5. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs: Companion Animal Welfare

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:05 pm on 19 June 2018.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 5:05, 19 June 2018

Thank you, David Melding, for those questions and comments, and I'll certainly join him in paying tribute to Cardiff Dogs Home. I've visited several of these establishments since I've been in post, and the dedication of both the staff and the volunteers is incredible. I remember going to the Dogs Trust in Bridgend just before Christmas, and there were a lot of dogs there then, and you can imagine—. You raised the point about fashion accessories and people getting rid of pets after six months, and it's the same, obviously, with Christmas. A lot of people have pets at Christmas and then a few months later—. But I remember going to this one in Bridgend, and every dog had a Christmas stocking full of presents. The dedication of these people is just incredible.

In relation to the issue around landlords, I see the Minister for housing is in the Chamber now, so she will have heard that, and obviously Bethan Sayed raised it with me also, and I will certainly have a discussion with Rebecca Evans around this. I, too, live in rented accommodation here in Cardiff, and it's exactly the same. You are allowed a pet unless—you know, you have to make a case if not. So, I think there is a huge amount of work that we can do with landlords to make sure that the situations that you just described don't happen.