Breeders and abusers of illegal dogs seem immune to successful prosecution or meaningful penalty, according to a local animal advocacy group.

A spokeswoman for Punish the Deed not the Breed said focus instead appears to have been placed on seizing dogs of “loving owners” who go against the policy to keep their pets safe.

However, the Ministry of Health, Seniors and Environment insisted that animals wardens perform their duties fairly, professionally and responsibly to protect the public.

“Without changes to the current policies, animal welfare will continue to deteriorate and with that will come increased public safety issues due to an increasing number of inbred, under-socialised and abused dogs,” the spokeswoman for Punish the Deed told The Royal Gazette .

“Unfortunately, the focus to date appears to have been largely on loving owners who have chosen not to sentence their dogs to death and have gone against the current policy in order to keep them safe.

“Abusers and illegal breeders seem immune to successful prosecution or meaningful penalty.”

The spokeswoman said this was clear from the number of animal welfare prosecutions reported by this newspaper and the “very small number of illegal breeders and abusers who appear before the courts”.

She added that seizing the pets of families and individuals who mean well is “is not an effective solution to the current crisis and does nothing except violate and traumatise the lives of those people who have their homes broken into and their family pets removed and destroyed”.

The Royal Gazette has reported a number of illegal dog seizures, including two-year-old pitbull-mix Isis who was taken from a Warwick home. Her owner was given ten days to send her overseas and she has now been taken in by a family in Boston, United States.

The spokeswoman added that while the group “is extremely humbled” by all the support offered to rehome Isis, exporting illegal dogs was not a long-term solution.

She reiterated the group’s call for “a policy that reflects and directly tackles” the problem and an amnesty “so that all existing dogs can be legalised and licensed”. But she stressed that the group does not condone the breaking of laws and policies, seeking to change them through advocacy and education instead.

“A society will be judged by how they treat the most vulnerable among them,” she said, adding that the recent decision of United States animal advocacy group Bad Rap to promote a boycott of Bermuda “shows that we are indeed being judged not only for our lack of a progressive and effective animal welfare policy, but also for our barbaric treatment of families and their pets”.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, Seniors and Environment said the Ministry’s Animal Control Section’s work regarding dogs is guided by the Dogs Act 1978 and a clear policy on products of illegal breeding.

“The Ministry’s wardens act only on reports received from the public and SPCA, usually based on allegations of animal neglect or abuse, public nuisance or attacks.

“The wardens perform their duties professionally, fairly and responsibly to protect the public,” she said.

She added that people with concerns about any officer’s performance should contact the director of Conservation Services on 299-2321.