A dog walker from Guernsey has spoken out against a proposal to scrap new licensing rules.
Deputy Andy Sloan wants to annul the new regulations – which came in six weeks ago – calling them “nanny-knows-best government”.
His attempt will be lodged tomorrow when the States sit for this month’s meeting.
But Georgie Mourant, a professional dog walker since 2008, defended the new rules in a Facebook post, saying there was a need for “clearer structure and consistency” in the sector and the fees were “minimal and reasonable”.
While Ms Mourant “understood and respected” people who wanted to scrap the new rules, she felt the legislation provided a “reasonable starting point”.
Public confidence
Ms Mourant felt there was room for “further clarification” of some rules, but it was better to continuously improve the regulations rather than get rid of them.
She said licensing would help build public confidence that “professional dog walkers are competent, accountable and able to safely manage dogs in public spaces”.
Scrapping the scheme – or moving to a tiered system of fees, another suggestion – risked “increasing informal or grey market activity” and could lead to animal welfare concerns and public complaints, she said.
States vote
Unlike Ms Mourant, some other dog walkers and members of the public have supported the proposed annulment, with some citing high costs and a lack of “meaningful” engagement with the sector before the rules were introduced.
More than 260 people responded to a public consultation last year into the proposals, and Ms Mourant said she personally felt she’d been “adequately consulted”.
Deputy Sloan’s proposed annulment will be debated in the States on Wednesday 25 March.
He had previously argued the regulations were introduced too quickly, as they were enacted a week after the States approved them.