During the debate:
a number of MSPs felt that the Bill should be extended to include other animals, for example, cats
a number of MSPs stated that working dogs should be added to the assistance dog aggravation
Elena Whitham MSP raised the issue of where a dog was stolen in the context of domestic abuse and that an aggravation for offences committed in a domestic abuse context should be considered, or the explicit linking up of data on domestic abuse charges and animal abuse, though she did note that this Bill may not be the vehicle for this
there were mixed responses on the victim statement provision, with some MSPs supporting this while others did not
MSPs stated the importance of raising awareness of the offence and that data collection should be improved even if the Bill was not passed
Christine Grahame MSP and Richard Leonard MSP did not support the annual reporting and review provision as they felt this was a role for the Scottish Parliament
Emma Harper MSP stated there needed to be clarity on the resource implications for the police and judicial services.