Dogs

Introduction

This paper briefly provides some basic information about dogs in Jersey – their number and characteristics, laws and regulations governing their ownership and control, and policy issues. Where possible comparisons are made with the UK, Guernsey and other jurisdictions. The co-operation of the Comité de Connétables in providing information about dog licences and more generally is gratefully acknowledged. Much of the information in this paper is taken the website https://comite.je/dog-licence/.

Summary

There are nearly 10,000 licensed dogs in Jersey. Between 2013 and 2024 the number of licensed dogs increased by 37%, and as a percentage of the population from 6.3% to 9.4%.

Of households with dogs, 77% have one, 19% have two and 4% have three or more.

Jersey is well down the international league table in respect of dog ownership. The dog/people percentage is highest in Hungary (28%), Brazil (25%) and Australia (24%). The figure in the UK is 18% and in France 12%.

About 18% of Jersey households have dogs compared with a third of UK households. The percentage in Guernsey is nearer that of the UK.

The dog/households percentage is highest in St Ouen (38.2%) and is over 35% in St Martin, Trinity, St John and St Mary. It is lowest in St Helier (10.0%) Between 2017 and 2024 the licensed dog population increased by 32% in Grouville, 23% in St Saviour and 17% in St Clement.

The most common dog breeds given on licence applications are Labrador Retriever (7.7%), Cockapoo (6.3%), Cocker Spaniel (5.5%) and Jack Russel Terrier (5.3%). The Labrador Retriever is the most common breed in all the country parishes and the Cockapoo in the more urban parishes. In the UK the most common breeds are Labrador Retriever, French bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund and Bulldog.

The most common dog names given on licence applications are Bella, Luna, Poppy, Lola and Buddy. In the UK the most common names are Luna, Bella, Milo, Bailey and Lola.

Average household expenditure on pets in 2022 was £10.70 a week out of £900.80 (1.2%). But for those households with pets it was more like £40. With 45,000 households in Jersey this implies annual expenditure on pets of £25 million, about 75% of which is on dogs. The dog economy includes sales of dog food, breeding and sales, veterinary services, kennels and dog sitting and walking.

The JSPCA plays a significant role in respect of the welfare of dogs in Jersey.

Dogs in Jersey have to be licensed unlike in the UK where they have to be microchipped. There are laws governing the conduct of dogs.

Public policy issues in respect of dogs include excessive barking, dogs disturbing other livestock, not cleaning up poo, dog walking on beaches, the cost of veterinary services and the need for dogs to be licensed.

The dog population

In 2024, 9,709 dogs were licensed in Jersey. The total number of dogs in the Island was higher than this; dogs younger than six months and support dogs for blind or deaf people do not need to be licensed. It is also likely that not all dogs that should be licensed are licensed.

Table 1 show the number of dog licences issued each year since 2013.

Table 1 Dog licences and population, Jersey, 2013-2023

Note: the dog licence figures are recorded between April and June each year. The population figures are for the end of the previous year and are published by Statistics Jersey. The end-2023 population figure has not been published. For the final column an unchanged figure from 2022 has been assumed.

Between 2013 and 2024 the licensed dog population increased by 37.1%. Over a comparable period the population increased by 4.7%. Accordingly, the dog/people percentage increased from 6.3% to an estimated 9.4%. The dog/household percentage is 22%. However, this does not mean that 22% of households have dogs, as some households have more than one dog. Of households with dogs 77% have one dog, 19% have two and 4% have three or more. Allowing for multiple dog ownership 18% of Jersey households have dogs.

52% of licensed dogs are male and 48% are female. On age –

4% of dogs were born before 2010

25% between 2010 and 2014

37% between 2015 and 2019

34% between 2020 and 2024.

The research organisation Statistica publishes estimates for the number of dogs in the UK. Between 2012 and 2020 the number increased modestly from 7.6 million to 9 million. There was then a sharp increase to 12.5 million in 2020 and 13 million in 2021, the increase largely being attributed to people spending more time at home because of Covid. The number then fell to 12 million in 2022, 17.8% of the number of people, much higher than the Jersey proportion.

About one third of UK households have dogs compared with about 18% of Jersey households.

There seems to be no accurate figure for the number of dogs in Guernsey, but estimates put the figure at about 10,000. If this is correct then the dog/people percentage would be 14.8%, much higher than Jersey but lower than the UK.

The World Population Review website publishes a table of dogs per capita. Selected figures are shown in Table 2 below, with Jersey’s figure added.

Table 2 Dogs/people percentage, selected countries

It will be seen that Jersey is well down the table.

The dogs/people percentage varies significantly between parishes. As expected, the country parishes have a much higher percentage than the more urban parishes. Table 3 shows that the dogs/dwellings percentage (in practice the dogs/households percentage) was highest in St Ouen (38.2%) and was over 35% in St Martin, Trinity, St John and St Mary. It was by far the lowest in St Helier (10.0%). It should be noted that according to the official statistics the number of licensed dogs in St Lawrence increased between 2023 and 2024 from 388 to 600. There was also a large increase in St Helier – from 1,375 to 1,746. These increases are implausible, suggesting some undercounting in 2023 and probably generally.

Table 3 Dog numbers by parish, 2024

There have been significant variations in the growth of the dog population between parishes. Between 2017 and 2024 the licensed dog population increased by 32% in Grouville, 23% in St Saviour and 17% in St Clement. These changes may reflect to some extent changes in the number of unlicensed dogs.

Breeds and names

Table 4 shows the most common dog breeds recorded on licence applications.

Table 4 Most common dog breeds, Jersey, 2024

For comparison the leading dog breeds in the UK are Labrador Retriever, French bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Bulldog, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Mountain Schrauzer.

There are differences between the parishes in respect of breeds. Labrador Retriever is the most common breed in the country parishes: St Martin, St Mary, St Ouen, St John, St Peter, St Saviour and Trinity. In the more densely populated parishes of St Helier, St Clement and St Brelade the cockapoo is the most common breed. Cocker Spaniel is the most common breed in St Lawrence.

It should be noted that dog breeds are not precise and for many dogs the exact breed is not known. The dog licence application asks for identifying features including breed though an owner may describe a dog as a ‘mutt (mixed)’ or ‘breed not listed’.

Table 5 shows the top dog names in Jersey and the UK.

Table 5 Top 10 dog names, Jersey and UK

The most common dog names given on licence applications in Jersey are Bella, Luna and Poppy. In the UK the most common names are Luna, Bella and Milo. Poppy does not make the top 10.

The dog economy

The Household Spending 2021 – 2022 report showed that average household expenditure on pets was £10.70 a week out of total expenditure of £900.80 (1.2%). The range was from £7.20 (1.5%) for lowest income group to £18.30 (1.1%) for highest income group. Owner-occupiers with mortgages spent £18.10 (1.2%), social renters £6.80 (1.6%) and unqualified renters £4.50 (0.8%). With 45,000 households in Jersey this implies annual expenditure on pets of £25 million of which expenditure on dogs probably accounts for three quarters.

It should be noted that all these figures are for expenditure for all households, whether they have a pet or not. As only 18% of households have dogs these figures can be multiplied by a factor of five for those households with dogs – so an average of around £50 a week or £2,500 a year. That is also the figure widely quoted for the cost of owning a dog.

The dog economy has several components -

• Sales of dog food.
• Breeding and sales.
• Grooming – 25 licensed businesses offer pet grooming.
• Veterinary services. There are three companies providing veterinary services for dogs in Jersey: New Era Vets (with centres in St Brelade, St Helier and St Saviour), Jersey Village Vets (with centres in St Clement, St Martin, St Mary and St Brelade) and All Pets (based in St Peter).
• Kennels – four companies offer this service: Pine Tree, Classic, Pont du Val and Paws R Us.
• Dog sitting and dog walking – far more like cottage industries. There are 101 licensed businesses where the nature of the work includes dog walking, 46 of which also specify dog sitting.

The role of the JSPCA

The Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals JSPCA is a Jersey charity with a mission to “prevent cruelty, promote knowledge, and provide for the aged, sick, lost and unwanted animals in Jersey”. Its services include a 24-hour animal ambulance, lost and found, rehoming, an animal crematorium, and education and training, for example a canine first aid course for pet professionals and dog owners.

Legislation and regulation

All dogs aged six months or more must be licensed each year under the Dogs (Jersey) Law 1961. Each licence is specific to one dog and cannot be transferred to another dog. A licence is not needed if the dog is used solely by a blind or deaf person for their guidance. The licence fee is £10 a dog, lasts for one year and must be renewed by 31 January each year. Late renewal applications may pay a double fee as an alternative to legal proceedings.

Dog licensing is the responsibility of the parishes. Although each parish maintains its own licences, they have collectively introduced an on-line dog licensing website.

The Jersey practice differs from that in Britain. There is no requirement to have a dog licence, but with some exceptions dogs over eight weeks old must have a microchip which gives a dog a unique ID number and details of the owner. The details are registered with one of a number of government approved registers. Microchipping enables lost dogs to be identified and reunited with their owners. However, no data are recorded on breeds or names. The data quoted earlier in this report are from a variety of surveys.

The Jersey Dog Licences website sets out the responsibilities for a dog owner -

• A dog must wear a collar inscribed with the owner’s name, address, and contact number when in any public place or road.
• Dogs can be exercised on Jersey beaches at any time, but between 1 May and 30 September, they must be kept on a lead between 10.30 am and 6.00 pm.
• Dogs are allowed in many parks but most have specific rules.
• Cleaning up after a dog. This applies to all beaches and parks and to all public areas, including roads and pavements.
• Dogs are not allowed to worry livestock.

Public policy issues

There are several public policy issues relevant to dogs in Jersey.

Dogs barking for long periods particularly at night. This is a very difficult issue to resolve because of differing views between dog owners and those without dogs. The Government of Jersey website has a page Barking Dogs Complaints.

Dogs disturbing other livestock, although enforcement of the law is difficult.

Dog poo not being cleaned up. This is an offence for which a fine of £1,000 can be levied. But in practice catching the dog owners is nearly impossible. Only one fine has been issued in the last five years. It is estimated that UK dogs produce around 1,000 tonnes of waste every day, with much of it deposited in public areas. This would equate to a figure of about one tonne in Jersey. In 2015 Barking & Dagenham Council introduced DNA testing to identify the owner of a dog from its poo. The Council justified the new policy by pointing out that it currently spent £2.3 million a year clearing up dog mess. The success of the new scheme was dependent on encouraging dog owners to get their dogs DNA tested. It is not known if the scheme has continued as there is no requirement for people to register their dog’s DNA. A new project has been set up by local dog walkers to combat the amount of discarded animal waste in popular spots and promote responsible pet ownership. The Wild Poo Project was created by dog walking company Spotted Wellies alongside members of the Jersey Dog Forum, a Facebook group with 14,000 members.

Dog walking on beaches – where there are significantly different views between dog owners and people who do not own dogs. There is currently a petition of the States Assembly website: “Have dedicated dog friendly beaches where dogs can run freely all year round and close the popular beaches to dogs 24/7 during summer months.” This would follow the Guernsey practice. The petition has so far attracted 968 signatures. If 1,000 signatures are attracted there will be a ministerial response.

The cost of Veterinary services. On 12 March 2024 the UK Competition and Markets Authority issued a consultation for a proposed market investigation intoVeterinary Services for household pets in the UK. The CMA said that having reviewed the evidence there were five areas of concern –

• Consumers may not be given enough information to enable them to choose the best veterinary practice or the right treatment for their needs.
• Concentrated local markets, in part driven by sector consolidation, may be leading to weak competition in some areas.
• Large integrated groups may have incentives to act in ways which reduce choice and weaken competition.
• Pet owners might be overpaying for medicines or prescriptions.
• The regulatory framework is outdated and may no longer be fit for purpose.

On 23 May the CMA announced that it would conduct a formal investigation into the market.

This review does not apply to Jersey but it is reasonable to assume that it may have some relevance.

The need for dog licences. It is not clear what purposes dog licences serve. There is no test for obtaining a dog licence and in reality it is simply a dog registration scheme. Even this is questionable as no useful activity can take place using the licence data. Dog owners are required to ensure that their dogs have a collar with contact details, something that people do as a matter of course. If a lost dog is discovered then the owners are contacted through the information on the collar or if it exists a microchip rather than by going to the parish. It seems that the practice of dog licensing continues because it has always done so. Whatever objectives are being pursued by having a licensing system could be equally well pursued by simply retaining the provision that dogs must have a collar with contact details and perhaps adding the requirement as in the UK that they must be chipped, with data held on one of several UK recognised registers.

Although it is an offence not to have a licence for a dog which should be licensed enforcement is difficult. Only four fines have been issued since 2019. It is probably the case that there are many unlicensed dogs.

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