Bea Elton, a cleaning influencer with over 6 million followers, has launched a petition calling for the creation of an animal abuse register in the UK. The petition, which gained over 100,000 signatures in 48 hours, now has more than 200,000 signatures, triggering a potential parliamentary debate.
Elton, known for offering free deep cleaning to vulnerable people, says she regularly witnesses animal suffering in the homes she cleans. Her petition demands an automatic lifetime ban on animal ownership for anyone convicted of animal abuse, arguing that current discretionary bans allow abusers to acquire new animals.
Currently, there is no official register of animal abusers in the UK, and courts have discretion over ownership bans. Elton compares the proposed register to the sex offenders register, suggesting it should be accessible only to police, charities, shelters, and vets. Similar registers already exist in parts of the United States, such as Orange County.
The petition gained traction after reports that dog breeder Lee Cox, who won Best in Show at Crufts, had a 2001 conviction for causing unnecessary suffering to his dog. Despite the conviction, Cox was not disqualified from owning animals. The Royal Kennel Club stated the incident was isolated and did not warrant disqualification.
Elton emphasises prevention, stating, 'If someone's convicted in a court of law they shouldn't be allowed to go on and get more animals.' She believes existing systems can serve as templates for the register.
