The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Sarah Marshal
Clare Balding called for a “test” for anyone attempting to buy a dog, in a bid to stop people “feeding illegal markets”.
The TV presenter and author of the recent book Isle of Dogs: A Canine Adventure through Britain was speaking at Henley Literary Festival 2023, the annual event held in Henley-upon-Thames, Oxfordshire.
Addressing the crowd, Balding complained of the lack of regulation surrounding dog ownership – and unethical profit-driven breeders who sell the animals without sufficient scrutiny of buyers.
“I do think we need more regulation – we need more understanding of who is owning dogs,” she said. “And I do very much approve of a basic test.
“Because there’s this ever-growing market that doesn’t care, that just wants the money. That’s where legislation has to come in to block that, that channel being so easy. I don’t know whether it’s a case of, if you’re selling a dog, you have to have a license or if you’re buying a dog, you have to have a license. I’m not sure which is the better solution.”
Balding looked at some of the unethical practices surrounding dog ownership in the new Channel 5 series Live: Lost Dogs with Clare Balding.
“We have an awful lot of people who don’t necessarily know how to deal with dogs that might be frustrated or lacking in stimulation, people who basically don’t understand what owning a dog means. They may unfortunately have clicked a button and bought what they thought was a teddy bear,” she explained to the Henley audience.
“And I say that genuinely. If you are clicking a button to buy a dog, you are feeding an illegal market,” she added. “You are not understanding the responsibility of dog ownership.”
In the talk, Balding also discussed some of her most famous broadcasting gaffes, including when she asked relay swimmer Matthew Richards about his “phenomenal third leg”.
