Dog Rescue in Crisis

The German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund is currently facing the biggest challenges since its inception in 1975. We currently have 117 dogs in our care - including 30 permanent residents and are stretched way beyond our means. And we’re now passed the stage where we should have drawn the line or risk the dogs already in our care, but have taken in another 7 dogs because sometimes you can’t stand by. Our situation is also complicated by the dogs in permanent care, as we need to be sure we can provide their care for the rest of their lives.

We’re far from alone in facing this predicament, while there is little hard data (an issue in its own right that we’ll revisit shortly) we know anecdotally and from the fact that other rescues have called on us to help with the dogs they’re no longer able to. This includes those able to afford TV ads, so it would be fair to state without hyperbole that the whole sector is in crisis. And still more dogs come up needing rescue, and with no sign of it calming any time soon. In simple economic terms, demand is exceeding supply. Looking at the country as a whole, 59% of households currently have one or more dogs compared to around 45% a decade ago - a massive increase. Indeed more than 3 million households bought a pet (not just dogs) during the pandemic.

So how did we end up here? The pandemic and associated lockdowns are the obvious answer, and indeed we’ve previously posted on this very topic - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-our-resources.html There’s no denying the enormous impact the surge in dog ownership, and the subsequent abandonment of many of those dogs. We’re finding that many more of the dogs coming to us haven’t been socialised or trained properly and require significant rehabilitation before they can safely be rehomed. And now, as if the poisoned icing on the cake, the increase in the cost of living and economic uncertainty leads to more dogs being cast aside. Caring for a dog typically accounts for over 10% of the owner's salary. This is compounded by fewer people (much as they’d love to!) able to take on further commitments or donate as much to fundraising

Those factors alone are sufficient to cause a sector-wide crisis, however, the situation is in reality, far worse than that. By delving deeper we reveal that we were ill-prepared to weather a storm of this magnitude. It should be noted that this in no way denigrates the herculean efforts of rescues, shelters, their supporters and other organisations that keep things operating at all. The faults are within the landscape we operate within, however, the good news is that together we can fix them so that we can all face the future with confidence.

From the highest level there are three issues that need addressing, and this is not a blame game for pointing fingers because the responsibility rests with us all to fix. It should also be noted that there’s a mass of detail glossed over here and that discussing the fixes needed is beyond this article’s scope, but relevant questions in the direction of solutions are asked, and indeed there will be further, and likely more detailed articles and reports will follow to continue the discussion and become plans. Indeed some elements of the solutions are already in progress already but would benefit from wider support and integration.

• Fragmentation
  We are all focused on the care of the dogs coming into our rescues and shelters (and rightly so) that our lack of unity, vision and leadership is easily missed. The old adage states that ‘Together we stand, yet divided we fall’ and that applies to us. The problems we face are on such a scale that simply dealing with them occupies our efforts, but without a forward-looking plan and meaningful interoperability and support, we waste our limited resources and fail to engage the root causes of why we need to exist in the first place.
  
  In an ideal world, there would be no need for the sheer mass of rescues currently struggling with the number of cases we face. Sadly such a utopia is unlikely to ever exist, but that should not stop us from trying to achieve such a lofty goal. For example, when implementing social welfare preventative measures can be more efficient than reacting once a situation reaches a crisis. So how can we stop dogs from needing rescuing at all? Education and support are the most obvious and immediate answers, and indeed are already part of many rescue organisations’ activities, but need wider support, availability and adoption.
  
  For two-legged people, we created a welfare state as a safety net when needed, such thinking can also help and not just for financial problems. Rather than handing a dog over, or trying to have it put down for behavioural issues, support can be provided to the owners to work through and maintain the family in that first instance.
  
  Even from a most basic level this lack of integration and mutual benefit results in incomplete data from which we can determine evidence-based policies. We also miss out on potential economies of scale and providing operational support to shore others up when they become overstretched. The GSD Welfare Fund is completely funded by public donations, which is likely to be the case for most, but the current landscape means that we’re forced to compete with each other to attract contributions. Adopters are another aspect that could benefit from cooperation, both from checking they are suitable and also for matching them with appropriate dogs.
  
  We shouldn’t expect the central government to step in and provide national-level leadership and cooperation - the fallout of recent years will occupy their attention for the foreseeable future. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t actively engage with central and local government bodies and agencies, we should of course continue and expand as part of a guided strategy for the dog (although this really applies to all pets to varying degrees) rescue and welfare sector. Achieving our strategic aims without resorting to legislation would be a laudable intent, but some legal changes will no doubt be needed along the way.
  
  So where should this leadership come from? Rescue might be the ‘fighting edge’ in many respects for dog welfare, but with over 12 million dogs (in 2021 up from over 10 million in 2020) and a pet products and services industry worth over £8 billion per year, there are already big players at the table. Naturally, their interests will want representation, and agencies like the Kennel Club and Breed Clubs should also be a driving factor. Half the of annual spending on pets goes to Veterinary products and services and of course, we must ensure that key services such as rescue, kenneling, training and caring must be catered for.

To say this is not a trivial undertaking would be a gross understatement, yet the cost going forward would be worse. Beyond that, there is an ever-growing ethical perspective and expectation from the public and it behoves us all to reassure them that is a core pillar for the industry as a whole, but also that there are support mechanisms in place if individual circumstances require them.

• Consistency
  Animal welfare generally lags behind human welfare for obvious reasons, yet still includes the same considerations and functions. Consistency in the context of dog welfare is knowing that products and services are provided on an even basis so that the recipients know, at least on a basic level, what to expect when engaging with a specific product or service. So for example, if I buy a lead rated for a 60kg dog, that product line has been tested and is suitable for my 55kg German Shepherd. I need to have confidence in that product because my particular GSD is a rescue and can be reactive with other dogs. Generally speaking, all reputable companies have the proper manufacturing, testing and quality assurance processes in place and so I have confidence that the product will do what UI need it to. And that applies no matter which brand’s lead I buy - that’s not to say that the quality of all is the same, but the stated functionality will be.
  
  This expectation of a product’s suitability is one enshrined within consumer protection and where needed regulation either by law or recognised authorities. When looking at services things become murkier. To continue my reactive rescue dog example, if I engage the services of a dog trainer I would expect the same consistency of at least a common level of knowledge and competence. This is not to suggest that overbearing legislation or regulation is needed - we should be wary of unnecessary barriers of interest, but balance that with consumer confidence and the level of potential harm to a dog’s wellbeing.

The last point about managing the risk of harm to a dog’s well-being or making a current situation worse reveals another consideration. Knowledge and processes evolve over time and new understanding should bring about positive improvements where sensible to do. This in turn requires mechanisms to ensure this is reflected in the goods and services made available. Important elements that are currently not, or only minimally affecting both customers and dog welfare include breeding, rescue and training. Careful consideration is needed to enable appropriate confidence without negatively impacting availability.

• Sustainability
  As we’re currently witnessing, we’re currently unable to meet the demand and while much of that is down to the current circumstances we need to ensure that we can respond to future challenges. Again, while rescues are on the front line it should be recognised that all within the dog pet and welfare sector have their part to play.
  
  With demand outstripping supply we can either increase supply and/or reduce demand to restore balance. Both approaches should be used. To increase supply there are possibilities with improved efficiency and closer operational cooperation. Increasing capacity, especially in forms that are scalable and readily responsive would be ideal.
  
  There are a number of options to reduce the demand for rescue services, some of which we’ve already mentioned. The priority should be for dog owners not to require rescue services as they are better able to deal with issues that arise. There also needs to be a better understanding from prospective dog owners of the responsibility they are undertaking. Following up with this is their responsibility once a dog must be taken in by rescue. There are options to be examined here to at least aid with the cost of such actions, for example, criminal or civil damages if appropriate. New or adapted forms of insurance could also provide suitable support.
  
  Like most rescues, we are mostly dependent on donations from a generous public. We also compete for the few trusts, grants and sponsors for the remainder of our funding. The constant draw on public support will likely fray with fatigue, especially when combined with impending existential threats like climate change causing societal and global issues. It would be reasonable to expect some of these will be addressed by the government, but we should also expect at least some of the knock-on effects (such as reduced government spending on some services as they try to tackle some direct impacts). Issues like water scarcity will also create global droughts, migrations and potentially even conflicts creating additional draws on the public’s charitable generosity.

Some of those impacts may well be years into the future, but it would be sensible to assess their impact and plan accordingly. It is unlikely that central or local governments will provide significant extra general funding, however they may assist with targeted projects. Better data and forward planning can identify what we’ll need. With a market annual worth of £8 billion, we should then be able to identify alternative mechanisms to support funding these services acting as backstops for dog welfare in this country.

The lack of accurate and complete data will confound any meaningful planning for the future and should be addressed as swiftly as possible. While it is possible to make a collaborative start  and indeed we should do so, some data will be of a confidential nature that some are likely reluctant to share. Here we should look to engage a neutral third party to assist in gathering the data and anonymised analysis. Government departments or academic institutions are ideally suited for this. We also suffer from a lack of targeted research that can also help guide future planning, here again, academia would prove a valuable resource.

As already mentioned the strategic vision to bring dog rescue into the future is beyond the scope of this article. That is not a restriction due to a lack of ideas, but to allow space for the collaborative development of a plan, and to also understand the level of consensus that currently exists. However, we will work on more detailed documentation to spur discussion and start collating the information we need.

Across the whole world of dog welfare, we must use smart thinking and seek novel approaches to address the challenges we face. There must first be a common agreement that we need to combine our efforts in a meaningful fashion for the benefit of 12.5 million dogs living as pets in the UK.

Michael Brookes

gsdwfonline@gmail.com

October 2022

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