Great to see you back with us for another beard-strokingly brilliant instalment of The Future of Dogs and in today’s episode, The Future of Dog Ownership: Part 2, we’re getting stuck into one of the biggest pressure points in the entire conversation around responsible ownership… enforcement.

Because let’s be honest, the UK isn’t short on legislation. From the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Regulations 2018, we’ve got frameworks that should, in theory, protect dogs and guide human behaviour. But laws on paper and outcomes in practice are not the same thing.

Enforcement is the table this whole legal meal is served on, and right now that table is looking a little wobbly.

With overstretched local authorities, limited resources, inconsistent application and a system that can feel more reactive than preventative, too many dogs are still slipping through the cracks. So what is actually working? Where are the gaps? And what would a future-fit enforcement model really look like?

To help us navigate the slightly chaotic, occasionally confusing, and often frustrating world of enforcement, we’re joined by two absolute heavyweights in law and public policy: Natalie Hanvey and Dr Helena Howe.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why strong legislation does not automatically translate into strong welfare outcomes
• The reality of enforcement on the ground and why local variation matters more than we think
• Where the current system is failing dogs, owners and professionals
• The tension between education, compliance and punishment
• Whether enforcement should sit centrally, locally, or somewhere entirely new
• What we can learn from other regulated sectors and systems
• How future policy could balance accessibility, fairness and public safety without excluding people

This is a big one. Less about what the law says, more about what actually happens when we try to apply it and what needs to change if we are serious about improving dog welfare at scale.

You can catch up with and support Natalies work via

https://naturewatch.org/

Stay in touch with Helena via

https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/45709-helena-howe

And support a cornerstone charity they both volunteer with here

https://www.alaw.org.uk/

More about your host:

Hannah is a qualified dog behaviour specialist in the UK with a degree in Animal Behaviour and a specialism in dog body language and pet dog behaviour. She's trained over 10,000 pet dogs in the last 10 years and written an illustrated guide to dog behaviour called ‘Whats my dog thinking: Understand your dog to give them a happy life’. She featured as one of 3 experts on the prime time Channel 4 television series 'Puppy School' and currently teaches body language and handling courses to vets, groomers and pet shops to reduce bite incidents and increase the handling and observation skills of these awesome, but often overlooked, fields of pet care. She currently works as a behavioural expert for Agria Pet Insurance and leads the campaign for responsible dog ownership with the All Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group in Westminster.

Big thanks to our season 2 sponsor Amplified Behaviour

www.amplifiedbehaviour.com

And you can train along with Hannah as a pet owner or a pet professional at www.amplifiedbehaviour.com

@amplifiedbehaviour @thehannahmolloy