JSPCA PRESS RELEASE

February 2006  

CHANGES TO DOGS LAW APPROVED 

The States of Jersey approved amendments to the Dogs (Jersey) Law on 31^st January 2006, which had been proposed by the Constables Committee.  The ultimate idea behind the revision of the Dogs Law is to encourage responsible dog ownership and to make identification of stray or lost dogs easier for the Centeniers of the Parishes.

The changes include raising fines for committing an offence under the Dogs (Jersey) Law and changes to the means of identifying dogs.  Dog licences must be kept detailing the number of dogs the owner is keeping, for which the charge is £5.  However, the new amendments to the Law now stipulate that the owner is required to provide information such as breed, sex, age, colour and whether the dog has a micro-chip or other means of accurate identification.  Each pet must have a dog tag on its collar displaying its name, the name of the owner and a contact telephone number.  These details will be used to help quickly trace the owner of any straying or lost dogs.  

The changes in the fines for owners who fail to comply with the Law include a rise in the penalty for failing to obtain a dog licence from £5 to £50 and owners of dogs that worry livestock now face a £500 fine.

ENDS