Minister of the Environment Terry Lister yesterday sent out a warning to dog abusers and law-breakers after hiring two additional wardens.

Just before he moved to his new Labour and Home Affairs Ministry, he said there would be renewed emphasis on dog licensing, illegal breeding, animal cruelty and public education now that the number of dog wardens on the Island had doubled to four. He said the additional staff members would enable the Animal Husbandry Section of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to better respond to public complaints seven days a week and to assist Police in wrapping up outstanding cases of illegal breeding and fighting.

The appointment of the new wardens, Allison Thomas and Fabian Minors, follows increasing concerns about dog-related problems, and was recommended by both the Animal Control Committee and the Dog Committee.

Mrs. Thomas already has a full working knowledge of the dog programme from her previous role as Animal Husbandry clerk, while Mr. Minors, a former Police officer, is well versed in enforcement issues and prosecutions procedures. Although their section is most recognised as dealing with animal cruelty and dog-related incidents, their duties will also include working with dairy farmers and people involved in animal husbandry, controlling the importation of animals and quarantine issues.

Mr. Lister welcomed the two new dog wardens and said he was sure the public would appreciate their appointments as a positive step towards encouraging the community to be more responsible as pet owners, and more willing to report cases of suspected pet abuse.

Mr. Lister said: "Where people may have been able to get away with what they were doing before because of the heavy overload on each of the wardens, they will have a more manageable workload now.

"Having additional wardens will allow us to enforcement the Dogs Act, as it stands, including the matter of illegal breeding.

"What we are really trying to do is strengthen the team. However, we want to concentrate on the area of animal education.

"I don't believe there are bad dogs and bad cats out there, but there are owners who don't know how to care for their animals or how to encourage them to do the right thing.

"At the same time, it's important for us to ensure that dogs, in particular, are licensed, so having the additional wardens will make sure that the licensing numbers go up."