When I first started RescuePet, I had no idea how bad the situation is in England for rescue animals. I had worked in shelters - but that's the positive end of rescue. If a dog is lucky enough to make it to a rescue shelter, if it is a good no-kill shelter, that dog will be safe and it is just a matter of waiting for the right home to come along.

There are a few "if"s in that story - and we haven't even got to the really grotty truth yet. The reality is that some rescue centres do put animals to sleep simply because they don't think they can home them quick enough. Some of those shelters are the biggest and best known in the land. 

The Silent Holocaust

What really gets to me is what is going on in some of the dog pounds in the UK....

This is very much a regional issue. It happens in some areas and under some councils, whilst other councils are doing a fantastic job and almost acting as rescues themselves in terms of the care and compassion they show.

Some councils use commercial kennels as dog pounds. The council will pay 7 or 8 nights boarding for any dog that their dog wardens take to the kennel. After that, the dog becomes property of that commercial kennel and their lives are in their hands. Literally. The pound kennel then sells the dog to any member of the public who walks in and hands over cash. There is no home check or suitability check. Frequently the dog ends up back on the streets as a result - and back in the pound. If the dog has been lucky enough to get out of the pound the first time, they may not be so lucky next time round. They may get killed by the pound if not bought or rescued.

Some councils will only pay the 7 or 8 nights boarding if the dog gets killed at the end of those 7 or 8 days. This encourages the pound kennels to kill rather than keep a dog if they don't think they can sell it. Sometimes a rescue organisation has to buy the dogs from the pound in order to save them - because some councils have made it financially preferable to kill a dog than to give it to rescue.

There is a silent holocaust happening in this country and some of the dog pounds are the concentration camps. They are often cold, wet, dark, uncaring places where the dogs are shut up for any amount of time and are rarely walked. There is minimal, emergency only vet care that is frequently capped at £50. Beyond this, a dog will not be treated or will be killed on economic grounds.  

A pound owner can choose to kill a dog on a whim. They are legally able to do so and there is not a damn thing anyone can do to stop them. This happened in one of the pounds today. I have direct knowledge of it and even photographs of the poor little dog - looking desolate whilst 2 days from going to rescue, now lying in a plastic bag somewhere. I can't post the photos. I can't name the pound. If I do, the pound will refuse to co-operate with rescue organisations and more dogs will die. It's a horrid situation and I don't know how to stop it. I truly wish I did.

Councils need to start rethinking their policies and choosing their pound kennels with care. I want to see the power to kill taken away from pounds. I want to see standards of care being drawn up, implemented and monitored. Ideally, I would like councils to use rescue organisations as pound contractors - so the money they pay goes towards the animals care rather than the profit margin of a commercial kennel.

What can you do?

• Above all, I beg the people of England (and everywhere!) to take great care of their animals.
  
• Please don't let them stray - they could get picked up by a dog warden and end up in a death camp dog pound.
  
• Please neuter your pets - the PDSA will do it free or cheap and there are quite a few other options for getting it done cheaply too.
  
• Don't breed! Don't think you are the exception and that it would be nice to let your pet have babies because you have homes lined up for them. Every dog you breed means that a pound dog will not get that home - and may be condemned to death as a result.
• Start asking your councils some questions about their dog policies. Please! Make a noise! Let them know what's going on isn't acceptable. They only get away with it when the people let them.
• Always get a rescue animal - never buy from pet shops, adverts etc.
• Donate to good no-kill rescues

Please note that it isn't all councils that are allowing/enabling/causing this. Some have good policies. If yours has a good policy, please write and thank them and let them know you respect and value their policy and efforts.

Who to write to:

• Dog wardens
• Council members - let them know it is an election voting issue for you. Every council has a website. Use it to find the contact details of your councillers - then write to them, call them, email them, go and see them!
  
• Your MP (This site will tell you who it is and will enable you to contact them directly: http://www.writetothem.com )
  

David James is running the Brighton half marathon on Sunday 22nd February. He is trying to raise funds for the charity which his mum set up and runs which works to alleviate the suffering of and find new homes for pound dogs which would otherwise be destroyed because they are unclaimed.

The charity arranges for veternary treatment, transport and temporary shelter. The charity saved the lives of 3,117 dogs in 2008 and as you can imagine given such high numbers of dogs saved is desperate for funds. All volunteers are unpaid and 100% of donations are spent on rescuing dogs.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Doris Banham Sanctuary gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

 Please support David's run and the Doris Banham Dog Rescue by sponsoring him. 

Click here to sponsor online!