Meeting of the Parliament 02 October 2025 [Draft]
We are a nation of animal lovers, and many of our households have or look after animals. Whether it is a goldfish or a horse, animals play a major role in our lives. Many of us do not even stop to think about patting a dog or a cat as they walk past us.
However, it is dogs that go back the longest in our history. They are thought to be among the first animals that humans domesticated and brought into our lives and our homes. It is estimated that early domestication took place between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago. Dogs are now members of just under 30 per cent of households in Scotland.
I think that, given the content of members’ speeches today, we can all agree that dogs play a major role in the lives of our families and households, as well as in wider society, and that they are very much loved. We can also agree that there is much support for the bill.
However, as the debate has also indicated, there are still important matters to be considered and I have to be clear about the Scottish Government’s position. I have listened carefully to members’ speeches and the issues that they have raised, and I am sure that Mr Golden will reflect on them ahead of stage 2, as will the Scottish Government.
I will comment on some of the issues that have been raised. Rhoda Grant asked about awareness raising. The Scottish Government will work with the member to publicise and raise awareness of the dog theft offence, should it become law. As I made clear to Mr Golden when I met him recently, the Scottish Government already has links with a wide range of stakeholders that have a strong interest in dog control and dog welfare policy matters. When I appeared before the committee, I spoke about the expert advisory group; it is now up and running and doing some great work. I hope to update the Parliament about that shortly, and I would be happy to get the group involved with awareness raising.
I come to Elena Whitham’s comments about domestic abuse, and my response will also cover a bit of what Rhoda Grant mentioned. The issue was raised when I was before the committee. We know that the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 created the offence of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour against a partner or ex-partner, including behaviour that is directed towards pets or the removal of a pet from the partner or ex-partner when it is likely to cause the victim to suffer physical or psychological harm. Those provisions do not rely on the need for a specific offence of dog theft.
Looking at the relationship defence, I note that the views were offered in the absence of a specific recommendation in the committee report. Given that common-law theft will continue to apply and can be used where necessary in situations in which the relationship defence might arise, we do not have a view on whether the relationship defence is appropriate. Prosecutors could still continue to ensure that dog theft can be addressed using common-law powers or theft in any given relevant case.