Concern over stray and abandoned dogs in Hackney

Dogs consultant Louise Glazebrook

I’ve recently been told tales of a man wandering in Clissold Park, trying to get rid of his Rottweiler that he no longer wanted, willing to give it up to anyone who wanted it.

We are struggling through a recession, and everyone’s budgets have been cut, but since when did a living animal, a member of the family, become disposable?

Longevity isn’t exactly the buzzword of the ‘noughties’, and it’s most evident with pets – the Rottweiler owner in north London sadly being a representative of a lot of dog owners.

Despite increasing numbers of micro-chipped pets, many dogs are not tagged, making it very hard for the owners to be traced.

One of the most important things I think we could learn from last year, is that with Battersea Dogs Home reporting a 20 per cent increase in the dogs they are taking in and with 5,000 dogs last year being found on the streets of London and taken in by local authorities, it’s evident that something somewhere isn’t working.

We call ourselves a nation of pet lovers, but statistics seem to show otherwise. In the last week of January 2010, one London local authority picked up 16 stray or abandoned dogs. These dogs ranged from Staff crosses to pedigree dogs of differing ages and sizes.

The problem is no longer just a random smattering of dogs being dumped, its become a weekly even daily issue, resulting in pets being dumped, tied up on the street and left or just turned out of the family home and left to fend for themselves.

Visit Battersea Dogs Home, The Dogs Trust and The Blue Cross to see exactly how many unwanted dogs there are out there.

Without being preachy, those who take on a dog must be responsible for it, and irresponsibility mustn’t seem such an enticing and easy option.

We need to be looking to help individuals and families choose the right puppy or dog for their circumstances, all too often people are choosing a breed for all the wrong reasons, to later find out that it doesn’t quite fit in with their lifestyle, or that having a dog is a bit more hard work than they bargained for.

There are ways around it. For example, The Cookery butchers on Stoke Newington High Street offers cheap cuts of meat which are perfect for dogs.

In fact, most butchers readily advise you on what cuts to feed your dog and for the most cost effective way to do it. Last week, I bought a huge (and I mean huge!) ox’s heart for about £4. I still have some of it left in the fridge, the dog and kitten await it with baited breath!

If you want more money-saving ideas for you and your dog, want to discuss rescue dogs or just talk dogs, contact me: louise@thedarlingdogcompany.co.uk.