Council honoured with RSPCA award
Archived press release
Date Published: 27/09/10
AVDC's high standard of animal welfare work has been recognised with an award.
A national charity has recognised Aylesbury Vale District Council’s high standard of animal welfare work with an award.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has awarded a prestigious silver Innovator Award to the council for its work to reduce the number of dogs sold by illegal puppy farms.
The Innovator Award is part of the RSPCA’s annual Community Animal Welfare Footprints scheme, which was launched by the charity in 2008 with the aim of rewarding and promoting good practice in animal welfare by local authorities and animal housing providers in England and Wales. It recognises organisations that have gone above and beyond their basic service requirements to ensure higher animal welfare standards.
AVDC was one of seven runners-up in the Innovator in Animal Welfare category. This award is given to organisations which can demonstrate innovation, multi-agency working and a clear model of good practice that can be shared.
The council was acknowledged for the valuable work carried out by its animal licensing officer, Lyn Collins, with partner agencies to stop two cases of puppy farming in the district.
Gibella Tree of Lower Greatmoor Farm, Edgcott, was prosecuted earlier this year for keeping her home as a pet shop without a licence. The prosecution was brought by AVDC following an investigation into claims that she was selling dogs and puppies illegally via her home.
Mrs Tree told the council that she had acquired a number of dogs for training purposes but had to rehouse some of them as they were unsuitable. She said that people interested in providing a new home for the animals were asked to make a donation.
However, upon investigation it was discovered that Mrs Tree was aware that some of the dogs would not be suitable for training and she had taken them with the intention of selling them on to new owners. She was trading as a pet shop and therefore required a licence to do so.
The dogs and puppies were also being kept in filthy conditions and many of the animals had, or were exposed to, serious infections.
The second case involved the former Retreat Animal Centre in Great Horwood. The owner was refused a pet shop licence in June 2008 after it was discovered that she was failing to comply with the licensing conditions after importing puppies from Ireland and then selling them on via her shop.
Members of the public had purchased animals which were subsequently found to have serious health issues including parvo-virus and kennel cough.
AVDC intends to update its procedures to ensure issues highlighted during these investigations are included in future animal welfare policies. The council is also aiming to educate licensed pet shop owners on the importance of animal welfare.
Councillor Judy Brandis, Chairman of the Licensing Committee, said: “It’s really encouraging that an organisation such as the RSPCA has recognised how hard we are working to improve animal welfare in the district. Since the results of these cases have been known, we have received accolades from other authorities, partners, the owners of licensed premises and members of the public who have had bad experiences. We will continue to share the knowledge gained during the investigations to enhance awareness of such animal welfare issues in the future.”