Canine breeding in Malta : ‘the need for legal reform’

Abstract

This study was carried out with the intention of identifying whether the current existing Maltese legislations pertaining to canine breeding are adequate or whether a legal reform is required. Animal abuse can take many forms one of which is the causing of unnecessary pain through negligence or lack of awareness and this study sets out to understand whether the current legislations sufficiently safeguard canine wellbeing. To gather information, qualitative interviews in a semi-structured manner were held with several veterinary professionals based in Malta to ascertain whether lack of genetic testing prior to breeding is resulting in canines being born with genetic deficiencies. For comparative analysis an interview was also held with a veterinary professional based in Italy. The findings of this study suggest that the current legislations in Malta require reform as well as an element of enforcement due to the high instances of diagnosed cases identified. Furthermore, it is also revealed that lack of regulatory requirements such as licencing of breeders, provides a gateway for organised crime groups to profit from such a practice. This also results in amateur breeders to monetary gain with questions being raised as to whether income generated from canine breeding is being declared. Pedigree breeding is already ethically questionable due to the overpopulated sanctuaries with unregulated canine breeding further placing pressures on the various NGOs. Lack of regulation could also potentially contribute to the growing numbers in sanctuaries if such dogs are put up for adoption or abandoned due to the high-cost treatments required to address the medical deficiencies. The recommendations for legal reform and enforcement presented in this study aim to improve the current situation in Malta when it comes to safeguarding canines’ wellbeing. This study also contains several recommendations for further research to further understand the phenomena.