Tag Archives: Rescue

Calling Out the Big Dogs in Rescue : Underdogs Dig Up the Truth

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I grew up watching Pet Rescue and dreaming of growing up to be an RSPCA officer, driving around answering calls to rescue and save neglected, abused and abandoned dogs all across the UK. I sponsored a dog for The Dog’s Trust for 5 years and I signed and shared every PETA issue i came across as well as using the PDSA charity shops and buying the Battersea Dogs and Cats home Christmas cards and books. These organisations were my hero’s and i thought they were the angels for animals. Having now been running a small rescue for 3 years slap bang in the middle of the UK, I have been enlightened.

I wondered how it was possible for all these phone calls, emails, social media tags and poundie requests that were flooding in, to be asking for my help when i was nothing but a small group of experienced volunteers and our own homes. The shocking moment i first heard the words: “and the RSPCA won’t help” or “The Dog’s Trust won’t take him/her” i was confused and actually didn’t believe these people had approached the organisations. Until i began getting the same phone calls from other rescues seeking support or veterinary centres with animals dumped on them.

So what is going on out here in the secret underworld of rescue? It appears to have turned into a corporate and political trolling nightmare with the root ethos of helping dogs in need being completely forgotten by the larger organisations that are receiving the majority of the public’s monetary support and have access to the best resources and facilities.

The RSPCA
In 2012 former RSPCA employee’s; inspector (2008-2010) Dawn Aubrey-Ward, vet of 12 years David Smith and manager (1990 – 2000) Egan Ravenscroft, gave the newspapers an expose on the organisation claiming that inspectors themselves were reluctant to take animals back to headquarters in fear the charity would deem their needs too costly or time consuming and euthanise the animal. The charity has lost it’s original cause and is no longer helping vulnerable people and their pets choosing instead to focus their efforts on prosecutions of animal cruelty cases as well as political and legislative changes.

rspca.png

In 2013 they received around £105.4 million, in 2016 the RSPCA received a whopping £143.5 million in donations and legacies and spent £123 million, with £77.5 million on animal care and inspectors, £2.9 million going on campaigns and promotions, and £8.2 million on prosecutions. They “collected” (notice the use of this word oppose to “rescue”) 8,009 dogs in this financial year, but in 2015 it was discovered that they actually put to sleep 46% of all animals they take in and admitted 3,400 had been euthanised wrongly due to a lack of shelter space. They claim those euthanised under “behavioral issues” were never going to be adopted and had little to no quality of life in kennels. Perhaps the RSPCA should consider putting more effort into their training, handlers and care policies and procedures to actually rehabilitate these dogs they have collected up?

They rehomed 10,000 less animals than the year before yet had an increase of 20% in prosecution cases. Surely with all these donations and over £20 million left over in the bank, the RSPCA can more than afford to build and maintain an extra centre or 2 to create space for these dogs? Well they pledged to join the ‘No Kill’ movement by the end of 2017 and never unnecessarily put down an animal again due to spacial or minor behavioural issues so lets hope that is their plan with all that spare cash.

rspca costs stats.jpg

Now I think we all know that sadly animal cruelty is on a disturbing rise in the UK and this could account for the significant increase in the RSPCA prosecution figures, this alongside the fact that they are the sole authority for seizing and prosecuting cruelty cases, as the local police and councils are both simultaneously too busy and not interested. In 2016, pro hunt and mass production farming MP’s attempted to strip the RSPCA of their power of authority to prosecute cruelty cases, most probably with the intentions to protect their own interests. Whilst the RSPCA might not be perfect, i think we can all agree that it is a dog-send the MP’s did not win that battle.

On the flip side though, another story released in 2012 told of how the late Mr David Brown left his cottage and small adjacent nature reserve to the RSPCA with the “wish” for them to maintain it for the foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and squirrels living there whom he used to keep safe and feed by hand. The RSPCA chose to instead go through a legal loop hole where Mr Brown had not made it a ‘legal condition’, so they sold it to developers The Emerson Group who promptly bulldozed the area killing the animals, destroying their habitat and 6 trees including 2 large oak trees. The RSPCA made £295,000 from this sordid deal.

 

If you google ‘RSPCA Scandal’ you will be overwhelmed by stories of elderly or vulnerable adults having their animals removed for minor misdemeanours or simple lack of education and knowledge. The UK’s favourite animal charity with its expensive TV adverts and Channel 5’s show The Dog Rescuers is trying to maintain it’s loved reputation but as more stories and statistics come to light, it will have an uphill struggle.

The Blue Cross & Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
The Blue Cross is another interesting contender amongst the Big Dog’s of rescue, with 7,500 dogs rescued in 2014 and 525 of them were put to sleep. The Blue Cross works with local councils to take in strays and have an obligation to make space as other council contracted kennels do. Battersea Dogs (and Cats Home) took in 5000 dogs and put to sleep over 1200 of them, that is a 34% euthanasia rate, a third of the dogs they have come in killed due to a lack of space for their council contracted strays as well as the dogs they deem unadoptable due to “behavioural and temperamental” issues.

Battersea Dogs Home had an income in 2016 of £36,716,707 and had total funds of £72,828,752 as well as celebrity endorsement and the ITV show Paul O’Grady’s For the Love of Dog’s. 

Birmingham Dog’s Home
Our local big dog, Birmingham Dog’ Home (BHD), recently took a hard hit after it was discovered to have around £1 million of legacies embezzled by its financial director Simon and his partner, Adele. The scandal shook the nation and certainly the rescue world as for a few months the donations certainly dried up as their was a huge drought of trust.

 

However, this is not my biggest issue with this particular big dog… BHD does not neuter any of it’s dogs, it also has a high euthanasia rate deeming dogs unadoptable with little effort to change that. They also strictly keep to a policy of only taking in strays when they can to increase their revenue from council contracts. I myself have had to take a dog there (once and never again!) when Broken Souls Rescue was full, the RSPCA had refused to get involved in removing a dog from a house where the owner had been taken into hospital terminally ill. BDH wrote down on the intake slip that the dog was a stray and then when it was later discovered by senior staff he wasn’t i received a rude phone call. I later found out the dog in question was put to sleep for “behavioural reasons”.

PETA
‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ or PETA as they are ‘affectionately’ known, are the baddest of the big bad wolves. With some of the most graphic advertising campagin’s, known for using pictures out of context and violent, forceful protests that usually endanger the animals they are supposedly trying to protect. They receive over $33 million per year in donations to fund their extremist and usually criminal activist’s. They actually strategically employ people who fail or score lowest on animal warden and inspector tests to work in their “shelters” to ensure no conflict from staff over their actions.

Most animals are euthanised within 24 hours of entering a PETA institution with more money going towards running the freezers for storing the deceased bodies than on animal care and welfare. They rehome just 1% of animals they “rescue”, putting to sleep 99% with no adoption open hours or promotions. Their facilities do not even meet national minimum standards for animal housing facilities with cramped cages, lack of bedding, no staff on weekends or bank holidays (meaning no food or water) and animals suffering of horrific diseases or injuries are left to die slowly and alone on a hard cage floor. In 2015 alone they are known to have killed at least 29, 426 cats and dogs.

The Dog’s Trust
My preferential Big Dog of the pack, The Dog’s Trust has mostly fantastic policies and procedures when compared to the rest… They rehomed 13,067 dogs in 2016 and put to sleep 270 claiming they “…never put a healthy dog down”. In 2016 they received £98.4 million and spent £86.1 million and put the rest to good use of beginning the building a new centre and £46.1 million went direct to the dogs and their welfare which is over 50%. They also have a strict neutering policy, run free microchipping events, good dog citizenship training groups and education courses in schools for the next generation. They run the most wonderful dog fostering program for victims of domestic violence and offer pre-booked safety for your pet when you pass away. They gave us the phrase “a Dog is For Life Not Just For Christmas” …but when you have as much influence and resources as they do, being the best of the worst just isn’t good enough.

 

The Dog’s Trust have some minor customer service issues they need to iron out as I’ve had adopters come to Broken Souls complaining about having thought they’d reserved a dog only to turn up and discover it has already been adopted out! However, this really isn’t my complaint, i’m more bothered by their stance on puppy sales. In 2017, The Dogs Trust and the Blue Cross opposed a complete ban on third party puppy sales which would have enforced only licensed breeders to be selling puppies ensuring the welfare of breeding bitches and their pups. The Dog’s Trust and Blue Cross were quoted to have opposed the idea claiming it would push puppy farming further underground akin to that of drugs with the welfare of mum, dad and pups being at more severe risk. It is slightly questionable that the dogs trust were happy to take in 330 foreign puppies seized as illegal on UK borders and reap the benefits of the publicity and adoptions fees they generate.

 

My last complaint to the Dog’s Trust is their stance on intake of particular breeds. Whilst they claim to have no official limit or policy on in-taking certain breeds or quantities of some breeds, they do state that they: “do seek to ensure that our centres do not become full of any one particular breed”. We believe at Broken Souls Rescue that our resources should be foccused on the breeds in need, if that means we have 99% staffies in our kennels so be it. The country unfortunately follows fashions with it’s pet types like it does with anything else, one minute it’s all staffies, then lurchers, then husky and akita types…. The resources should be where they are needed, not dispersed to ensure an aesthetically pleasing kennel.

Summary
I’m almost certain some of these statistics and facts will have shocked you but the fact of the matter is the public is blind to what is really going and keeps throwing money at the wrong organisations whose original intentions have long been forgotten. CEO’s, directors and managerial wages as well as promotional financing is a waste of donations when the smaller, no-kill rescues across the country are scrambling to pay their veterinary and boarding bills.

The UK councils put down around 18 dogs every day. Last year 3463 healthy dogs were put down unclaimed with no rescue space offer. The council contracted kennels that take in strays often disguised as re-homing centres, only receive financial aid for the first 8 days, it is then the kennels responsibility to care for these dogs, or alternatively choose to put them to sleep. The Blue Cross and Battersea both have contracts with their local UK council’s and are obliged to make quick turn over of dogs or make space by which ever means necessary.

After dogs in need Broken Souls Rescue have had no space for have been turned away by ALL the above mentioned rescues, deemed as unadoptable due to their size, breed or training issues, i can no longer vouch for them with pure heart. I have no doubt all their hands on, genuine, animal-loving staff and inspectors go into the job with the same ideals and disillusionment i myself had not so long ago and i am not slating them personally. I have dealt with hoarding, neglect, abandonment and cruelty cases that the above Big Dogs have refused to even acknowledge. I have no kennels and an average of jut £17k income of donations and adoption fees per year. We put to sleep an average of 3 animals per year and rescue over 150.

Broken Souls Rescue is currently working towards building our own centre and growing from UnderDog to Leader of the Pack. To donate towards our funds for our own kennel premises please go to: http://www.paypal.me/brokensoulsrescue or transfer directly to Lloyds TSB Broken Souls Rescue Ac: 28807262 Sc: 30-92-33

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Adopting A New Dog Checklist to Ensure Forever Homes

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This week Broken Souls Rescue saw our record number of dogs whom we have already rescued and rehomed once, in a 48 hour period readmitted into our care. The reasons were varied, from behavioral issues to personal health problems to absolutely no explanation at all and a dog on our doorstep… Whilst we strive to be as flexible and understanding as possible, all of these dogs had been adopted under a forever home contract and the average time in their new homes was 7 months which is not exactly a trial period or suggests it is something the dog the did.

Perhaps i should not be surprised about any of it, seeing how these dogs come into rescue initially having been dumped and found as a stray by county dog wardens or via private surrenders with a flurry of excuses. If we received just £1 for every time the emotional guilt train gets passed on to me and i hear the phrase “if you don’t take my dog today i’m putting it to sleep”, we would be able to save every dog in the UK. It seriously makes me wonder; why on Earth did these people acquire a dog in the first place? 

I (rather naively) assume that every person who decides to buy or adopt a dog, be it a first dog or an additional dog, carries out some form of research into how it will affect their life.  However, i am coming to my senses that most people actually don’t and think as long as they can fit the dog bowls and bed in as well as some toys then they are good to go…. Well there are far more things to consider.

puppy kit
Here is the Broken Souls Rescue list of questions to answer before getting a dog:

Housing – Do they have permission to have a dog in their property? Is their space? Is it secure? Is it ‘dog friendly’ (furniture, expensive items out of reach, house proud)? Should you move, are you prepared to search for a dog friendly property?

Family Members – Does everyone in the household want a dog? Are their children in the house, and if so are they dog ‘savvy’? Is there anyone with disabilities (physical or otherwise) requiring consideration? Are there any regular visitors who could be significantly affected?

Work – Are your hours dog friendly? How long will the dog be left alone? How tired are you before and after work?

Finances – Can you afford to cover all the extra costs: food, monthly worm and flea treatments, yearly booster vaccinations, neutering, insurance, toys and chews, training guidance and good standard holiday boarding?

Social – Are you regularly out in the evenings? Are your weekend social events dog friendly? Are your friends dog friendly? Will a dog make you feel restricted in any way? How often do you holiday? Can you provide appropriate boarding care for during your holiday?

Health – Are you physically able to walk the dog at a good pace for at least half an hour twice a day? Are you able to part-take in training activities that may be required, (such as leading a walk, controlling your dog in an excited state around others, agility, flyball)? Do you have any mental or emotional health issues that may restrict your ability to care for the dog? Is anyone who is regularly in your life allergic to dogs? Is anyone who depends on you expecting surgery? If you were to suddenly need surgery or become ill can you or someone you know provide care and board for the dog?

Puppies – Are you prepared for toilet training and cleaning up multiple accidents? Are you ready to accept damage to some of your property or home via chewing or toileting? Are you ready to take the time correct and train your puppy fully? Are you prepared to attend puppy group classes to ensure proper socialisation for a well rounded and safe dog? Are you prepared to teach puppy not to bite? Are you prepared for the sleepless nights of settling? Are you ready for the 6-9 months of age mark where puppies hormones will become particularly strong with females coming into heat as well as both males and females scent marking and becoming dominant which needs immediate correcting?

dog checklist

Each year, the genius scientists in university laboratories across the world discover new fascinating facts about the range of emotion different animals really have in comparison to the human race. Rats and dogs have been found to have just as many emotional processes and reactions as people do, which only further impacts the pain and confusion each dog abandoned to a kennel and a stranger, must feel.

Taking on a new puppy or adopting a dog from a rescue is a big commitment and requires dedication. A dog is the most loyal family member you will ever come across who gives you unconditional love no matter what. So how people can allow what i consider to be ‘life events’ to push them into giving up their “beloved” dog is beyond me.  The UK is supposed to be the most animal loving nation on the planet, and yet we discard our pets like clothing and inanimate objects. Let’s start listening to what we preach as a nation, “A dog is for life not just for Christmas”.

Please take serious consideration into adopting a rescue dog or buying a puppy. to support our work at Broken Souls Rescue go to:
www.broken-souls-rescue.org/donate.html

Pictured: Toby, Jug puppy surrendered Winter 2016 happy in his forever home.

toby

The Lepto 4 Crisis: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

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Canine vaccinations are an important and vital ingredient in your dog’s health schedule as well as their monthly flea and worming treatments. Once a dog has had it’s initial vaccinations from 10-12 weeks old, they are only necessary to boost every 12 to 36 months, or extras if you’re planning to travel to certain countries with your canine companion (Rabies, kennel cough etc).

Your puppy’s veterinary visit for their first vaccination will usually occur around 10 weeks of age and at this visit your puppy will be vaccinated against:
Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis (Adenovirus), Parainfluenza and Leptospirosis.
2 weeks later, you will return for a second round of vaccinations, these are like a booster against:
Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis and Leptospirosis again.

vaccine schedule

So What Is The Issue?

Lepto 4 is causing adverse, parvo-like and fatal effects across the UK with dogs becoming extremely ill almost immediately post vaccination. Dog’s temperatures rise, they can have appetite loss, sudden behavioural changes, diarrhoea, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, renal failure, heart failure, blindness, brain damage and death. The amount of reported cases are mounting, yet the vaccination is still on the market with many vets across the country refusing to even acknowledge, never mind discuss the issue with concerned and confused owners.

Leptospirosis is a cork screw shaped bacteria that drills through the skin into the system and slowly infects the urine and blood. It is a zoonotic bacteria, meaning it can be passed from canine to human through bodily fluids such as urine, blood and semen. It attacks the liver and kidney as well as other organs and depending on how quickly it is diagnosed and treatment is begun, it is a nasty infection causing life changing problems and is fatal in 20% of cases, mainly due to the subtle nature of its development. It can cause organ failure and blindness in more severe cases but more common symptoms are:
raised temperature or fever, stiff or sore muscles and reluctance to move, shivering, weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, depression, increased thirst and rapid dehydration, excessive urination, dark speckled gums, yellow eye whites, increased breathing rate, runny nose, cough, vomit and diarrhoea possibly with blood.

So now we know how awful Leptospirosis is, where does it come from? Well mainly tropical climates with areas of water in humid temperatures, however let’s just say for the sake of the UK, large unclean bodies of water such as warm canals, marshes and bogs. It can also be transmitted in the urine of other animals such as rats and cattle. However, it is rare to actually be contracted in the UK, with the last official statistics of human contraction having been done in 2012 with only 25 cases reported to be contracted without occupational or international cause and only 72 cases in total with 80% of them being traceable back to another country of recent travel or having been in water or on a farm. It should be noted here that people are not vaccinated against Leptospirosis in the UK. There is no official report of cases of Leptospirosis in dogs in the UK, only a estimate from a veterinary game of Chinese whispers, however we can assume it is extremely small, especially if it has not been significant enough to bring about an official report.

However, there is an official report that over 2,000 cases have reported severe adverse affects from the Lepto 4 vaccine and over 150 deaths since 2013 when the new Lepto 4 was brought in.

What’s New & Why Now?

Previously up until 2013, the vaccination against Leptospirosis used was a pharmaceutical called Lepto 2 and protected against 2 strains or ‘serovar’ of Leptospirosis, where as it is claimed that the new Nobivac Lepto 4 vaccine protects against 4 serovars (types) of Leptospirosis.

The noteworthy pharmaceutical components in Lepto 4 compared to Lepto 2 are interesting as they both contain Thiomersal (mercury) which is known to have adverse effects on the brain in both canines and humans, having been found to cause autism and other neurological development issues. However, Lepto 4 also contains a multitude of new noted ingredients; Sodium Chloride (adding a high concentration of salt to our dog’s injections…hmm) causes a sudden increase in thirst, dehydration, vomitting, disorientation and even coma can be caused by this. Potassium Chloride, a key player in the human lethal injection to cause cardiac arrest, can also cause gastrointestinal issues,  and too much potassium in the blood causes hyperkalemia which is the weakness and pain in muscles and movement. Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate which can cause; renal failure, heart failure, cardiac arrest, high blood pressure and death. Now none of these have anything to do with actually vaccinating your dog against Leptospirosis and were either not present in Lepto 2 or were sneakily not displayed on the ingredients list…

vaccine

What Are the Regulator’s, Manufacturer’s and Veterinary Surgeon’s Saying?

The manufacturer (Merck Animal Health) Nobivac have claimed to have done all the necessary testing on this vaccination and the veterinary pharmaceutical regulators in the UK “Veterinary Medicines Directorate”(VMD) have listed the ‘adverse side effects’, (under statement of the century), in alongside the side effects of the overall vaccinations. They claim there is no way to connect the apparent reported cases of reactions and fatalities to the use of the Lepto 4 vaccine despite the obvious direct relation to dogs who have had the vaccine recently administered.

Yet, the  European Medicines Agency (Eu MCA) managed to find and publish in their report in 2014 that Merck Animal Health should compare the adverse effects of their new L4 to the previous L2 and felt it had significance enough for a mention in the EU report.

Veterinary practices across the UK are rightly facing confused and worried owners, who the majority seem to be subduing with simple reassurances of scare mongering and scientific jargon.

What’s My Opinion?

With 100’s of dogs and puppies in the rescue to initially and booster vaccinate throughout each year, i also face the decision of to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? I have opted to speak with my vet firmly but politely to inform them that my own personal dog will be receiving his annual booster vaccination against; hepatitis, parvovirus, distemper, parainfluenza and kennel cough, but that i do not consent for the Lepto 4 vaccine.

Lepto 4 is not a required or ‘core’ vaccine that dogs must receive in the UK (unlike the others, which i would never skip or advise against). The fact that there are over 300 serovars of Leptospirosis, and the majority of the few cases brought into the UK come from abroad meaning they could be any of the 300 strains, this coupled with a lack of Leptospirosis cases across the country; versus the extremely and significantly high amount of reported illnesses and fatalities directly following an L4 vaccine leaves me with no choice but decide that the negatives outweigh the positives.

In my opinion, the Lepto 4 vaccine should be taken off the market and owners should refuse consent to apply.

If the Merck Animal Health and the UK VMD are so sure that the Lepto 4 vaccine is safe and not the cause of the sudden outbreak of adverse reactions and deaths, then fresh primary screening tests should be done for Lepto 4 alone with particular attention paid to the follow up results in a wide variety of dogs from the isolated vaccine and have the results openly displayed. Currently with no official statistics on reported cases of Leptospirosis in dogs, a lack of information purely on Lepto 4 and an avoidance of the subject from all parties involved, dog owners can’t help but feel like our pets are being used as guinea pigs with devastating effects.

Simply put: refuse the Lepto 4 vaccine.

To support our rescue work with pound dogs across the UK please visit:
www.broken-souls-rescue.org/donate.html
or like us at www.facebook.com/brokensoulsrescue 
Follow us on Twitter @souls_rescue. 

Donate via Paypal “Friends & Family” to: broken-soulsrescue@outlook.com

The Ugly Side of Dog Rescue in the UK

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I hate to burst the bubbles of many Animal Studies, Animal Sciences and Zoo-ology students but working in dog rescue is not cuddling cute puppies, bottle feeding, playing with dogs and going on lovely walks…oh no. Obviously, there is a fair amount of kennel cleaning, picking up s**t, mopping up wee, being covered in fur, bathing, flea combing, disinfecting and wiping up vomit just to name a few, all of which you can be trained for to some extent.

However, what you cannot be genuinely trained for, is the constant roller-coaster ride your emotions will be swept along as you begin to realise the imbalance of occasional positive occurrences dotted amongst the relentless waves of heart wrenching and soul destroying situations you will be thrown into the middle of. So let us delve into the darker, uglier and less spoken about world of rescue.

You might well have all seen the horrific images splayed across billboards and television screens depicting dogs and cats who have been discovered by organisations such as the RSPCA and Dog’s Trust, campaigning for donations and animal cruelty legislation changes. But what you do not see, is the worker assigned to that emaciated and sick dog who works tirelessly medicating, nursing, rehabilitating, building trust, a bond with. That person does not stop at the end of their working day carefree; they go home and worry, care and make plans on how to make it better tomorrow. They love. You do not see the day that dog takes a turn for the worse physically or crosses it’s third strike behaviourally,  and that worker must sign the papers and carry the dog to take it’s final endless sleep on the veterinary surgeons cold metal table. How they will hold that dogs paw, apologising for failing them and promising them they were loved. They could wait outside, but they refuse to allow that dog to die alone, not knowing it was loved.

This week, I lost 2 very young puppies at just 10 weeks old to the destructive Parvovirus after a week long battle. They had been 4 healthy 7 week old puppies with a minor flea allergy causing a scabby skin condition that was easily remedied. Playful, active and growing well. Then after 2 had been adopted i was informed they had both been admitted into the intensive care units at their respective vets. 2 days later a third puppy still in the rescue care became sick and was placed on medications. I nursed her day and night, cleaning her kennel at every slightest wee, poo or sick. I cooked her every meal under the sun and tried to hand tempt her which worked at first, and syringed her water every 2 hours. I cuddled her and let her sleep next to me at all times. I had her admitted after a severe blood loss and she picked up for 36 hours, so much to the point i was hopeful to bring her home, in this time one of her adopted brothers, the beautiful Paddy, had passed away. The next morning the vet told me in a very sombre tone that in fact Ciara had become half the pup she had been overnight and was wasting away in front of her very eyes and was in extreme pain. We had to put her to sleep immediately. I could not be with her and hold her paw. She did not know how loved she truly was.

Oh, how i cried. I howled.

ciara 2

Left with the devastation of overwhelming veterinary bills, an upset and angry out-of-pocket- adopter, the rescue’s reputation at risk and a shadowing feeling of frustration that i had done everything by the book in terms of isolation, observation and reservation until 2 weeks had fully passed and our vets were happy with them, yet this had still happened… Whether it is the loss of loved rescue dog, a stolen charity pot, verbal abuse from those to whom you are trying to aid, social media trolling, a serious internal staffing issue or another day where you have to turn away dogs in need due to a lack of space… Each day will bring about questions such as;

“Why am i doing this?”
“Am i even making a difference?”
“Why did this happen?”
“The more i try to help the more seems to go wrong, is it me?”

This time i will answer for you; keep going, four paws at a time. Each dog adopted, saved, rehabilitated and medically treated is a win for the animal world. Even the most experienced and long standing rescue managers, founders and workers still question themselves, still feel drained of all emotion and faith. But it is those who wake everyday and trudge on through the darkest and ugliest side of animal who make the greatest impact, they will comfort others and continue on to save another life.

It is this simple fact that i bare honestly to you: every day in the world of animal rescue we are faced with the blunt, insatiable truth that life is not fair and justice does not prevail in the majority of cases. No matter how accurate, educated, experienced, cautious or reputable you are; there will be a daily shit storm that will leave behind destruction that you will have to rebuild faith, finances, emotional resilience and credibility constantly. Welcome to animal rescue, we need you, but we warn you; you have commenced in an uphill battle.  

To support our work at Broken Souls Rescue visit www.broken-souls-rescue.org 
Follow us on Twitter @souls_rescue and #18dogsadayuk #endBSL 

Feature Photo: Paddy, 11 week old Shepherd x Collie x Terrier puppy. Passed away at the vets from Parvovirus. 

Blog Photo: Ciara, 11 week old Shepherd x Collie x Terrier puppy. Passed away at the vets from Parvovirus. 

 

 

3 Amazing Reasons to Neuter Your Dog

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Oh here she goes again, another boring lecture from another animal welfare advocate about getting your dogs reproductive bits removed. Well you can stop rolling your eyes at me because not a day passes that i don’t see a whole pack of dogs with their wedding tackle dangling or in heat when I’m out and about walking the rescue dogs, so clearly some of you haven’t heard yet….

Neuter & Spay: The Basics

Neutering is a general term for the surgical removal of reproductive organs from your pet, spay refers only to the female procedure. Every veterinary surgery across the world offers neutering options and the prices do vary from around £60-£150 (male dogs) £88 – £220 (female dogs). Cats and smaller animals are much cheaper as the surgery tends to take less time and require less anaesthetic drug. Animal charities such as Cats Protection and Dogs Trust (UK) and SPCA (USA) often offer free neuter and spay months or weeks and for those in financial difficulty the PDSA in the UK offers a low cost neuter. If you think these costs are outrageous, let’s see how you feel about the costs of problems that could be found later on in the animal’s life as discussed below…

The Surgery

The surgery for your pet doesn’t actually take that long and is a routine operation with minimum risks unless your pet has underlying medical issues which may be affected by anaesthetic. A sedative is given which takes around 5-8 minutes to kick in and then your pet will be shaved in the area of the operation to avoid any hair making the surgical site dirty. A male dogs surgery will take only 20-30 minutes usually as an external removal is much simpler than the female internal organs. The female surgery usually takes around 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the dog. Your pet will be observed in their vet kennel as they come round from the surgery and can be picked up just an hour or so post op! A follow up will be required a few days after to check the site for infection and again in 2 weeks to remove stitches. Your dog will probably be sent home with a few days worth of pain killers and either a vet cone or body grow vest.

Ok so why am i telling you to do this?

The Good Bits

  1. Prevents any accidental puppies being brought into the world from risky rendezvous in the dog park and adding to the over population problem. 

2. Prevents multiple types of cancers developing in your dog which are becoming more and more common such as; testicular, ovarian, uterus and cervical. These cancers if left untreated can spread through the hormones, blood and lymph system to grow and could develop into other types such as lung or even bone cancer which will be fatal. 

3. Prevents negative behaviours in both male and females such as: increased energy levels and hyperactivity, possessiveness, territorial, aggressive, resource guarding, humping/sexual behaviour, lack of attention, difficulty training. 

So what are you waiting for? The main culprits of the anti-neuter brigade, and i’m not being sexist i’m being honest, are the men who feel they are being cruel to “take away their man hood” or end their favourite hobby of licking their balls… Well guys if the Big-C wasn’t enough to scare you and you still want to argue that you are a responsible dog owner who will never allow an “accidental litter” to occur, let’s put it like this;

Imagine your dog is allowed to keep his “manhood”, and you are a responsible dog owner who never allows him to mate….Your dog is running around pumped full of hormones and no way of releasing them! You cannot allow  a dog to mate with a spayed female because the female will not feel the urge to mate and therefore you will be technically raping the female dog… There is no justification for allowing your dog to remain un-neutered. Get it done.

balls lick neuter

Many dogs who are found in the county pounds left as unclaimed strays appear to once have been well loved family dogs, and we often wonder why they haven’t been found, what happened? More often than not, after a full vetting, we find the dog is riddled with cancer and instead of the previous owner taking the difficult but responsible road of euthanising or treating the dog, it has been dumped.

18 dogs are euthanised in the pounds alone every day across the UK. Let’s end this now. To support our efforts pulling dogs from deathrow go to http://www.broken-souls-rescue.org

#AdoptdontShop #18DogsADayUK

The Dog Pound: UK

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We all remember the dog pound from Disney’s “Lady & the Tramp”, the dog catchers portrayed as evil with their catch poles crawling about in their cage van searching for dogs to catch and take back like it was their hobby. A dark and dingy place full of dogs in cold kennels looking sad, lost and alone. The little brown mutt too sad to sing who was crying always made me cry as a child. But having been in the animal industry for 13 years now, i know that the reality of UK dog pounds somewhat brighter, (thank goodness).

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Dog wardens in the UK are mostly people who actually adore dogs and want to be first on scene to respond and ensure each animal is treated with dignity and love. They don’t have time to be hunting down hiding doggies to make up their numbers; the kennels are already crammed and the calls keep coming in about stray and dumped dogs. I have also found that dog wardens are very active in the Lost & Found pet world to try and reunite any of their charges with their families outside of their work hours on their own time, and failing this,  they are extremely active in the rescue world, seeking out pound pulling organisations and rescue back ups to take the dogs in when their 7 days are up.

So what are our pounds actually like? Well think of the bottom end of the scale of boarding kennels and you’re pretty much there. UK country dog pounds are a council service or contracted purely for council dog warden intake, and therefore do not often have the biggest resources to be refurbishing their premises or improving their resources. Time is the biggest problem, the staff are usually spread thin keeping a full kennels clean and sanitary with feeding times and daily walks. Luckily, many pounds have volunteers who come in to walk dogs, spend time playing and being affectionate as well as helping to train out any behavioural issues.

Unfortunately, like everything in life, there are pounds who try to make profit from their rehoming services by selecting certain breeds of dog deemed more adoptable to extend their time in the kennels and put other breeds (like the staffy) to sleep without hesitation. Pounds can also be difficult when dealing with rescues trying to pull dogs from death row. Most pounds also won’t work with any rescue that publicly states a dog has been on death row, it says it gives the dog warden service and that particular “rehoming centre” a negative connotation. Posing as a rehoming centre and not allowing true no-kill rescues to be more honest and open about the problem is meaning their is little to no public awareness of the 18 dogs a day issue in the UK.

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So is their really a clock ticking? Yes. Once admitted into the kennel and found to have no chip or not be able to contact the owners or have the dog released to the kennel by the owners; the dog has 7 days to be claimed or bought from the pound. Once the 7 days are up, it is all down to how full the kennels are as to how much extension each dog will get. 99% of the time, the pounds are full. If no rescue steps forward to pull an un-“adopted” dog from death row, the dog will be euthanised via lethal injection. Put to sleep. Killed.

Call it a rehoming centre, a county kennel or a high kill shelter; the pound represents the stray, abandoned, dumped, unwanted dogs of the UK being turned away by large rescues due to their breed and smaller rescues are too full to help. The 18 dogs a day in the UK being killed.

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Dog Death Row…Yes; It’s A Real Thing.

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If you haven’t seen the brutal yet underground documentary “Death Row Dogs”on Netflix yet, i suggest you take a peep to catch just an edited glimpse of the UK’s dog death row situation. The documentary focuses on those dogs who have been reported as “dangerous” to police and are seized for genetic and behavioural testing.

In the UK, should a neighbour or family spat turn sour, no longer is it just the social services being falsely called with reports of addresses to inspect; now your Staffy could be reported for being dangerous or suspected “pit type”. The police must respond to every report, and the manner in which they respond is truly quite horrific and needs some serious revision. Picture a team of 5-10 officers dressed in full riot gear bursting through your front door 10pm at night, shouting, brandishing shields and acting like they’re searching for Osama Bin Laden. You’re dog is separated from you, barking in fear trying to protect you and itself, as they corner it, catch pole in hand. Looped and tightened, you watch screaming in protest as they drag your poor dog down the stairs, out the front and into a dog van where they slam the door shut as if your loving family pet is an alligator.

Where is your dog going? To a concrete kennel block to be kept in isolation for “observation” and DNA testing to determine what percentage is Pit Bull and whether your dog is friendly or not… Disorientated, confused, defensive and with negative connections to these people manhandling them, being kept in quarantine with minimal human contact; what chance does any dog have of passing the test? How would you be affected after 6 months in isolation; could you interact normally? Even if your dog passes this emotional and mental mountain, should it be more than 20% pit bull DNA, it will be euthanised any way. Because of it’s breed. Nothing else.
What world are we living in where a country calls itself an “Animal Loving Nation” yet turn the other cheek to such a horrific system that puts healthy and happy dogs to sleep simply because of their type, or in human terms; race? The UK classes itself as having the best animal rights legislation’s in the world, yet we allow the system to try our canine family members in court because of their heritage, this would be the same as determining without any biological proof that all white people are criminals because of their skin.

This is without even beginning to talk about the pound dogs who have their 7 days to be claimed and removed from kennels by their owners after paying a release (“boarding”) cost. 18 Dogs are euthanised in the UK every day just in the county pounds… yet people continue to breed and buy puppies…

Support our work pulling dogs from UK death-rows, rehabilitating and rehoming them via online donation through PayPal “Friends & Family” to: broken-soulsrescue@outlook.com or visit http://www.broken-souls-rescue.org.

Thank You for your support.

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#18DogsADayUK

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Buster is 10 years old and i have no idea where he has been, what he has seen or how he came to be on deathrow. He has the goofiest face you just want to laugh at and all he wants to do is cuddle up and watch TV. Out and about he has been a perfect gentleman with a particularly gentle nature around children and a playful attitude to other dogs and cats. Why is Buster on deathrow with 1 day left until he will be taken down that hall and “put to sleep” with the subtle pink fluid.

I will never know why Buster was on deathrow, an unclaimed stray, nor Oliver, or Mitch or Cubey or any of the 100’s of others i see everyday in our rescue, in my email inbox, on my facebook wall all desperately begging me for a rescue space. I can’t save them all, we are a small scale rescue after all, but if ignore that email, that post, that voicemail…where will that dog be tomorrow?

How can the UK be so ignorant to not be able to see the severity of this animal overload on the island to continue to breed more puppies and kittens? They will complain about graphic images in social media posts and the never ending plea for donations but they refuse to realise the source: Themselves.

Until we stop treating our loyal canine companions like commodities and possessions we can pick up, throw away and replace the problem will not cease. 18. Eighteen. 18 Dogs are euthanised each day UK. Wake Up!

Please tweet, post, blog but #18DogsADayUK today.

Donate to support our rescue work through PayPal (broken-soulsrescue@outlook.com) or via the website on our contact page.