Over 1,400 dogs abandoned in Scotland in the last year

NEW figures show the scale in Scotland
Picture: Julie BroadfootPicture: Julie Broadfoot
Picture: Julie Broadfoot

A survey by Dogs Trust revealed that 1,464 dogs were left in council pounds where they remained unclaimed by their owners.

As part of their annual Stray Dog Survey, all local authorities were questioned by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity.

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Of 4,136 stray and abandoned dogs handled by local authorities, 90 strays were reluctantly destroyed.

Adrian Burder, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust said: “To learn that over 1,400 unclaimed and unwanted dogs are left in council kennels across Scotland should shock us as a country of dog lovers. Abandoning a dog is simply unacceptable and sadly, Dogs Trust’s famous slogan “A Dog is For Life” is as significant as ever – if you are not ready to care for a dog for its entire life, do not commit to becoming a dog owner.”

Dogs Trust have taken 43,771 calls from people trying to give up their dogs in the last 12 months – that’s 3,647 calls a month, 841 a week and 120 a day.

Fortunately 2,672 stray dogs were reunited with their owners. This figure is likely to continue to rise as it becomes a legal requirement to microchip your dog as of April 2016 across Scotland.

Abandoning a dog puts them at risk of being put down by local authorities after seven days, as they struggle to care for the vast numbers of strays that are picked up on the streets of the UK every day.

Burder added: “This year’s Stray Dog Survey shows that Local Authorities continue to pick up the pieces and have found themselves in the tough position of being forced to put healthy dogs to sleep for lack of space and resources. Stray dogs that find themselves at Dogs Trust are the lucky ones, as we will care for a dog for its entire life if needed, but not all are so lucky and treating a family pet as a disposable item has to stop.

“Dogs Trust works tirelessly with the Scottish local authorities to reduce instances of straying by offering subsidised neutering and free microchipping, while this helps ease the pressure on council kennels, the responsibility must lie with dog owners.”

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