Battersea MP Martin Linton has won a promise from Dogs minister Jim Fitzpatrick to consider his proposal for compulsory micro-chipping of dogs as part of the Government’s response to the Bateson Report on dangerous dogs.

In a Commons question today the MP also asked the minister to consider a minimum age for dog ownership and a tougher registration system for dog breeders.

The Minister and the MP visited Battersea Dogs & Cats Home yesterday to hear their views on the need for new dog control legislation.

The MP told the Commons: “We saw that nearly half the dogs being admitted to Battersea at the moment are Staffies or bull breed crosses. The numbers are rising all the time because back-street breeders are selling puppies to complete strangers in pubs for £250.”

Scott Craddock, director of operations, told the Minister that existing dog control laws are “no longer fit for purpose” and urged him to institute an urgent full-scale review of existing legislation”.

Battersea is the only dogs’ home that accepts all breeds of dogs and as a result over 40% of the dogs coming into Battersea are “Staffies” or bull-breed crosses.

Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home supports the call for compulsory micro-chipping of dogs and for a minimum age of dog ownership of 21 for guard dogs and bull breeds, 18 for other dogs.

Read Martin's debate in The Commons with Jim Fitzpatrick MP (Minister for Food, Farming and the Environment)