Tuk’s Law and The London Retired Police Dogs Trust

Gosh, not sure where the time has been going, but I seem to be rushing all over the place fighting to get through the daily list of tasks! I need to keep today’s blog entry brief, although I know that won’t happen….

In the news this week we see that China has published its list of authorised species for raising in agriculture. Any animal not listed is not authorised to be sold for consumption (my knowledge of Chinese Law is pretty much non-existent, so please don’t rely on my analysis). Dogs are no longer listed, and so this has been hailed as a great step forward in ending the dog meat trade. Sadly, there is no sign that Yulin has been cancelled. Cats are not listed on the published agriculture list, and to my knowledge never have been, yet are still eaten. So there are some genuine concerns that this move is more political game play in the international arena than it is actual progress. Still, it keeps the issue alive, and that in itself works wonders in keeping animals alive too.

Also in the news are the protests springing up world-wide in response to the killing of George Floyd. Firstly, Black Lives Matter. This is beyond doubt, and as a human rights lawyer I am appalled at this wanton loss of life. I also do not comment on whether the protests are right or wrong. However, it is completely unacceptable to throw bottles and bikes at police horses. There is no need for violence against police for the purposes of protesting, and there certainly is no need for violence against service animals who do not consent to even perform their work. This does raise the issue of whether animals should be in service, and I am leaving that discussion for another time. But for now, let us all condemn the actions of any protestors using violence against service animals, as there is no need for it in order to protest for racial equality.

Now I mentioned that I would be focusing on a petition each week, so this week I am bringing your attention to Tuk’s Law. This is named after a young rescue dog who was presented to a vet for euthanasia by a person who was not registered on the microchip. The dog was put to sleep without referring to the person who actually was registered. This is because there is no duty on a veterinary surgeon to scan the microchip of the dog.

I am horrified to hear that a cat has been euthanised by a neighbour, and a dog by the owner’s ex partner out of spite. As these people were not registered on the microchip, these deaths could so easily have been avoided. Tuk’s Law petition

asks that it be made compulsory for vets to scan microchips, to seek authorisation by the named persons only, and if there is a second name registered, they should be contacted too. Due to the difficulties in ensuring this practice of scanning takes place, it needs to be given the force of law.

Tuk’s Law is extremely important and I implore you all to sign it as soon as you can, and share that you have done so, so that others may do so. It is available at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300025

Currently, the petition has 33677 signatures and has until 4thSeptember 2020 to obtain the 100k signatures needed.

This is not the same as Fern’s Law which also deals with scanning microchips. I will discuss that petition next time.

Now to highlight the work of a charity to you. This week I am bigging up The London Retired Police Dogs Trust (LRPD UK), as this seems rather fitting with the issues surrounding service animals this week. We definitely owe service animals a lot of gratitude. LRPD (UK) is a charity that organises pensions for retired police dogs in the London area, and has Dame Judi Dench as its patron. Often, the handler would like to keep their dog after the dog has retired, which I am sure we can all appreciate, however they may not have the funds they need for things like veterinary care. These dogs do not get pensions! It is quite some oversight that we make these dogs work for us, but there is no provision for them by the State. That is where organisations like LRPD (UK), and the soon to be constituted Wessex Area Service Animal Pensions (WASAP), come in. LRPD (UK) is a great charity, and I had the great honour of presenting alongside them at the APDAWG Unsung Heroes event earlier this year. Please visit their website, and help out with donations etc, if you can. Their website is http://lrpd.uk/

As animal justice and ethical thought involves more than just law and helping pets, but also needs us to consider sustainability and the ecosystem at large, I thought it might also be nice to share with you a vegan recipe I have used recently. My partner is on slimming world but unlike me is not vegetarian or vegan, so it can be a challenge to find something we can both eat! I adapt Slimming World recipes where I can. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t, however this recipe definitely does I think. What is also great is that this is from their five ingredient recipes, so although it has been adapted to include more, it is still pretty minimal.

Spicy Cauliflower Bake

You need: Cauliflower (1 large head serves two, well in our house), ready mixed spice sachet (we use Moroccan spices), 1 tin of chickpeas (drained), 1 pack of mixed cherry tomatoes, one pack of Quorn chunks (frozen best, so they hold their shape), 1 small pack of spinach.

How to make it: This is really easy! Cut the cauliflower into large florets and boil these until ¾ cooked. Meanwhile make a slightly runny paste out of the spices and water. Toss the quorn chunks in this paste. Place the partially cooked cauliflower into a roasting dish that has been sprayed with low calorie spray, and place the quorn chunks in amongst this. Pour the rest of the spice paste over the cauliflower. Roast in the oven, mixing the contents once or twice, and after 15 minutes add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Roast for a further 15 minutes. Just before it is ready, pour boiling water over the spinach, draining through a sieve. Serve the bake by placing the wilted spinach over it, and serve with a jacket potato or similar if you need a bit extra.

 

This time next week, when I next publish a blog entry, the Breed Specific Legislation should have reached its 100k target. In fact, this should be later today, as it now has 98543 signatures!

You are welcome to comment below, but please #bekind to each other.