Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:41 pm Post subject: Dogs Trust say 18 stray dogs were put to sleep daily in 2008
I have posted this as sadly more and more Labradors are being added to these statistics, as one of the top most popular breeds in the UK we have to start educating people.
Rehome a rescue dog before purchasing a ‘retail Rover’, urges Dogs Trust
Today Dogs Trust annual Stray Dogs Report revealed that an estimated 96,892 stray dogs were taken in by local councils in the UK last year; 6,710 of which were put to sleep for want of a home¹
Dogs Trust is urging those looking for a new dog to visit their local rescue centre before splashing the cash on a retail Rover.
Despite the sustained efforts of both animal welfare organisations and local authorities, on average 11 stray and unwanted dogs an hour are handled by local authorities. Each hour:
• 5 are reunited with their owners
• 3 are taken to welfare organisations
• 1 is rehomed by local authorities
• And every 80 minutes a dog is put to sleep¹
The report conducted by GfK NOP on behalf of Dogs Trust shows a reduction from the previous year but as the charity’s Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin, explains, there is still much work to do:
“This is the first year that the number of stray dogs in the UK has dropped below 100,000. But this is still far too high a figure – it’s 6,000 more than the number of seats at Wembley! For a nation of so-called animal lovers it is unacceptable that pets are being treated as throwaway commodities. Dog ownership is a privilege, not a right.
Dogs Trust is working closely with local authorities and runs extensive education, neutering and microchipping campaigns to help them to tackle the issue. As a result the number of stray dogs has dropped gradually in the past ten years.
However the onus remains on owners to accept their responsibility. Get your dog neutered and microchipped and ensure he is wearing an ID tag so that if he is lost he can be reunited with you more easily.”
The charity believes the most effective and humane way of reducing stray dog numbers in the long-term is best achieved through education, neutering and microchipping. Last year microchips helped reunite 30% of strays with their owners.
Dogs Trust invests approximately £5m each year in neutering, microchipping and education programmes in the worst affected areas of the UK - Northern Ireland, North West, North East and Wales. Since the campaigns began in 1999, over 270,000 dogs have been neutered and 228,000 have been microchipped through Dogs Trust.
Last edited by Littlelab on Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:52 am; edited 1 time in total
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
Dogs just seem like a disposable object to some - it's so upsetting when you hear that people know their dogs are in the pound but don't claim them, or when they won't pay the fee to get them back
We have been talking about this on an International Forum and Sweden seem to have it spot on, they don't have the problem we have with stray dogs.
Here is a response to the question about why there are no or very few stray dogs and cats;
The goverment demands everyone to register their dog and pay a small tax every year, We also have to have the insurances that are nessesary to get vet help if needed. To get the insurrance your dog/cat has to be registrated in an organisation, run by the goverment, called The Swedish breeding org. (svenska kennelklubben)
Due to this very few people have unregistred dogs/cats (more cats than dogs). There are some local org. that takes care of straycats and when getting hold of them, castrate and selling them.
If you want to buy a dog you can contact the organisation to find out were in the country you can find a good breeder for the particular type of dog you want.
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
But in their advert they say they never put a healthy dog down?
Its not just the Dogs Trust that these figures relate to, its the UK as a whole, taking into consideration the local authority run dog pounds/kennels.
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
Here is a response to the question about why there are no or very few stray dogs and cats;
The goverment demands everyone to register their dog and pay a small tax every year, We also have to have the insurances that are nessesary to get vet help if needed. To get the insurrance your dog/cat has to be registrated in an organisation, run by the goverment, called The Swedish breeding org. (svenska kennelklubben)
Due to this very few people have unregistred dogs/cats (more cats than dogs). There are some local org. that takes care of straycats and when getting hold of them, castrate and selling them.
If you want to buy a dog you can contact the organisation to find out were in the country you can find a good breeder for the particular type of dog you want.
A week or so ago I suggested that in this country we should do similar to what is suggested here and it didn't go down too well with some folk.
Licence dogs ownership and Licence breeding would be a start. Cut out the puppy farmers.
urging those looking for a new dog to visit their local rescue centre before splashing the cash on a retail Rover
The thing is...Some rescues ask for quite considerable donations or Fees!
I have seen a few rescues ask for up to £250 or £300 of donations or Fees for a rescue dog.
Now, while i'm all for donating to rescues etc, i think a LOT of 1st time dog owners, or inexperienced people would see £300 for a rescue dog, or £300 for a cute fluffy puppy (Regrdless of whether or not it was from a puppy-farm), and i think a lot of people who were unaware, would part with their money for the cute cuddly puppy at 8 weeks old as oppose to the rescue standing behind kennel doors.
This is in NO WAY a dig at rescues...They do a fabulous job! And i know many of them survive soley on donations!! ... But, a few weeks back my OH and I were browsing through a rescue site at the dogs, and when we noticed one asking for £300 and the other asking £250..... We were a little taken-back, and did wonder if this puts some people off....Because now-a-days, with puppy farms, people are likely to get a bundle of labbyness or any other breed for even less than £300!
But in their advert they say they never put a healthy dog down?
The figures are collected BY the Dogs Trust from pounds/kennels that hold stray contracts. They're not Dogs Trust own pts figures.
I do wonder sometimes if the TV ads from the likes of Dogs Trust make the general public think there are no dogs pts though, because they assume all dogs make it into rescue and don't realise thousands are killed.
Jill, I think the point they are trying to make is not that rescue dogs are cheaper, but that while thousands of dogs are killed each year in the UK because there aren't enough good homes, it would be good if more people adopted a rescue dog.
Some rescues do have a higher adoption fee than others, but when you look at all the money rescues have to pay out to be able to take care of these dogs, get them the necessary vet treatment etc. and make them ready for rehoming, they are paying out a fortune.
Rescues have SO many costs to cover, whether they are running a large centre with paid staff or a small rescue using foster homes.
Many rescues vaccinate, microchip and neuter dogs before they are adopted - if you think about how much that would cost an owner, the adoption fee is nothing really is it.
I guess it depends on why people think about adopting from rescue.
I adopt from rescue because I know there are thousands of dogs looking for a good home at any one time. Every time a dog is adopted, another dog can find a place of safety with that rescue, whether the dog is coming in from a private home or a pound. The adoption fee just doesn't come into it for many - and I think many adopters go onto make donations to the rescue in the future and get involved in other ways too.
Yes, I myself can fully appreciate this and understand the costs involved as i have 'been there and done it'...But, can every joe, dick and harry understand these costs or even care?...
The thing is, a general joe bloggs might possibly, a) won't see rescue costs as being their problem or b) think thats just the way things are but why should they inccur the rescues costs too. c) have absolutely no clue about the cost and time spent or D) think that regardless of the costs that previously have gone into this dog, that they are now wanting to take this dog on so why should they fork out £300.
So when they face a fee of £300 or whatever the fee may be, they balance it out..... £300 for a rescue dog OR £300 for a cute puppy from a puppy farm.
I think a high percentage of unwarey potential owners who don't have much knowledge or experience with dogs would potentialy opt for the cute puppy look from a puppy farm at the same costs as a rescue dog.
I know myself the costs involved in rescues, as i used to work at one in Fife, Scotland. They were Kennels and a Rescue combined, and the work, time, money and effort put into it all was a 24 hour a day job! BUT, unless you WANT to know about the hidden behind the scenes costs that rescues undergo everyday, then most people will just see a £300 fee as a barrier and i think it could put-off a lot of potentially good owners.
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