Do you know about the Five Freedoms? All animal owners are required to adhere to them according to the The Animal Welfare Act 2006
- Freedom from hunger and thirst by ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain health and vigor. This must be specific to the animal. For example, puppies, adult dogs, pregnant cats, and senior cats all need different types of food provided on different schedules.
- Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area. This means you should provide soft bedding and an area with appropriate temperature, noise levels, and access to natural light. If an animal is outside, it must have shelter from the elements as well as appropriate food and water bowls that will not freeze or tip over.
- Freedom from pain, injury, or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment. This includes vaccinating animals, monitoring animals, physical health, treating any injuries and providing appropriate medications.
- Freedom to express normal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind. Animals need to be able to interact with — or avoid — others of their own kind as desired. They must be able to stretch every part of their body (from nose to tail), and run, jump, and play. This can be particularly challenging when animals are housed in individual kennels.
- Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. The mental health of an animal is just as important as its physical health — as psychological stress can quickly transition into physical illness. These conditions can be achieved by preventing overcrowding and providing sufficient enrichment and safe hiding spaces.
When looking at foster (and ultimately adoption) homes for our dogs, the Animal Welfare Act is the basis of our home visit forms and our adoption/foster questionnaires.
Many people aren’t aware of the Act so with part of our motto being ‘educate’ we are constantly looking to help people or make them aware of anything to do with responsible pet ownership if they don’t already know.
Of course, this does not mean we know everything but we have a very strong team who will likely know the answers to your questions if you have any.
Two things we recommend for all owners – Canine First Aid and Dog Law (how the law affects dog owners on a day to day basis). Both are presented in an easy to understand manner and well worth going if you can.
