Worcestershire’s coroner says council should do more to root out “unscrupulous” dog breeders.

Worcester News reported that Worcestershire's senior coroner will submit a ‘prevention of future death report’ to Wychavon Council and Worcestershire Regulatory Services – saying that unless animal licensing improvements are made, there would continue to be a “heightened risk of danger” to those buying unlicensed dogs. 

We previously reported that two-year-old Lawson Bond died in hospital after being attacked by a dog owned by his unlicensed breeder grandmother. Worcestershire Coroner David Reid said regulators needed to do more to root out unlicensed breeders. Ms Bond's lack of licence did not contribute to his death, the coroner said. 

The report continued:

The council has been given until November 13 to respond and chief executive Vic Allison must reveal where it has made improvements, and if none have been made, when it plans to and when those improvements would be made.

Senior coroner Mr Reid ruled that Lawson’s death was the result of ‘misadventure’ after the two-year-old had managed to untie a security chain on a gate and entered a field used for exercising the dogs, where he was then attacked.

The inquest held at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court in Stourport also heard that despite Maria Bond being a dog breeder and seller with more than 30 years of experience, she had never possessed, or even applied, for a licence.

After the inquest, Simon Wilkes, head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services, said animal licensing was one of its “top priorities” and was “pushing to make animal breeding guidance more enforceable.”