An MP made an appeal to the animal-loving House of Commons Speaker as he called for support for a new law to ensure animals are scanned for microchips before being euthanised.
Conservative MP James Daly wants it to be a legal requirement for vets to scan healthy dogs for a microchip in order to contact their owners before they are put down.
He also called for local councils to be required to scan dead cats found after traffic accidents in order to reunite them with their owners.
Mr Daly, making his third attempt at getting the Bill through the Commons, appealed to the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is known for his menagerie of pets, during his speech.
For any dog owner in this place, the idea that our animal could be taken as a healthy animal and be euthanised, either without our consent for whatever reason that may be or that a second option is not sought, I think is something that legislation is needed to remedy— James Daly MP
The Bury North MP, who owns a black Labrador called Bertie, said he was “horrified” when he became aware of the “pandemic” of “healthy dogs being taken to vets and being put down, being euthanised without any reference to their ownership or their microchip being scanned”.
He said: “The rescue back-up provision allows time for comprehensive assessments, healthcare checks, rehoming support and guarantees that any life-ending decision is based on the animal’s best interest with all facts and alternative options known.
“For any dog owner in this place, the idea that our animal could be taken as a healthy animal and be euthanised, either without our consent for whatever reason that may be or that a second option is not sought, I think is something that legislation is needed to remedy.”
Mr Daly said that common practice in disposing of cats killed on the roadside is to put the animal into landfill “without reference to the owner”, adding: “That is not acceptable.”
He said: “Cats are part of our families, are part of who we are, and I know you, Mr Speaker, would agree completely with that.”
Mr Daly said local councils should be given a scanner and required to “bag the cat who had been killed in tragic circumstances, to record where the cat was found, and to scan the microchip”.
He added: “This would allow owners of cats to be reunited with their much-loved pets. If an animal is part of your family, it doesn’t matter what stage of their life it is, you want to know what has happened to it.”
As Mr Daly concluded, Sir Lindsay said: “Can I just say I am fully supportive of what you are trying to do?”
The Commons Speaker recently brought his newest pet into the Commons chamber for a photo shoot.
The Maine Coon kitten is named Attlee after the 1945-51 Labour prime minister.
Sir Lindsay also owns a parrot named Boris, a Patterdale Terrier named Betty and a tortoise named Maggie.
Mr Daly’s Bill was scheduled for a second reading on Friday October 28 but is unlikely to progress through the Commons without Government support.
He has previously attempted to take the Bill through the Commons in September 2020 and March this year.
