Chloe visits SOFA Club

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North, today visited a group of pupils at Thorpe House Schoolwho have contributed to setting up the SOFA (speaking out for animals) group. The SOFA Club started five years ago with fifteen girls and now has around a hundred members at the school. The SOFA club advocates the compulsory microchipping of dogs as it thinks that if all dogs were microchipped, they could easily be returned to their owners if lost, instead of being put down due to overcrowding in kennels. The group hopes that by starting this campaign it will raise public awareness and reduce the number of dogs’ lives lost.

The compulsory microchipping of dogs has recently been mentioned in an article in the Sunday Times and has been tabled by both the Conservatives and Labour. According to the latest Dogs’ Trust UK annual stray dog report; local councils took in an estimated 96,892 dogs in 2008 ; 6,710 of which were put down due to insufficient space in dog sanctuaries.

SOFA has worked closely with Broadland District Council who hosted a microchipping day last year.  188 dogs were chipped. SOFA was encouraged by the success of the day and wants other councils to host similar events. The group has set up an online petition as well as an Early Day Motion (EDM), already signed by members of all political parties. Chloe will be speaking to some of the girls at the school as well as their teacher, Sue Cole, who contributed to the tabling of the EDM.
 
Speaking about the group, Ms Cole said:
 
‘As a teacher, I have seen girls grow in confidence to present arguments articulately.  Nervous children stand up for what they believe in, so I genuinely believe SOFA's work is not just about animals but people too.
‘I am so proud of the SOFA Club because members have discovered that they are able to take positive action when something really concerns them and that they really can make changes for the better. Writing persuasive letters and engaging in debate with MPs and celebrities, appearing on television and being involved in radio discussions has shown them that they can influence change.’