A National Disgrace?

Question

‘Almost 100,000 stray dogs were picked up by local authorities last year, according to a report by the Dogs Trust.

The charity estimates 96,892 dogs were taken in by councils in the UK in 2007 - the equivalent of 11 an hour. ‘

Only 30% were reunited with their owners so that’s 70,000 unwanted dogs!

What do you think can be done to stop this on such a large scale. Do we need more education or more legislation or do we just have to accept that irresponsible owners and amateur breeders are just something we have to put up with?

Answer 1

Isn't it sad that its come to this. Unfortunatley we have gotten worse not better with pet ownership around the world. Its absolutley deplorable. We have more laws put in place, we have more education for ppl to access, yet still nothing is getting better. PPl seem to be getting dumber and dumber and not caring. It's all about the bottom line for breeders. All about $$$ And for pet owners its ussually a case of impulse buy and not enough time or money to actually look after the animal.

We need laws that ppl will listen to and where its not just a slap on the wrist if your caught abusing or neglecting your animals. We also need to make it harder for ppl to purchase animals. Licences for animals maybe. Get rid of all those back yard breeders with tough fines and real jail time and taking away everything that has their business running like cages, dogs, etc.

Even with things like this in place i still believe there will be stray and abused animals out there. Its just sad that with all our technology that us as humans havent gotten better, just worse.

Answer 2

Frankly I think that the blame lays fairly and squarely with the Governement and the RSPCA. I've heard all the bull about the RSPCA being a charitable organisation etc but it doesn't flinch from spending donations to send out begging letters and getting on TV etc. HOwever I have wanted them to act twice and they did nothing because it would have cost them and so they never bothered. What sort of message does this give out? If you watch them in action on TV they hardly ever take animals away until three or four visits if they really have to.

My cat died after 4 days because her previous owner a so called rescue centre had starved her. They had the body they had the vets statement they had evidence and they gave them a slap on the wrist and this place has been reported time and time again.

The message is given out "whatever"! And that is everywhere in our country. Just get rid, dump them as people dont realy care enough to prosecute except in extreme cases and there will always be someone who will rehome them

Its disgusting

Answer 3

its the same all over the world at least the authorities were u live gather the dogs in greece they r left to form packs and wander around until they die of hunger or get killed by cars.

i live in a Summer resort in greece and most of the houses around are summer houses used for 3 -4 months a year. this time of the year there r many juvenile dogs looking for food because people buy a puppy for the summer as a toy for their kids and when Autumn comes they just let it loose in the street and go back to their winter houses .  

Answer 4

Stray dogs reproduce with other stray dogs. Not all of them were left by their cruel owners. A lot of those dogs might have ran away, or were lost. So they are not necessarily unwanted.

Stray dogs should be neutered to prevent excessive breeding.

Breeding education should be given to owners.

More legislation seems pointless, however breeders should be licensed, to reduce amateur breeding.

Answer 5

I actually think we should have to be licensed to buy / sell / own dogs. This would ensure people are aware of what exactly their responsibilities are, and may prevent the "ooh, cute" impulse buys which often result in a dog ending up in kennels for rescue dogs. If people had to prove they were capable of looking after a dog before they got a license, perhaps that would prevent this continuing.

Neutering and Speying could, perhaps be subsidised by animal charities to prevent unwanted dogs creating unwanted puppies.

As dog owners, we SHOULD take full responsibility for a dogs health, behaviour as well as of course the financial drain they CAN be on finances.

Answer 6

I bet most of those dogs were of certain breed types as well, the staffie is always well spoken for at the local rehoming centres. The problem is people who have no idea at all on how to look after a dog, so give up when their cute puppy becomes too much like hard work. I think it should be illegal to breed dogs unless you have a special license from the government. There is absolutely no reason for Joe Public to let their dog have pups then sell them in the newspaper, it is just greed. Perhaps if they risked a large fine it would put them off. Of  course some would still break the law but hopefully it would reduce the problem at least a little.

Also all pedigrees must have a dog license and be chipped. That might deter people from getting these fashionable breeds for how they look, which are totally unsuitable for them.

Answer 7

You are absolutely right. It is a national disgrace.

In the city where I live the council has tried to reduce uncontrolled dog breeding by subsidising neutering with a voucher scheme. This is having some effect.

You could argue for the licensing of breeders, but this is difficult when the Kennel Club is currently taking a lot of flack for encouraging breed standards that promote genetic health problems.

If the Kennel Club was more concerned with breeding healthy dogs, rather than nice looking ones, it might be possible to make some progress.

I believe there are some breeds that should be drastically altered to reduce suffering, mainly the brachycephalic dogs which struggle to breathe under the current breed standards. I have yet to meet a British Bulldog that does not have some degree of respiratory obstruction.

Where does that leave us in deciding who is a responsible breeder and who is not?

Blaming the kennel club is not absurd. It is an organisation with no teeth that has no power to regulate it's members. The breed standard for the British Bulldog, for example, states that respiratory distress is highly undesirable. It then goes on to list a set of breed standards that pretty much guarantees to produce respiratory problems. Namely, large head, short nose, excessive wrinkled soft tissues on head and neck. The Kennel Club spends serious amounts of money promoting the elimination of genetic disease through x-rays, eye examinations and DNA analysis, but when will it get it's act together to prevent the breeding of animals with glaringly obvious physical deformities? The general public still believes that a pedigree dog is likely to be healthier than a cross bred mutt. Unfortunately, in far too many cases this is still simply not true.

Answer 8

Somehow i dont like the word "unwanted".....Even for dogs..I am a dog lover and it pains me to read about this situation....We need more education and more legislation to take care of the situation..We need to sincerely care for Nature and that includes the plant and animal kingdom....!!!!

Answer 9

It is terrible that there are so many unwanted dogs. A lot of the problem I feel is the people who just breed their dogs because its cute to have puppies, or they see the it is an easy way to make money. Then when their dogs have 10 pups or more they just sell them to irresponsible owners, who think it is a good idea at the time to have a cute puppy.

        My last two dogs have been rescues, and yes they did come with a few problems, but I kept at it and they were,as my old Lab died last year, and are , my new white Boxer, an absolute joy.

        People need to stop breeding their dogs just for the sake of it. Neuter them. I have to say that it is not only dogs are being bred, I have three rescue cats as well and that is another issue. Spay and neuter you animals, it is so unfair to these poor animals.

Answer 10

if it was made law that all dogs were chipped and registered the last owner could be made responsible

Answer 11

Okay - yes, this is a National Disgrace.  But how about starting with the people who wake up one morning and think, hey, I'd like a dog (rather like those who 'must have a baby') with no more thought than go out and buy it.  No thought about 'a dog is for life', do I really have the facilities (properly fenced yard), time, money, to look after a dog for it's entire life.  We are in a throw-away society, and dogs come into that category just as much as anything else.

Kennel Club.  Let me say I have no more time for the KC as it stands right now, than anybody else.  However, the Kennel Club has no powers by law (they may think they do, but they don't).  And what was said on that programme was quite right - if they start to try to introduce draconian measures, they are only going to drive what followers they have away.   And that's counter-productive.  So frankly to blame the KC is ridiculous!

This overpopulation is not down to the responsible breeder - in my breed the vast majority of litter registrations come from PUPPY FARMS.  I take the KCBRs every quarter, and for every one litter registration from a name/kennel I recognise, there must be 10 that I've never heard of.   And that's only dogs with a pedigree.

How many of these 'unwanted dogs' are pedigreed, and how many are mutts.  Sorry, but I've been considering a rescue dog, and I've been checking what's available online.  Almost all of them, (whether it be with the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, or whatever) without exception are at best, first crosses, and the rest are Heinz 57.

Finally I do believe that there is an element of panic chucking in terms of sensational cases reported in the press (talking about the Staffies, Rottie and Doberman attacks etc.).  People get frightened that they are living with a monster, and out it goes.  And also in these days when people are losing their homes, sadly the dog is one of the first to go.

PS  I wonder how much of an increase over previous years this actually is - and whether, as the cynic in me suggests, this is possibly a ploy to up donations in a time of economic hardship ....... ???  Hum.

Answer 12

I think more legislation would be great, but do I think it will help no. Unfortunately too many people breed  and now with all these "designer breeds" like the goldendoodle and cockerpoo it is getting worse. It is not just dogs, cats and horses are in similar situations. You can not change the mentality of a person that wants to try and make money from their pet or simply does not care that it is breeding non-stop.  

Answer 13

Blaming the Kennel Club is absurd. The KC does not breed dogs, it registers those that have already been bred and around 2 million purebred dogs are not registered with the KC at all.

Most breed clubs have rescue organisations and do their best to alleviate the problem but in breeds like SBTs at the moment it's an uphill struggle. They also expect breeders to take back any dog they have bred if it needs a new home.

There is no point in having more legislation without having the infrastructure to make sure it is upheld.

Sadly, unwanted dogs will be a problem for a long time to come until people are educated in not breeding unless they are willing to take responsibility for the pups they have bred for the whole of that dog's life.

The problem of unplanned litters is only a small proportion of the problem. The main problem is the "Just one litter from my pet" breeders who haven't a clue what they are doing.

Answer 14

there needs to be more pro active solutions. people say "i wish i could help", but do nothing.

i get HUNDREDS of e mails a day from the groups i belong to. cross posting to my other groups helps. offering to transport a dog even 50 miles to a home or no kill shelter helps. offering to foster a dog helps. TALKING about helping does nothing.

to the first answer: they ARE unwanted, or they wouldn't be in such a dangerous position. and it's because of people they're in trouble. so it's up to other people to get them out of it.

Answer 15

I think you should have to have a dog licence which proves you have insurance etc before you are allowed to get one. If you're asked to provide proof of a licence and you don't have one, you should have the dog taken away from you and it should be rehomed to someone who does.

I got our dog from the RSPCA and he was there as part of a cruelty case. I think it's disgusting that people can show a complete lack of care for what happens to an animal, especially when it's supposed to be their pet. If they don't want the animal, why abuse it or abandon it? Why not just take it to one of the animal rehoming shelters and ask them to take it.

I'm glad there were new animal treatment laws introduced. Hopefully there will eventually be a stop to cruelty. I'd like to see the people who do the cruelty be treated the same way as they treated the animal, see how they like it.

Answer 16

i know many may not agree with me, but i believe that a way to stop such these high, disgraceful numbers would be to make sure the potential owners will be great owners for their dogs, by using methods such as licenses showing that you know and understand what is needed to be a great dog owner. any person with bad history with animals shouldn't be allowed to have any pets, but if that's already a law, then it needs to stay put. this should apply to any owners or future owners. they all need to understand the responsibility.

unfortunately, that's the way some people are. they will take advantage of anything that they can and is unable to defend itself much.

hope i helped! :)

Answer 17

i do think it is a disgrace,especially now that charities like the dogs trust and blue cross neuter dogs/cats at a reduced cost of even free to low wage families.The only thing i can suggest is free neutering and microchipping and for the owners to take better care of their pets and not let them roam the streets un-supervised and to educate first time owners on how to look after their pet and to secure their gardens.

Answer 18

that is sad. but your percentages for reunited pets are higher than here in the US. the rate is only 10-15%!

we kill more dogs than we find. owner turn ins are very high here. it's ALL a disgrace!

Answer 19

well

people should have there dogs desexed unless they are especially for breeding

peoples dogs get pregnant then they give away the dogs

also alot of people get dogs because they really really want them but they dont understand what is required or weather or not they have the requirments to take care of a dog so there for they have to get rid of there dog which goes to the pound

another reason is people get dogs and they dont have the house right for the dog and it gets out and then usually they dont bother looking for it or people take it and never try and find there owners then the dog gets to much for them and then they get rid of it

or when dogs get out they travel ferther than expected then it is never found

also some dogs fall off the back of utes because they wherent tied up or not tied up properly and then it falls off

then the owner is to scared to come forward for the dog becuase then they get into alot of trouble and they cant pay for vet bills and fines and stuff like that

also people give dogs to family and the partners and they either dont want the dog, cant look after it or there relation ship fails then no one wants the dog so there for it goes to the pound or on the street

people should really consider getting a dog as in if its a life time thing which they are

people just seem to think that if things get tough they can just give up the dog and someone else will want it

but most of those dogs get put to sleep cause no one wants them

Answer 20

In Australia all puppies get a microchip injected under the skin in the scruff of their neck. If a dog is found straying the nearest vet can simply scan the microchip and the owners details come up. It works!!!

Answer 21

Here's my idea from the other side of the pond, make pet ownership a privilege rather than a right, exactly the same as driving a car, with strict enforcement that includes fines and community service progressively upping to revocation of license then jail-time if it continues. Certain offenses constitute instant revocation of ownership or breeder status.

Mandatory licensing laws of owners and breeders would be the key to education. As part of the license, all dogs need to be chipped or thigh tattooed before they leave the breeder and to keep the dog legal owner records need to be updated yearly to maintain it, any mixed breeds and non-breeder dogs have a mandatory spay/neuter clause in the license, along with required proof of dog; ownership, behavior and handler training. If an owner turns in a dog, it is a demerit against their license and they are billed for the duration of their dogs stay.

Create a national database of irresponsible dog breeders and owners. Bill/fine owners for the cost of maintaining THEIR dogs in the shelter if the dog is tracked back to them or turned in by them. All dogs that come into the shelter need to be altered before leaving.

Add: I forgot rescue, I love rescue but I think they should be held to a standard too. They can have their own clasification similar to breeders except all dogs would need to be chipped and altered. They should hold perspective owners to higher standards like many breed rescues already do. I belive in national support for breed specific rescue not just RSPCA. Rescuers, in order to be clasified under rescue status need to be working under official charible orgs.

If you pick up a stray, you should be required to get a 3 month permit with local animal control at that time they can provide a primer and assistance in find the dogs owner then assist with rehoming the dog or moving them into rescue in a foster or rescue shelter capacity after a couple renewals or when the person feels they need more help. Most people here are afraid of even calling animal control, it's like they think the dog will be uthanized through the tele line. Animal control needs to actually try to work with these good Samaritans just like rescues, it's just in a more temp basis.

Answer 22

I tend to get on my soap box about this subject. Legislation is needed.  I think you should only be able to buy a dog from a registered breeder or rescue centre, and these should be spayed/neutered.  All dogs by law ought to be chipped and vaccinated.  It makes my blood boil when I read my local paper and there in the classifieds next to peoples unwanted tat are puppies and kittens.  

The latest crazes for 'designer dogs' or the latest must have breed result in hundreds of unwanted animals. We recently visited some local rescue centres looking to adopt and it broke my heart.  Every other dog was a Staffy or Staffyx. None were neutered, most not housetrained.  A lot of these weren't young dogs.  It makes you wonder whether they were chucked out for something younger. (We adopted an older Staffy whose only fault appears to be she takes exception to some dogs).

It shouldn't be something we just put up with.

Answer 23

This is as you say a disgrace and it makes me really angry when people come on here and say that the UK does not have a problem with unwanted dogs, we do but it is not publicised enough. What can we do? I think our best bet is education, and speaking up for the dogs, many people say rescue dogs are unreliable but that is just rubbish, I love dogs, all dogs and find it heartbreaking to read reports like this one. Someone has breed those unwanted dogs and they should be the ones to take responsibility for them. I think the problem will get worse not better, dog ownership is a privilege I treasure ever minute I share with my dogs and people who treat dogs in this way just make me sad and angry.  Do you think the UK should sign up to the treaty European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals?

http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Tre...