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Animal Welfare Bill

I apologise to the Committee if I rushed in where angels had not quite got around to treading, and was then followed by other Members of the Committee. In principle, I support and welcome the amendment of the noble Baroness, Lady Byford, provided that it allows collars to be effective. The noble Baroness and the noble Lord, Lord Soulsby, have both spoken about the potential for misuse of these collars. As presently constructed, if the collars can send a strong enough shock, there is that potential. We are all worried about misuse in this area and none of us wants to be cruel to a dog, especially our own dogs, but if these collars are banned you will not be able to stop people carrying sticks. The sort of character who, were he to be in charge of one of these collars, might abuse it, is also likely to be the sort of person who will use his stick on a dog, as my father did. I say to the noble Lord in passing, with some trepidation, that the idea of spraying citronella—which is a sort of lemon-based spray, isn’t it?—on a dog’s nose may not be all that pleasant an experience for the dog. After all, dogs live largely by their noses and their power of scent. Some kinds of dog use their noses far more than their eyes or hearing. So that method is not necessarily kinder to a dog than a mild electric shock, but no doubt that is something his panel will look at in due course.