UK dog welfare groups push Holly’s Law in Parliament meeting

Naturewatch Foundation, Street Paws and Broken Biscuits took their case to a Houses of Parliament reception organized by The Animal News Agency and Wildlife Guardian, pressing MPs and peers on changes that would affect everything from abuse disclosure to pet-friendly housing. The reception brought together charities, campaigns and ethical businesses, and the agenda ran well beyond one headline issue: homelessness, disability, behavioural wellbeing, healthcare, domestic abuse and overseas welfare all came up.

Naturewatch Foundation used the meeting to build support for Holly’s Law, its proposed Animal Protection Disclosure Scheme modelled on Clare’s Law. On May 7, the charity identified animal abuse as a blind spot in safeguarding and called for a reliable way to disclose serious histories when public safety is at stake. That push landed in Westminster Hall on June 29, when e-petition 759783 passed 238,000 signatures and triggered debate on the proposal. That debate came with a figure: 71% of domestic abuse survivors report threats against their pets.

Street Paws brought the housing side of the argument into the same room. The charity has spent almost a decade working with people and pets facing homelessness, and its No One Left Outside campaign asks for clearer guidance so vulnerable people are not forced to give up a dog just to get a roof, provided it is safe and appropriate to keep the animal. For owners of active dogs, that reaches emergency accommodation, temporary housing and whether a family can stay intact.

Broken Biscuits pushed a different welfare problem: mobility loss. Broken Biscuits puts the number at thousands of dogs in the UK losing movement every year through injury, illness or congenital condition, and its work focuses on equipment and rehabilitation that let those dogs stay active. Broken Biscuits is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under number 1176733, and its remit includes medical treatment, refuge and relocation for disabled animals.

Campaigners dealing with the mass killing of street dogs in Morocco ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup argued for humane catch, neuter, vaccinate and return programmes instead of lethal control. The All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group was set up in 2017 to scrutinise dog-related legislation and trends.