What would it look like if Scotland became the best place in the world for an animal to call home? Picture it: rescue centres with the resources to care for every creature that comes through their doors. Schools where children learn empathy and responsibility alongside their ABCs. A legal framework so robust that no animal abuser can slip through the cracks.

That's not a daydream. It's the stated ambition of the Scottish SPCA, and with a Holyrood election approaching on 7 May, the charity has laid out a roadmap for getting there.

A manifesto with teeth

The SSPCA's Animals Count: Make Them Matter manifesto, published ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, outlines four flagship proposals designed to deliver what the charity calls "lasting change" for animals across Scotland — domestic, farmed and wild.

First: a National Animal Offenders Register, built into existing intelligence systems to track repeat offenders and monitor bans. Second: embedding animal welfare into the Scottish curriculum, so the next generation grows up understanding their responsibilities to other living creatures. Third: a long-overdue review of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, which at two decades old has failed to keep pace with modern challenges — including the sharing of animal abuse footage online. And fourth: a Permitted List of Pets, ensuring exotic animals aren't kept in environments that cannot meet their needs.

"Every day, our teams see the best and worst of how animals are treated in Scotland," said Nicola Strachan, the SSPCA's Head of Advocacy and Strategic Partnership. "True protection means tackling the causes of suffering, not just the symptoms."

Already punching above its weight

Scotland is not starting from scratch. Wild animals were banned from travelling circuses in 2018. Dog microchipping has been mandatory since 2016. A bill to ban greyhound racing is currently progressing through Parliament, backed by more than 11,000 public submissions. And the Scottish SPCA itself — the country's only all-animal welfare charity with legal powers to investigate cruelty — carried out more than 7,400 investigations into suspected abuse and neglect in the first half of 2025 alone.

At the charity's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Cardonald, the scale of the operation is impressive: over 100 dog kennels, a dedicated cattery, an exotics room, wildlife facilities, and a pioneering sensory garden designed to give dogs enriching stimulation while they await new homes.

The public is on board

Perhaps the most striking finding in the SSPCA's case is this: according to the charity's Animal Kindness Index, produced in partnership with the RSPCA and USPCA, animal welfare is now the third most important issue for people in Scotland. That's not a fringe concern — it's a mainstream priority.

"That gives Parliament a clear mandate to act," Strachan said. "When animals count, Scotland leads."

The manifesto also builds on ongoing campaigns to ban the public sale and use of fireworks, to make dog theft a specific criminal offence, and to end the use of electric shock collars — each of which enjoys broad public support.

A kinder Scotland

What makes Animals Count compelling is not just its policy detail but its ambition. This isn't a charity asking for crumbs; it's a vision of a nation that takes the welfare of every living creature seriously, from the rescue dogs of Cardonald to the seabirds of the Northern Isles.

With May's election approaching, all parties will be courting the animal-loving vote. The SSPCA is inviting MSPs, candidates and political stakeholders to meet and discuss its proposals — and urging the public to contact their representatives in support.

"A kinder Scotland, one where every animal is protected and valued, can only be built together," Strachan said.

The aspiration is there. The public will is there. All that remains is the political courage to match it.