they have been there for more than a few hours they will be teaming with insects/maggots, if a few days there would be rotting flesh, the smell alone would turn someone sick. It is certainly a job that nobody would choose to do.

How can you possibly think that it is okay to have someone do a job like that? It may take away the distress and worry from the family but it puts one hell of a burden on the person doing the job.

It is a good idea in theory but when you look at the practical side of it, it wouldn't be possible/enforceable. Some animals are not even recognisable by the time they are removed.

GwylimT

There is a sheet in our vets with lots of signatures, people who don't want to deal with dead animals shouldn't take jobs where this is a vital aspect, it really isn't very difficult to scan an animal through a biological waste bag. My vet has easily done it through a bin bag when I took in a decomposing dog I found on the side of the road.

Fosterdog

It's not as simple as somebody applying for a job like that, it's people doing other jobs within the local council (usually highway maintenance, parks, or environmental departments) and any one of them can be sent out to pick up a reported animal. It's not OHs job to do it but every now and then his boss tells him he has to do it. What should he do? Refuse and lose his job, which would lead to us losing our home?

Councils tend to make agency workers do these things so they have almost no job security as it is, to refuse to do something like this (which is never mentioned in the job description) would get them laid off pretty quickly.

You seem very concerned about the families of the dogs but have no consideration for the for the people who have to do the job and impact it has/would have on them. It is giving comfort to one person by causing suffering to another. You are looking at it from the point that the council as an organisation has to deal with it but doesn't seem to consider the individual people that have to do it.

GustyGardenGalaxy

I thought that this was worthy of a bump, especially considering that the Daily Mail ran an article just a couple of days ago:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2954897/Now-dog-owners-won-t-told-pet-dies-road-Campaigners-oppose-rule-change-means-workers-not-need-check-collar-pet-run-over.html

and a reminder of the petition:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/62490

Katiehound

It was also discussed on Jeremy Vine Show on R2 this week, so hopefully there will be some action. I think it now will be discussed in parliament having reached the minimum number requirements.