Government has allowed the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to adopt out mixed breed puppies that are deemed illegal under the controversial dangerous dog ban instead of euthanising them ? as long as certain strict conditions are met.

Those conditions include close screening of adopters, ensuring the animals are spayed or neutered before they are adopted out and a strong emphasis on social training for the dogs.

However the dog ban itself remains firmly in place for the time being, though the Department of Environmental Protection said it is subject to review.

A statement from the Department of Environmental Protection yesterday said the Department met with the SPCA in March to review the banned dog policy and receive suggestions on the its implementation.

As a result of that meeting, the Department agreed to allow the SPCA to adopt out all mixed breed puppies and dogs on the ban list that come into the SPCA shelter. The trial programme had an initial phase of three months.

There were five conditions allowing the SPCA to carry out the programme:

A progress report was to be submitted to the Department at the end of the period

The SPCA was to closely screen owners, taking into account the needs of the individual dogs

The SPCA was to ensure neutering of the animal at the earliest possible age

The animal was to be licensed and microchipped before it left the SPCA

The SPCA was to strongly emphasise the need for social training to adopters

According to a progress report received by the Department from the SPCA on July 1, in the period of March 27-July 1, ten puppies were adopted out under the policy.

Of the ten, five were neutered prior to leaving the SPCA, one was sent off the Island with a promise to spay at six months of age, two were spayed/neutered by the owners, and two were to be spayed/neutered in August or September.

?We have been extremely pleased with the calibre of those who have adopted from us,? the SPCA wrote. ?With the diminished number of puppies, we were able to be very selective in our placement and have strongly recommended socialising and training for these puppies.?

The policy was then extended for a further six months, when a report is due detailing the mixed-breed adoptions of listed dogs.

However, Environmental Protection added, the dog ban policy remains firm for the time being ? though it is still under review.

?We continue to encourage dialogue with breeders, kennel clubs, and the SPCA,? the Department wrote.

?The ban has been successful. To date, the Minister has denied import of four breeding pairs of dogs: Boerboel, Cane Corso, English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Pitbull. This has reduced the number of banned puppies on the Island.

?There has also been a significant decrease in the number of illegal listed breed puppies seized by the animal wardens,? the Department added, though annual statistics were not available for comparisons with year prior to the dog breed ban.