A former neighbour of mine kept his miserable dogs outside in all weathers where I was heartbroken to hear them crying and whimpering, desperate for human attention which they seldom received.

And yet, when I told him about the dogs being distressed, they thought I was complaining about the noise - the concept that they should care about their own dogs' level of happiness was beyond their understanding.

How do you reach people like that? Why do some people even HAVE a dog, if they're going to ignore it and keep it as far away from them as possible?

And yet, it's NOT ILLEGAL to keep your dog outdoors, despite the fact that as social animals, they NEED companionship for their basic wellbeing! However, without legal protection, organisations like the RSPCA are powerless to help in these cases.

After hearing the dogs next door to me whimpering and crying for hours a day, I don't think that's fair.

I'd like to grant the RSPCA and other registered canine welfare organisations in the UK the necessary powers of intervention to safeguard these animals.

Please support this petition so we can get it in front of Parliament.

Thank you.