A FORMER British Olympic show-jumper is calling on the government to drop its proposals to ban electric collars for dogs.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is proposing a ban on two types of e-collars for cats and dogs which will apply to hand held remote-controlled devices and containment systems.

But Mansell Gamage resident Alison Dawes, who represented Great Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, said the ban would be heart-breaking because it would deprive her five working cocker spaniels and her Viszlador of their freedom.

Thanks to the containment fence Ms Dawes uses, her dogs can roam freely around three acres of field she rents without the fear of them running away.

The remote-controlled devices the government proposes to ban can be operated by the owner to stop unwanted behaviour by triggering an electronic pulse or other deterrent.

Containment systems can be used to keep a cat or dog within a certain area. When the animal approaches the boundary, it will trigger a pulse or other deterrent.

Ms Dawes said: “It smacks of animal rights people who have no idea what they are talking about.

“It’s strange that they are calling for this ban on collars and yet it’s perfectly alright to have normal electric fences which give a horrific zap.

“Why is there this sudden hymn of hate for dogs?”

Ms Dawes has written to her local MP Bill Wiggin and Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Defra Parliamentary Under-Secretary, expressing her concerns. She said she loves her dogs and would never use anything that would hurt them.

Ms Dawes said the collars her dogs use warn them with a beep and give a little tingle as they approach the fence.

She said: “These collars are a complete lifesaver for me and my dogs.

“It sounds silly, but it would be heart-breaking for me if they banned these collars.

“I live close to a very busy road and pretty much every cat in the village has been killed.”

Responding to Ms Dawes’s letter, Lord Gardiner explained that the government is proposing to ban the use of electric shock collars to improve the welfare of animals.

He said: “We have proposed to make it an offence to use an e-collar, or even to put one on a cat or dog that is wearing one.

“Such a ban on the use of e-collars would bring us into line with other EU countries as well as Wales, which have all banned the use of e-collars.

“The proposal would also cover the use of electric containment so before introducing a blanket ban on their use, the government would need to be satisfied that such a ban was in the public interest and could be supported from an animal welfare point of view.”

The public consultation on the proposals which began in March ended on April 27. ENDS Contact details for Alison are available on request.