Unless you are an avid follower of what’s going on in the rescue world, you may not know about the U.K. pound system.
We get comments of shock and outrage every time we post that we have rescued a dog that was going to be put to sleep in a U.K. pound.
Many people seem to think that if they abandon their dogs, a rescue will definitely step in and take them and a new home will be found quickly, but this isn’t the reality.
There are pounds all over England and most
strays that are found and not quickly reunited with their families end up in the stray system.
Pounds must put a 7 day hold on any stray that comes in so that they can be claimed, but on day 8 they are put to sleep. This is one of the reasons microchips are so important; helping reunite families with their beloved pets before the worst happens.
This 7 day hold is a mad dash for any pound pullers trying to find placements for the dogs. One of the pounds we help has roughly 30 dogs needing rescue spaces per week and most rescues are full to the brim.
The pounds “assess” dogs when they arrive and many dogs don’t even make it to the list of dogs needing a rescue space. Some pounds are worse than others and a small growl from a terrified dog can easily lead to them being labelled as aggressive and put to sleep.
Happy, loving and gentle dogs are being put to sleep every day in the stray system simply because there is no room for them and the next batch of strays needs their kennels. Many people think of pound dogs as old dogs that no one wants, but this simply isn’t the case.
Pounds are full of puppies that weren’t sold by breeders, pedigrees that people must of paid thousands for originally and family dogs that have been lost due to out of date chip information.
Every time you adopt from a rescue centre, you are making a space for another dog in need of saving.
We take in as many as we can as do most other rescues but can’t if we don’t have spaces to house them or funds to care for them.
The only way out of the current rescue crisis is to adopt.
So, when you are looking to expand your family, please remember to #adoptdontshop.
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