Shelter life for dogs – an insight

Almost daily we read about dogs rescued from the streets by animal friends and placed in an enclosure which is run by dedicated people. We all take breaths of relief. Now the dogs will get protection and food, they will not be abused, killed, injured in traffic and go hungry. The people working in the shelters are trying to solve a chaotic situation in the best way. But, most of the shelters are already overcrowded, and the need for help is enormous.

Stress behaviors

Most dogs, however, experience a great stress in the enclosure: the noise level is high, the dogs have no possibility to escape, they face constant new strange dogs and people, the lack of stimulation is considerable. The staff have no resources to give all dogs human contact or walking them on a daily basis – if the dogs even ever are taken out. Pretty soon the dogs can develop behavior disorders; constant barking, licking or biting themselves frantically, becoming aggressive or depressed, developing fear and so on.

In most enclosures, even in the best, the problems with “difficult” dogs are solved by separating them, either by putting them in a cage, chaining them or otherwise separating them from the others to prevent dog fights. In the kennels, dominant dogs themselves can define other dogs area of ​​movement; timid, fearful dogs spend all day behind a doghouse in fear of the dominant dog. Dogs can live in this way for years.

Smaller organizations, groups or individuals who rescues dogs usually have no resources to prevent diseases by vaccinating all dogs. Diseases such as parvo can quickly take hold of the dogs that have to coexist in a small area and then lead to death, especially pups and old dogs.

A few fortunate dogs get adopted

All dogs in the different enclosures will not get adopted, there aren’t simply enough persons willing to open their homes for a former stray dog. Also, many dogs are not suited for a life with a family that lacks the expertise that is sometimes required. Thousands of rescued dogs will therefore spend the rest of their lives in a small enclosure, with all the stress that is involved. In addition, during the time it takes to read this article, hundreds of new puppies are born on the streets and they will have to be saved in order to survive. Everyone understands that the challenges are enormous.

It is also becoming common nowadays that different shelters offer opportunities to sponsor a specific dog. A question arise if a sponsor dog, for which the shelter can get significant amounts of money, will be given the chance to be adopted on the same terms as other dogs? Or will it remain in the enclosure as long it brings donated money from its supporters?

Castration – the single most important aid

Strays Mayday knows that the situation, especially in Romania, is chaotic and that all animal lovers in the country are doing the best they can with the limited resources they have. However, we believe that everyone, including animal lovers in Romania, also need to invest in a plan so that new dogs won’t be needed to be taken care of in the future, by spay/neuter campaigns and educational programs. Otherwise, the problem will be the same in the following years to come. Nothing will have changed, upcoming millions of dogs are, in advance, doomed to a life in misery and to atrocities that we can not even imagine.

Theoretically, a dog, through its offspring, can produce 67,000 new dogs in 6 years. In reality, many puppies die before reaching sexual maturity, so the real figure is perhaps “only” 10,000-20,000 new dogs. If we do not want to judge our best friend to be neglected, abused, having to fight for its survival, donations to spay/neutering campaigns is the single most important support we can give!

Disease control

Here we collect useful guidelines and factsheets for everyone involved with stray animals, regardless if you're a rescuer, a veterinarian, a re-homer or an adopter.

PDF guidelines:

American Humane: Sanitation and Disease Control in the Shelter Environment

American Humane: Companion Animal Zoonotic Diseases

Slide guidelines:

Sanitation in animal shelters - Emmanuel Fontaine
Published on Feb 25, 2014
www.slideshare.net/EmmanuelFontaine2/sanitation-in-animal-shelters

Infectious Disease Control - Paula Boyden
Published on Apr 12, 2013
www.slideshare.net/dogstrust/ndwc-chennai-2013-infectious-disease-control-paula-boyden

Zoonotic diseases in Europe:

ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). Trends and Sources of Zoonoses, Zoonotic Agents and Food-borne Outbreaksin 2012 - 2014 (PDF)

ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites): GL1-Worm control in Dogs and Cats - 2010 (PDF)
This guideline is published in other languages here.

ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites): GL2-Superficial Mycoses in Dogs and Cats - 2011 (PDF)
This guideline is published in other languages here.

ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites): GL3-Control of Ectoparasites in Dogs and Cats - 2012 (PDF)
This guideline is published in other languages here.

ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites): GL5-Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Dogs and Cats - 2012 (PDF)
This guideline is published in other languages here.

ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites): GL6-Control of Intestinal Protozoa in Dogs and Cats - 2011 (PDF)
This guideline is published in other languages here.

Eurosurveillance: Leishmaniasis in Europe - 2013 (PDF)

Eurosurveillance/PD James: Leishmaniasis emergence in Europe - 2010 (PDF)

Catch-Neuter-Release

Catch-Neuter-Release (CNR). Sometimes the term Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) is used.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 600 million stray dogs in the world. Of all the world’s dogs about 75 percent are stray dogs. Managing these populations of stray dogs in some countries is a major concern and the problems are not just dogs’ welfare, but also the health risks to people – especially considering rabies. Due to lack of education and lack of resources, dogs are killed by unimaginably cruel and inhumane methods. But killing dogs does not solve the basic problem, on the contrary, it has been shown that despite enormous mass killings, the population of stray dogs is almost the same after a few years as before the mass killings began.

Why use CNR as a method?

A single uncastrated female stray dog can in a few years produce over 1000 dogs. Females usually gets pregnant at their first maturity and stray dogs’ population therefore increases drastically in a short period of time.

To kill the dogs to reduce the population is inefficient. It just means that the territory becomes vacant and that these territories will be occupied by new dogs from nearby neighborhoods or rural areas. The new dogs will thus continue to multiply. In addition, the dogs that are caught by municipals will not be put to sleep in a humane manner, instead they are shot, beaten to death or poisoned, either directly on the streets or gathered in municipal shelters where poison is injected into their chests. Both methods are extremely painful for the dogs.

What does the CNR as a method mean?

CNR involves capturing stray dogs, neutering them and then releasing them back to the place where they were captured and where the dogs know where they can find food. They are also vaccinated against rabies and is often given vermin treatment. The dogs are tagged in the ear with a visible plastclip.

The method is recommended by the WHO as the most effective and humane method to reduce the number of stray dogs. Studies have shown that in order to have control of a stray dog population in a given area about 70 percent of the dogs have to be neutered, thereby ensuring that the number of stray dogs does not increase.

CNR should also include neutering programs for owned dogs that live outside for example in backyards. Non-profit animal welfare organizations often provide locals to neuter their pets at no cost.

Dogs that are not expected to survive on the street, such as puppies, extremely skinny, sick or injured dogs, are not released after castration in the place they were found, but often taken care of in shelters of various organizations and the dogs are then put up for adoption programs.

Education about responsible ownership

Education and information to the local population about responsible dog ownership is the A and O. The presence of stray dogs is caused by humans and can be seen as a symptom of irresponsible dog ownership. Moreover, all countries should establish rules that owned dogs must be marked with a chip and recorded. Legislation should in many countries be reviewed, especially concerning the abandonment of animals, and prosecution of crimes should be vigorously implemented. Controls and supervision of activities involving animals must be tightened.

Stray dog situation in EU-countries

An overview: stray dog problem in different countries within the EU

EU countries where stray dog situation is beginning to improve:
France, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary

EU countries where stray dog situation is a big problem:
Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Spain

source: RSPCA in 2011. Note: no information about Cyprus, Estonia, Malta

Management of stray dog problems in different countries

(the management can shift from one municipality to another within the same country)

• 1. Education, registration, laws and regulations
• 2. Spay / neutering programs as the CNR method
• 3. The collection and storage of stray dogs in shelters
• 4. Mass exterminations

1. Education and awareness campaigns to local people about the benefits of neutering, not to abandon their animals, etc., is something that is almost exclusively run by NGOs. Lack of supervision and the abandonment of animals is the single biggest factor that generates an increase of stray dog population. Marking and registration of owned dogs start slowly to be introduced in some countries. The laws and regulations often give a good protection for both owned dogs and stray dogs, the problem is rather that the laws are not enforced and that crimes are not prosecuted.

2. Spay / neutering programs, where the dog is captured, neutered, rabies vaccinated, and then released at the place where the dog was captured (CNR), has the advantage that it is a humane and effective method to bring down a stray dog population, and of course that the method is "non-lethal ". In one area, however, about 70 percent of the dogs have to be castrated for it to be effective. The downside is that it takes a few years before the method gives results and during this time dogs risk to come to harm and that the spread of diseases can occur in both humans and animals.

3. Catching and putting dogs on a large scale in shelters has the advantage that the population of stray dogs will temporarily be reduced. The drawback is that relatively few dogs are adopted, resulting in a prolonged storage for tens of thousands of dogs in an environment which is not designed to serve their need for stimulation. Neglect, lack of food and water, and lack of veterinary care, are not unusual in municipal enclosures. This depends on factors such as untrained staff, corruption, lack of controls and a general disinterest from the judiciary and the authorities to tackle the problems. Euthanasia is often done with non-human methods.

4. Mass exterminations involves severe suffering to animals, as the whole operation process of transportation, storage and the killing takes place in a very painful way. Even children and animal friends get severely traumatized when they witness these scenes in the streets taking place right in front of them. Dogs which are not taken to any so-called death pounds, can be slained in the streets in daylight, or poisoned by night. In the morning "cleaning squads" collect the dead dogs and throw them in garbage containers. The method is completely ineffective in the long term. It takes less than 10 years before the number of dogs in the area are about as big as before a mass extermination began. A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that "the killing of dogs in the area have never had any significant effect on the number of dogs that inhabit the area."

The right focus to achieve results and humane management

Education and information to the local population about responsible dog ownership is the A and O. The presence of stray dogs is caused by humans and can be seen as a symptom of irresponsible dog ownership. Moreover, all countries should establish rules that owned dogs must be marked with a chip and recorded. Legislation should in many countries be reviewed, especially concerning the abandonment of animals, and prosecution of crimes should be vigorously implemented. Controls and supervision of activities involving animals must be tightened.

Authorities should implement, and facilitate the process of effective methods like CNR (Catch-Neuter-Release), through the construction of small castration clinics and the training of veterinarians in castration techniques. Evaluation and systematic monitoring of actions, international cooperation, and political pressure both locally and internationally is also of equally important significance. NGOs (non-governmental organizations) should in a much higher degree concentrate on neutering campaigns, primarily to offer locals free neutering of owned dogs. The target should initially be to reduce the number of stray dogs to an acceptable level.

Canine general welfare, both owned and strays, must be improved. Diseases and parasites spreading of infection must be prevented. The standard of dog shelters must be improved both in terms of the treatment of sick animals, and prevention of diseases spreading infection. Staff should be trained in basic animal care. Premises should be designed and fit for their purpose. Finally, measures should be taken to prevent illegal trade in dogs.


For further reading, see the sub-menus for each country.

Stray dog situation in Italy

Italy has about 600,000 stray dogs, mainly in the southern parts of the country, and among these, there are about 150,000 dogs in different enclosures. There are 1,440 shelters in the country and about 500 of these are so-called "canili lager" where dogs have to stay the rest of their lives without a chance of being adopted (information from the LAV - Anti Vivisection Leaugue Italy in 2010). Until 1991, the authorities tried to control the number of stray dogs by capturing the dogs and after three days kill them. This ended in 1991 when a new law, No. 281, was introduced.

Owned dogs are often abandoned during vacation time at the roadside and hunters abandon, after hunting season, hunting dogs that are not considered up to standard. These dogs mate and produce puppies that have never been near a home. Even owned dogs are allowed to roam free outdoors and the majority of these are not castrated, so they also produce puppies.

Stray dogs live a hard life, they are chased away from the tourist areas and are considered as a threat to children and cattle. Many dogs are also caught on a regular basis and placed in private enclosures or in state-owned shelters which become the dogs' end station.

Italy's animal protection law

Dog owners are required by law to tag and register their dogs. It is an offense to neglect, abuse and abandon their animals. The law also deals with the state's duty of care concerning homeless animals and to provide a check of stray dogs population. Each municipality must come into an agreement with a local enclosure / shelter. The agreement means that the stray dogs have to be reported, captured and brought to the shelter. If no owner claims the dog, it can be adopted after 60 days. Captured cats may be released after castration.

It is not permitted to kill healthy dogs in the shelters. This means that the majority of captured dogs will spend the remaining of their lives in the shelters, since it is not very usual that Italians adopt dogs from there.

Castration for managing the population of stray animals is mentioned only for cats in the law. In some regional regulations, however, neutering of dogs can be compulsory; all dogs that are placed in municipal shelters, or private shelters that receive grants from the municipality, must be castrated by a veterinarian.

A supplement was made in 2004, Law no. 189. This law strengthens penalties for animal cruelty with prison terms of up to three years and a heavy fine. Trade in fur and fur from cats and dogs are prohibited. To abandon an animal may lead to imprisonment up to one year and fines of up to € 10,000. A person that kills an animal out of cruelty is punishable by imprisonment for 18 months, and a fine of up to € 15,000. To neglect or abuse an animal gives prison sentences of up to 12 months.

But in practice, these laws give no real protection for the stray animals. In the huge, mostly private shelters, the public grants aren't used for the dogs' care and nursing. The grants, millions of euros, disappear in the shelter owners' pockets, or finance other crimes. Corruption, where both politicians, veterinarians, inspectors are involved, make the situation very difficult to overcome.

Italy's invisible and forgotten dogs

In 1991, a new law was introduced, no. 281, which declared that it was not allowed to kill stray dogs. Instead, stray dogs would be placed in shelters, vaccinated, fed and eventually become adopted. As the authorities did not manage this themselves, funds were made available for private enclosure to take over part of the burden. The owners of these private enclosures, canili lager, were paid on a daily basis 2-7 EUR per animal.

This led to a tragedy for thousands of dogs, because unscrupulous people took the chance to earn as much money as possible by filling small, inadequate enclosures with too many dogs. Any interest in finding new homes for the dogs didn't exist since the grants would then cease to come. On the contrary, the owners of these enclosures acted in silence. The dogs had to spend their entire miserable lives in tiny, filthy spaces, skinny and half-starved, often abused and injured in dog ​​fights without getting veterinary care. They never came out for exercise.

Eventually, the conditions improved for dogs in some places thanks to different networks of Italian animal activists who started track down these hidden and well-guarded nightmare shelters. Animal activists insisted on visiting dogs and photos of the dogs' situation were published on the Internet. This led to that some dogs became adopted, and that the owners of the shelters had to permit animal activists to regularly walk the dogs, although only a 20-minute walk per month.

Health authorities also took hold of the issue. A working group was formed, consisting of veterinarians, lawyers and administrative staff. Their task was to inventory and inspect a number of all these terrible shelters, and to try to solve the problem of the large number of street dogs. The group would also inform the owners of the enclosures, as well as dog owners in general about the country's animal protection laws. Corruption among all parties has led to that the controls are not sufficient.

Abuses are continuing in several places. Many dogs are sick without getting veterinary care and die in agony. In the summer, they are exposed to the sun without being able to seek shade, in winter, they are exposed to cold. But as long as the financial contributions for shelter owners continue to be provided and corrupt politicians turn a blind eye to the matter, no change for the dogs will happen.

Background

There are about 400-600 million stray dogs in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Lack of food leads to starvation and makes life on the streets difficult. The dogs are almost always suffering from illnesses and injuries caused by inhumane handling, dog fights or traffic accidents leading to protracted sufferings. The management of these stray dogs is a big problem in many countries, regarding the dogs’ welfare, but also regarding people’s health, in that the dogs can spread diseases, primarily rabies. Approximately 30,000 people die of rabies each year and dogs constitute the main source of contamination. 95% of these cases occur in Asia and Africa.

As both the knowledge and the political will is missing in many places to make use of humane methods, such as spay/neutering programs, the stray dogs therefore are hunted and killed by cruel methods. Either authorities put poison out on the streets – which children and owned dogs are at risk for – and the poison leads to a painful death for the dogs, or they beat the dogs to death on the streets in everyone’s sight. Animal friends and children are traumatized in becoming witnesses to these gruesome scenes. Many dogs are also caught by dog catchers and the dogs are placed in municipal shelters, often without access to either food or veterinary care for the damages incurred. After a time the dogs are killed by methods described above. There is practically no stray dogs that are killed humanely.

Capturing the dogs is often associated with significant economic benefits in the form of government grants, or EU grants, for those involved since the corruption is widespread in many of the countries which have stray dogs. Government officials, for example, own shelters and therefore have an interest in being able to continue capturing dogs instead of solving the problem in a humane and effective way.

The reason why there are stray dogs roaming the streets is because the owners have abandoned their dogs due to small living spaces or economical shortcomings. It is also common to leave the dog outside on the street while the owner is at work. As the dogs aren’t castrated, constantly matings occur. Many owned dogs are also abandoned for other various reasons; dogs are considered to be poor as guard or hunting dogs, or the owner simply got tired of the dog.

Some stray dogs are fed by animal caring people and these dogs usually do quite well. Many of the locals in different countries, however, consider the dogs as a scourge and take out their aggressions towards them. These acts of cruelty to animals often receive no sanction in form of fines or imprisonment.