While the likes of Ireland, Germany, America, Australia and Canada demand that owners register their animals on an annual basis, over here we did away with dog licences nearly a quarter of a century ago.

Even the Isle of Man still operates a licensing system, whereas on mainland Britain it was scrapped way back in 1987.

Before then, dog owners paid 37 pence a year to license their pets, with the money going to local authorities.

But in reality the requirement was widely ignored, with only about half of owners having one and little being done to chase up those who didn't bother.

However, all that may be about to change.

Under a proposal to be debated by next month's full council meeting in Leeds, the city's dogs would in future have to be registered with the local authority at an annual cost to owners of £10.

The scheme is the brainchild of Coun Robert Finnigan (Morley Borough Independents, Morley North), himself the proud owner of a poodle called Toby.

He has high hopes that it would clamp down on irresponsible owners and help fund new dog wardens to add to the paltry five currently trying to cover a city with an estimated 92,000 dogs.

"There's a reason dog licensing didn't work before and that's because the rate was set too low," he says. "At 37 pence it only covered administration costs – there was no money for any enforcement or education.

"The reason we need this levy is because too many dog owners allow their pets to foul and don't pick it up, which means the burden is borne by those who don't even own dogs because their taxes are used to clean it up. This is a way of making sure the polluter pays."

The idea is to use the system as a bolt-on to tighter controls currently being discussed at national level.

A leaked document prepared by officials at the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) suggests making it mandatory for dogs to be microchipped with their owners' names and addresses, a process that costs between £20 and £30.

Owners of all dogs could also have to take out third party insurance in case their animal bit anyone, as well as undergoing a "competency test".

The controversial proposals come against a background of rising concern over dangerous dogs.

According to the latest figures, the number of convictions for being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog rose from 547 in 2004 to 703 in 2007.

"A scheme like the one being proposed for Leeds would mean dog owners finally being subject to genuine accountability," said Coun Finnigan.
Animals caught fouling could be identified and those without a licence would be confiscated until their owners paid up.

"If dogs are chipped you know who the owner is and if there is a stray that isn't it should be chipped and then rehomed. I believe this would go a long way to promoting more responsible dog ownership."

Included in the proposals put forward by Coun Finnigan is for dog-free zones to be established in the city for the first time.

Dog fouling is a major problem across the city and thousands of pounds are spent cleaning up after inconsiderate owners, who face a £75 fixed penalty notice or – if they fail to pay – prosecution in magistrates court where the maximum fine is £1,000.

The idea of dog-free zones has gone down well with coaches at Drighlington Juniors FC, whose pitches at Adwalton Moor are popular with dog walkers who often don't bother cleaning up after them.

"It's definitely an issue," says John Burnley, development squad manager and child welfare officer at the club. "We have to pick up a lot of it and after the snow cleared it was particularly bad.

"It's frustrating when you see owners not picking up after their dogs, knowing lads are going to have to play football on there and even when they do pick up there are still remnants left behind."

At the moment enforcement officers can only take action if they see a dog fouling in an area and the mess is not cleared up.

But designating an area a dog free zone would allow them to issue a penalty notice if a dog and its owner set foot and paw on the land.
Having been named an FA Charter Standard club, officials at Drighlington are concerned that phone calls from parents complaining that their sons had come home covered in muck could lead to fines.

"It's gross and we've got enough to do without having to clear it off the pitches," says John Burnley. "There are plenty of other places around here for people to walk their dogs so it's not as if they have no other options."

But others are not so sure that reintroducing dog licences would successfully target inconsiderate owners.

David Binns, secretary of the Friends of Roundhay Park, has a two-year-old golden retriever called Geordie and his wife is a trainer at Leeds Dogs Club.

"There is a dog problem and I'm speaking as a dog owner," he says. "With somewhere like Roundhay Park you want everyone to enjoy it and not have to worry about things like dog mess.

"But there are two kinds of dog owner – those that care and those that don't, and it's the latter that causes the problems.

"My wife and I will have a go at people who don't pick up after their dogs and you get some abuse but you have to try to educate them.

"I can see the merits in it and hopefully it would pay for more dog wardens, but essentially it's raising money from people who aren't causing a problem to deal with the mess left by those who are.

"The people who cause problems with dogs in the park wouldn't join a scheme like this. That means you then have the honest people paying to clean up the mess left by others, which I am sure they would."

Chris Laurence, deputy director of the Dogs Trust charity, which has a major rehoming centre on York Road in Leeds, agrees and is similarly unconvinced.

"As an organisation we support microchipping because it means that when dogs are found they can be returned to their owners," he said.

"But irresponsible owners who have dogs as status symbols or as weapons probably haven't got car tax or insurance, so why on earth would they buy a dog licence?

"In Northern Ireland they kept the licence and it costs £5 a year. But if you look at the numbers of stray dogs – which is a good indication of how well dogs are looked after – about one third of them in the UK are picked up in Northern Ireland, even though it makes up less than 10 per cent of the population.

"I'm afraid the argument that you instil greater responsibility in people simply by licensing dogs just doesn't wash."

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