Salix Homes is leading the way in animal welfare after scooping a coveted award from the RSPCA.
They are one of the first housing providers in the country to introduce compulsory dog micro-chipping for dogs owned by tenants living in high rise blocks.
The innovative micro-chipping scheme has been awarded a Bronze Housing Footprint in the RSPCA’s Community Animal Welfare Footprint (CAWF) Awards, which recognise the achievements of housing providers and local authorities in improving animal welfare.
As part of the initiative free micro-chipping and pet registration sessions were held at 17 of their tower blocks across the city, with more than 100 dogs now micro-chipped.
Salix Homes first introduced the scheme as part of its Pet Policy two years ago, after the Government announced every dog in England would have to be chipped by 2016.
The aim of the initiative was to build up a database of animals living in the blocks, which in turn helps tackle lost, stray and abandoned dogs and cracks down on pet related nuisance and anti-social behaviour (ASB), such as dog attacks, noise nuisance and dogs used for fighting or intimidation.
Sue Sutton, their executive director of operations, said: “Salix Homes recognises the positive effect owning a dog can have on the wellbeing of our tenants; however tower blocks do not provide ideal living conditions for dogs, but thanks to our scheme, every dog has now been micro-chipped and we are helping to ensure the welfare of the animal.
“Promoting responsible pet ownership is not a common matter for the housing sector, but Salix Homes prides itself on being at the heart of the community and tackling the issues that matter to our tenants, which is why we felt compelled to act on this issue.
“We are very proud to be one of the first housing providers in the country to implement such a scheme which clamps down on dog related ASB and promotes animal welfare, so to be recognised with an award for our achievements by the RSPCA is the icing on the cake.”
As part of the scheme, Salix Homes’ officers have been trained to scan dogs to ensure they have been micro-chipped and carry out animal welfare checks to make sure the animal is being properly cared for.
Lenny Rolles, RSPCA senior parliamentary advisor for local government, added: “The RSPCA are delighted to congratulate Salix Homes for achieving an RSPCA Community Animal Welfare Bronze Housing Footprint in recognition of the efforts the housing association has made to provide for animals in its accommodation.”
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