Monday 9th August 2010

The Forgotten – by Monique Shaw

With thousands of abandoned dogs being destroyed in Britain each year, many are fighting for an end to the stray dog plight. One Kentish couple have rewritten the law, now they just need the PM to read it.

Early on a bright summer’s morning the deep chorus of barking can be heard as you approach an otherwise quiet property. Set within the Kent countryside a few miles inland from the English Channel is the dog rescue Chancepixies, and it is breakfast time. At this time, on any given morning, you’ll be greeted by Heidi Anderson, slender and delicate-featured; her gentle voice just barely conceals real guts and a deep passion for the rights of Britain’s unwanted dogs. Heidi is about to begin her rounds; routinely feeding, cleaning, exercising and training the many abandoned and ill-treated dogs under the care of her, husband David and their staff of volunteers. There are endless numbers of rejected dogs desperate for a new home; it is the same routine, 7 days a week of every week.

Tied to a tree in a cemetery, abandoned and forgotten in a manner incomprehensible to most is a Jack Russell cross. Brought to the Chancepixies rescue with no history, he is gregarious, well-mannered and intelligent. They rename him ‘Pip’.
Placed beneath cattle grids and left to perish are 2 Yorkshire Terriers, malnourished, frightened and cowering. Discovered by a passerby before they succumb to dehydration, starvation and the elements, they are gentle and eager for love. With medical treatment and shelter.
‘Charm’ has no known history. He is a healthy, social Saluki cross who was only a few hours from death. His time in a Welsh pound outstayed, he was rescued by the Andersons who drove from Kent to collect him on the afternoon of his scheduled destruction.
These dogs are the forgotten. Rejected by their owners, their council impound time up, some even rejected by the charities set up to re-home them. With the certainty of destruction ahead of them, the Andersons work to rescue the un-rescued.

Hundreds of rescue centres operate across the United Kingdom, working tirelessly each day to offer abandoned dogs another chance at life. In Britain, councils are obliged to house a stray dog for a minimum of 7 days but once this time has lapsed, they are at liberty to have the dog destroyed. It is at this point the work of rescue centres is essential. The centres coordinate with local pounds to take as many dogs as possible off death row before their time is up. The work of the many rescue centres across the country ensures that animals that would otherwise have been destroyed are suitably re-homed. They are given food, shelter, medical checks, exercise and, most importantly, human attention. Home checks are compulsory and potential owners are assessed to make sure they are a good match for the dog prior to adoption.
Sadly, the dogs that are adopted are the lucky ones. For every dog that is re-homed, there are dozens more coming in and it is a problem that does not look to be getting any better. As Heidi sees it, dog rescues can inadvertently support the very thing they are trying to eradicate, “Really, when you look at it, rescues are supporting puppy farms and irresponsible breeders by taking their dogs when they are no longer wanted, just for people to go out and do the same thing all over again. If there were 100,000 dogs in rescue waiting to be re-homed and 100,000 people stepped forward, another 100,000 would be bred to supply the demand. With our current system we are not demanding that dog owners or breeders be responsible, so things pretty much remain the same.”
Rescue Centres rely almost entirely of the work of unpaid volunteers and public donations but even with public interest at a high, many centres are beyond capacity and facing the reality that there is simply no room. There are too many dogs and not enough spaces.
Nicola, a pound manager, works with rescues in her area to house the dogs that have seen out their compulsory stay. She says if things do not change something will have to give, “You know it’s at saturation point when you phone the charities to say ‘can you take some stray dogs to save them from being put to sleep’ and they are having to say ‘no, we’re full.’”
For the Andersons, the only solution is a rapid overhaul of current dog laws. They are calling for a new legislation that will regulate all breeders, from champion kennels to suburban kitchen floors, and enforce a long-term level of care and responsibility. “There is legislation already in place to control farm animals and fishing and to prevent you dumping your fridge or your car, so why not dogs?” questions Heidi, “Dogs, unlike children, do not grow up and become responsible for themselves. If you choose to bring puppies into the world, you must retain some responsibility throughout that dog’s life.”

Britain’s stray dog problem is at a worrying high with authorities claiming there is very little they can do. According to figures by the Companion Animals Welfare Council (CAWC), 1 in 2 households have a companion animal and there are estimated to be around 14 million dogs in Britain . Although the majority of these animals are cared for, an alarming number or dogs wind up abandoned with owners relinquishing responsibility for any number of reasons, from an overseas move to a lack of convenience.
A 2009 survey by the Dogs Trust found that there are 110,000 stray dogs apprehended each year in Britain with the number of dogs being destroyed now at a rate of 1 every hour .
Recent press coverage has highlighted the issue but public outrage has not converted into a real response to the problem. This month Battersea Dog and Cats Home, one of the longest running shelters in the world, opened its doors to the media to expose the raw truth of Britain’s dog problem. Battersea have come out publicly to highlight the sheer number of healthy dogs being destroyed each year which, they say, is a direct result of irresponsible breeding and dog ownership. Scott Craddock, Battersea’s Director of Operations, says they are bearing the enormous weight of a tragic social issue, “Battersea are mopping up a lot of the problems that are happening outside of the home, big society problems. Problems with dogs being bred irresponsibly, being owned irresponsibly and not being looked after properly and we’re having to take on that burden to such an extent that we feel it’s time to really say enough is enough.” At Battersea alone almost 3000 dogs were put to sleep last year and of those, 1900 were healthy .
With such figures it would appear that for many British people, dogs have become a commodity that are easily acquired and just as easily discarded. A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police recently expressed their exasperation, “there is no real duty of care attached, apparently, in this country to owning a dog. There’s more responsibility attached to owning a television set than there is a living, sanctioned creature. And if you fall out with it, if you don’t like it, if it doesn’t match your furniture anymore then you can kick it out or give it to someone else and they’ll accept and take the responsibility for it. ”

The dog industry is big money and breeders, registered or otherwise, can make large sums selling their puppies. The demand is high but the supply is grossly saturated. The reality is that each year tens of thousands of puppies grow up to become abandoned dogs, rejected and left for the authorities to deal with. In the pedigree dog industry, behind the designer puppies, dog shows and fashion is a daunting reality with figures suggesting that a significant proportion of pedigree puppies will end up in rescue centres when they grow up.
Predictably a natural opposition has emerged between the pedigree breeders who breed dogs for profit and the rescue centres that take in thousands of unwanted dogs each year. “Why breed when others die?” asks Vanessa Waddon of the Hope Rescue in Wales “(breeders) argue they are simply meeting demand and they are right – demand is high for certain breeds of dog. But the problem is many would-be-dog owners still choose their canine companions based on their looks. Demand is created that the breeders happily supply, but these dogs themselves end up in rescue when their owners realise they have made a mistake. ”
Inversely, the Andersons believe that all breeders should be rescuers, for them it is simple “if you won’t rescue, don’t breed.” For decades David Anderson has been a professional dog trainer and breeder of champion Dobermanns. Growing increasingly frustrated with the often looks-based and fashion-driven pedigree dog industry, he broke away to found the United Kingdom Dobermann Association (UKDA) which he says places health, welfare and the true nature of the breed at the heart of its organisation. Incensed by the thousands of dogs needlessly abandoned each year, he purchased an animal rescue property and through this work met Heidi, a lifelong animal lover. The couple share a deep commitment to the welfare of Britain’s abandoned dogs and together they run their charitable animal rescue alongside the breeding of pedigree Dobermanns. They are passionate about their breed and equally passionate about the dogs they rescue and re-home.
Historically breeders and dog rescuers have rarely had the same agenda but the Andersons want to see this opposition broken down. For them it’s not a case of rescue versus breeder, it all comes down to responsible breeding. “It would be good to get people to realise that there is a big difference between responsible breeders and irresponsible breeders. A responsible breeder should always take back a puppy, for whatever reason, throughout that dog’s life and always be there for help and support if needed. If every breeder was responsible there would be no dogs in rescue. The dogs in rescue can only be from irresponsible breeders and puppy farms” says Heidi.

With 2 children under 3 years old, the husband and wife team struggle to find the balance of a secure life for their children and the broader pursuits that see them investing almost all of their time, energy and financial security into a radical reform of the UK’s dog laws. But, they believe that if strict legislation was put in place, and enforced, the stray dog problem would be eradicated within 10 years. The Andersons have drafted a detailed list of regulations and are petitioning all the way to the top circulating a letter to the British Prime Minister that expresses the need to address the stray dog problem in Britain, now. They propose the implementation of a ‘Fit for Breeding’ legislation which will comprise of three key elements; responsibility beyond the point of sale, identification measures and health and character tests. The legislation would apply to all dog breeders across the UK and would make it illegal to breed a dog without complying with a robust set of standards.
Unfortunately many breeders are unwilling to change their practices and resent involvement from outside parties. The British Kennel Club themselves are loathe to make any changes to their own regulations for fear of alienating their members.
In a 2008 documentary for the BBC, Jemima Harrison uncovered the dark side of the pedigree dogs industry, an industry where breeders are permitted to cull healthy puppies that do not fit the cosmetic standard and dogs, known to have hereditary illnesses, are allowed to sire litters based on their physical appearance alone. The report revealed that only 3 out of the 207 recognised pedigree
breeds in the UK are required to have a health test prior to breeding .
Professor James Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania explained the shift from function to fashion, “Dog’s were originally bred for functions so they served practical functions, be it hunting or guarding or whatever it was and those dogs that did the job well were then bred to other dogs that did the job well and through that process you got the evolution of modern breeds ”.
Over time the pedigree dog industry seems to have become as image-obsessed as the fashion industry and even the UK’s most well-regarded animal welfare organisation, the RSPCA, publically challenged the trend. The RSPCA’s chief vet, Mark Evans, was scathing, “When I watch Crufts (‘Best in Show’) what I see in front of me is a parade of mutants. Some freakish, garish beauty pageant that has nothing, frankly, to do with health and welfare...The show world is about an obsession about beauty and there is a ridiculous concept that that is how we should judge dogs. ”
The Andersons experienced the resistance of the Kennel Club and other breeders first hand. Undeterred however they believe the public backs a real change to the present situation and they are prepared to fight until it is achieved, “This change in legislation is needed to introduce a sensible solution. Thousands of people are admitted to hospital each year with dog-related injuries, millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being spent every year on stray dogs and thousands of dogs are sitting alone, unwanted and abandoned.” Heidi explains that they believe the issue of weapon dogs can also be addressed through their proposed legislation, “it will uncover the falsification of pedigrees that allows banned breeds to be re-introduced into the UK and the use of dogs for fighting and as weapons for the intimidation of the public, this can all change if the breeding of dogs is controlled.”

Britain abolished compulsory dog licensing in 1987 because it was deemed an ineffective means of managing the stray dog problem. According to the, then, government it was expensive to administer and financially punished responsible dog-owners whilst being ignored by irresponsible ones. For the Andersons, the question continues to emerge, how can legislation be effective if it is not enforced? An answer was presented in a report commissioned by the RSPCA and WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) in 2007 that investigated stray animal control practises across Europe. In their findings the report stated “it is important to note that, in countries where registration and licensing was rigorously enforced, this was considered an essential element in their successful stray dog control practices. Therefore compulsory registration without a commitment to effective enforcement is unlikely to result in owners complying with the regulations.” Where there is no punishment, there is no incentive to comply. Britain’s dog laws were both ignored and unenforced. The report went on to say that the British Government resist calls for a mandatory registration scheme to be put in place. “There remains a lack of commitment from the government to have a national, mandatory dog register and other than wearing a collar and tag there are no specific legal propositions for dogs to be permanently identified via a tattoo or implanted microchip”.
According to the report, 70% of European countries have compulsory licensing. Britain is in the 30% minority that does not enforce such controls. The 8 European countries with good stray control all have legislation for breeding and selling pets as well as compulsory licensing and identification. The laws are enforced and adhered to. The report also concluded that it was essential for countries to develop, enforce and sustain long term solutions that involved all members of society, “(change) requires a comprehensive, coordinated and progressive programme of owner education, environmental management, compulsory registration and identification, controlled reproduction of pets and the prevention of over production of pets through regulated breeding and selling” and most importantly, “All of these elements should be underpinned by effective and enforced legislation.”

For now, it is Heidi and David’s current canine tenants that require their immediate care each day to ensure their own futures are secure. The Anderson’s petition to PM David Cameron for the implementation of their ‘Fit for Breeding’ legislation proposal went live this month and they are hoping to attract over 10,000 signatures. They are hopeful that breeders, rescuers, the Government, local authorities and the animal-loving general public will soon come together to enforce a genuine change for the thousands of forgotten dogs slipping through a fatally flawed system each year.

References

1. Panorama, ‘Britain’s Unwanted Pets’, 2010. [TV Programme] BBC, BBC1, 02 August 2010

2. Companion Animals Welfare Council, 2010. What are Companion Animals’. [Online]
Available at http://www.cawc.org.uk/companion-animals [Accessed 5 August 2010]

3. Stray Dog Survey 2009, A report prepared for: Dogs Trust, 2009. [Online] Available at http://dogstrust.org.uk/az/p/politics/straydogssurvey2009summaryreport.pdf [Accessed 6 August 2010]

4. Hope Rescue, 2009. Why were over 9,000 stray dogs destroyed last year? [Online] Available at http://www.hoperescue.org.uk/Stray-Dogs.html [Accessed 5 August 2010]

5. ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ 2008, [TV Programme] BBC, BBC1, 19 August 2008

6. House of Commons Library, 1998. Research Paper: Dogs [Online] Available at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98-006.pdf [Accessed 8 August 2010]

7. Tasker, Louisa, 2007. Stray Animal Control Practices (Europe): A report into the strategies for controlling stray dog and cat populations adopted in thirty-one countries, RSPCA & WSPA, [Online] Available at http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlblob&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=RSPCABlob&blobwhere=1212581014356&ssbinary=true&Content-Type=application/pdf [Accessed 5 August 2010]