Open Paws Working Group
Past injury shouldn't deny a rescue dog a home.
A damaged tail or missing eye should not prevent a rescue dog from entering the UK.
The Open Paws Working Group (OPWG)
We are group of more than twenty five reputable UK Rescue Organisations that lawfully and responsibly rescue and rehome dogs from Europe to Great Britain. Collectively, our member organisations represent more than 350,000 supporters. We have extensive practical experience of rescuing, transporting and rehoming healthy dogs to the UK.
We support new legislation tackling the deliberate cosmetic mutilation of animals
We welcome the Government's commitment to tackling cosmetic mutilation of animals by banning the importation of dogs that have been subjected to unnecessary procedures, such as ear cropping, in the new Animal Welfare (Importing Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act.
However as currently drafted, the restriction will not just ban dogs that have been cosmetically mutilated but also rescue dogs that have lost eyes, limbs and other body parts due to abuse, trauma or previous working life.
The
unintended
consequence...
Preventing rescue dogs from entering the UK will not reduce the incidence of cosmetic mutilation.
OPWG proposes an exemption for genuine rescue dogs
We propose an exemption for adult rescue dogs with non-cosmetic mutilations imported for rehoming by recognised UK rescue organisations.
This will strengthen the legislation and promote animal welfare
Our proposed framework for the exemption will make it significantly more difficult for offenders to import a cosmetically mutilated dog into the UK.
It will also make it difficult to falsely claim that a cosmetically mutilated UK dog had been "rescued abroad".
Marmalade.
Lost the tip of his nose and has a naturally stubby tail
BANNED
Making a positive difference.
Saving dogs lives....
We support action against cosmetic mutilation
We support measures that will reduce the cosmetic mutilation of animals and to bring those responsible to justice.
The new Animal Welfare (Importing Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act will help tackle this by preventing the importation of cometically mutilated dogs. However it will also prevent rescue organisations from rehoming adult dogs with historic injuries or non-cosmetic mutilations caused by abuse, accidents or previous working lives.
In Secondary Legislation we have a chance to change this injustice by asking for an exemption so adult rescue dogs with a non-cosmetic mutilation can still come to the UK.
Non-cosmetically mutilated adult rescue dogs are not the problem.
The overwhelming majority of cosmetic ear cropping and tail docking is carried out during puppyhood, usually of particular breeds, and is driven by commercial demand or owner choice, not by reputable rescue organisations rehoming adult dogs....
