Muddy Boots

There was a good turnout for the Muddy Boots meeting held at Mountfield village hall. Muddy Boots is simply a forum for local charities and voluntary groups to network and promote aspects of their own work to other groups. Trustee of Brownbread Rescue, Tony, is also Trustee of Battle Council for Voluntary Service which organises the meetings. Tony always attends the meetings as they provide a good forum to promote the dates of Brownbread activities

Many happy faces pose after the Muddy Boots meeting

 

“Annie” & her Chocolate puppies

Yes, Annie, the friendly chocolate lady that you see at Brownbread, is going to have pups on about the 11 th April.

It has all been carefully arranged; she was mated with a chocolate spaniel in Hailsham.

Annie is actually the grand daughter of Nelly that many of you will also know as she is usually the one that barks to say someone has come. Extraordinarily it will be Nelly that eventually takes over the mothering of the pups; she just can't resist being a mummy again.

The pups will be for sale but book early; they are a very popular colour and temperament and likely to be sold soon after birth.

 

“Frontline against Cruelty!”

The last Animals Protection Act became law in 1911. Now, 93 years later, the latest Animal Act attempts to seal the gaps that protect animals from abuse by humans. DEFRA's draft Animal Welfare Bill strives to tighten up legislation to protect the welfare and abuse of all captive and domestic pets.

At last it looks as though action is happening in the fight against cruelty. The Bill is supposed to ensure that animals are housed in a suitable environment, that they have adequate food and water, that they are able to exhibit normal behaviour, that they are protected from pain, injury and disease and are kept in association with animals of their own species.

Brownbread Horse Rescue and the RSPCA welcome the update of the archaic cruelty offence. Now police and local authorities will be able to enter premises, (not a private dwelling) without a warrant to investigate animals that are reported to be in distress.

Brownbread is reassured that horse owners that have been disqualified from custody of animals they abused, will now not be able to plead that animals under their care belong to another member of the family. This has been a frustrating loophole in the law that has enabled many abusers to continue their violation of horses in their care. We have been frustrated for years where a habitual offender, banned for life from keeping horses, still has horses in his yard on the pretext that someone else is responsible for them, a blatant lie. It should now be possible for a life ban on keeping horses, or other animals, will be able to be enforced with the full backing of the law. The Bill allows a court to disqualify a person convicted of a cruelty, fighting or welfare offence from owning or keeping animals, or arranging or participating in their keeping. Furthermore the court has the power to remove an animal from the owner's care where there has been a disqualification order. Currently confiscation orders depend on proof that the animal is likely to be subjected to further cruelty. If no disqualification order is given then the court is obliged to give reasons for not doing so.

Currently riding schools and boarding establishments have to be licensed but this Bill now gives the Secretary of State powers to regulate specified activities involving animals so licensing of sanctuaries and livery yards may well be the next step. This is all very well for the larger, rich charities but the smaller sanctuaries will inevitably have difficulty diverting precious charity money to the licensing fee.

Under this Bill prosecutions may now be started up to three years after the offence was committed where currently it is only six months. Also it becomes an offence to sell an animal to anyone under the age of 16 and this is likely to be extended to include internet sales.