MADAM – How sad to read of the dog abandoned outside the RSPCA. recently.

Unfortunately, while pets and their owners remain anonymous there is not much that can be done about thoughtless, reckless owners.

The time has come to bring back the dog licence and require every dog to be chipped or tattooed with an identification.

Then no dog should be allowed to be sold without registration documents. With registration, no dog would then become an unidentified stray.

It is not only the dogs that should be licensed, but the prospective owners.

They should be checked out to see if they can offer the accommodation and care that the animal needs before being granted a licence to keep a pet.

A dog needs company: being left in a house all day while the owner goes to work is not a suitable lifestyle for a dog.

Going by the adverts in the newspapers, people are prepared to pay hundreds of pounds for puppies and so the true pet lover should not bulk at paying an annual licence fee for the privilege of owning an animal.

The licence fee could then be used to fund dog warden and welfare services, to everyone’s benefit.

David Tritton

Stroud