Defra and the Law
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Defra and the Law
Admin Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:07 pm
The Defra guidlines on keeping Wolf Dogs where changed in 2009 making it legal to own a wolf dog of F3 or more legal as a dog.
Wolf-dog hybrids and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976
The Act regulates the keeping of certain kinds of dangerous animals, except animals kept in zoos, circuses or pet shops. Under the Act, licences are required for the keeping of any animal which appears in the schedule to the Act.
Wolf-dog hybrids are not a true species but rather a hybrid of the domestic dog crossed with the wolf. Such animals are required to be licensed under the Act. This is because the Schedule to the Act states that any hybrid of a kind of mammal specified in the Schedule must be licensed; a wolf is a mammal specified in the Schedule as it is included in the listing of all species of Canidae (i.e. the dog family) and does not fall within the specified exemptions to this listing, unlike the Canis familiaris, the domestic dog (but not the Dingo, Canis familiaris dingo), raccoon dogs and foxes.
In addition, under the Act any animal with at least one parent as such a hybrid requires a licence. However, the second generation following a wolf/domestic dog hybrid does not require a licence if neither of its parents are such a hybrid, as illustrated below.
Image showing flow diagram of which generations of hybrids do not require a licence
Therefore, taking the example of Czechoslovakian Wolf Dogs, Sarloos or similar “wolf-dog hybrids”, where an animal is third generation, or further removed from the original wolf content, a licence is not required under the Act.
If owners are in doubt as to whether animals require licensing, then Defra advises them to contact their local authority for advice.
The Department and the RSPCA jointly funded research into the keeping of wolf-dog hybrids and this was published in 2001.
The contractors found that very few wolf-hybrids were kept and that advertisements for wolf-dogs were generally misleading and had been embellished to attract public interest and justify high prices. The report also outlines some physical characteristics to help identify true wolf-dog hybrids, which local authorities may find useful. The full research report is available at The Keeping of Wolf-Hybrids in Great Britain [PDF] (556 KB)
The reference in the study to licences being required for breeds claiming any amount of wolf content, however diluted, should now be viewed in light of the information regarding hybrid generations detailed above.
Dangerous dogs are regulated under their own legislation. Further information on dangerous dogs can be found on the animal welfare pages.
TAKEN FROM DEFRA WEB SITE
The full report
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/protect/documents/dwa-wolfdogs.pdf
Wolf-dog hybrids and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976
The Act regulates the keeping of certain kinds of dangerous animals, except animals kept in zoos, circuses or pet shops. Under the Act, licences are required for the keeping of any animal which appears in the schedule to the Act.
Wolf-dog hybrids are not a true species but rather a hybrid of the domestic dog crossed with the wolf. Such animals are required to be licensed under the Act. This is because the Schedule to the Act states that any hybrid of a kind of mammal specified in the Schedule must be licensed; a wolf is a mammal specified in the Schedule as it is included in the listing of all species of Canidae (i.e. the dog family) and does not fall within the specified exemptions to this listing, unlike the Canis familiaris, the domestic dog (but not the Dingo, Canis familiaris dingo), raccoon dogs and foxes.
In addition, under the Act any animal with at least one parent as such a hybrid requires a licence. However, the second generation following a wolf/domestic dog hybrid does not require a licence if neither of its parents are such a hybrid, as illustrated below.
Image showing flow diagram of which generations of hybrids do not require a licence
Therefore, taking the example of Czechoslovakian Wolf Dogs, Sarloos or similar “wolf-dog hybrids”, where an animal is third generation, or further removed from the original wolf content, a licence is not required under the Act.
If owners are in doubt as to whether animals require licensing, then Defra advises them to contact their local authority for advice.
The Department and the RSPCA jointly funded research into the keeping of wolf-dog hybrids and this was published in 2001.
The contractors found that very few wolf-hybrids were kept and that advertisements for wolf-dogs were generally misleading and had been embellished to attract public interest and justify high prices. The report also outlines some physical characteristics to help identify true wolf-dog hybrids, which local authorities may find useful. The full research report is available at The Keeping of Wolf-Hybrids in Great Britain [PDF] (556 KB)
The reference in the study to licences being required for breeds claiming any amount of wolf content, however diluted, should now be viewed in light of the information regarding hybrid generations detailed above.
Dangerous dogs are regulated under their own legislation. Further information on dangerous dogs can be found on the animal welfare pages.
TAKEN FROM DEFRA WEB SITE
The full report
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/protect/documents/dwa-wolfdogs.pdf
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