Petition · past parliament

Change the law for neglect to dogs

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Change the law to make owners accountable for the neglect of their dogs coat. Make it no longer acceptable to get away with neglect because they only take their dogs to a groomer when they are completely matted.
It breaks our hearts every time we see a matted neglected dog come through our doors, we sob as we carefully clip off the matted coat which is pulling on the skin. These dogs in distress due to the weight of a matted coat and restricted movement. We are unable to report this as neglect, as the owners are not held accountable as they took the necessary steps to get the dog sorted, but most of the time it is a recurring issue. Owners should be prosecuted for this kind of neglect.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We understand that you are concerned about the welfare of dogs, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do.
The Animal Welfare Act already includes requirements for people who are responsible for an animal to meet its needs, including:

(a) its need for a suitable environment,
(b) its need for a suitable diet,
(c) its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
(d) any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
(e) its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

If there are additional requirements you want to be added to this, you could start a new petition explaining clearly what additions you would like.

We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:

Compulsory home checks and abusers database to protect animals: Compulsory home checks and abusers database to protect animals

Introduce Dog Licensing and Registration: Introduce Dog Licensing and Registration

Timeline

20 Aug 2021 Petition opened for signatures
24 Aug 2021 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 24 Aug 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.