Stray Dogs

Stray dogs has always been a problem in the UK. The government is attempting to control it with the dog law change happening at the moment, with the possibility to make micro chipping compulsory by 2016.

Generally over the UK there has been a fall in the amount of strays being picked up (Apart from in Yorkshire where there has been an increase, the reason is unknown).  This general reduction is thought to be due to owners being more responsible, with the micro chipping being readily used by owners as the stories of dog napping hits national television.

I also think the mass use of social media allows dogs that are missing to be reunited very quickly due to the shear speed that the information as be shared across the country and in some cases the world! It means less dogs are being taken in as strays and they reunited, instead they are being found and taken home. Mass appeals work well to reunite dog and owner. It is unknown how much of an effect it has on the percentage decrease but I suspect it is effecting it a lot. It would be an interesting thing to study though?

With micro chipping becoming compulsive it should decrease the amount of strays again but there are still going to be dogs without the chip as there are people who won’t do it due to the cost. There are also some people that do not want to use chips due to the possible health risk involved with putting foreign objects under the skin. For some people their dogs are never chipped due to the fact that it will never be needed. I have 5 dogs only one of which is chipped due to the fact that he leaves the farm. The other 4 never will as they are working farm dogs that are aggressive and if someone can get close enough to catch one they can get close enough to be bitten. It might be closed minded but the cost of chipping them will never be viable.

Those dogs used for illegal dog fighting that can be dumped after they are no longer useful will not be chipped. The dogs are hidden from the public, so the “criminals” will not be chipping them. This will not stop the dogs being dumped.

The problem that has arisen with chips is that people don’t change the address on them when they move. Often dogs go missing and cannot be reunited with the owner as no one bothered to update the details in the panic and excitement of a new move. Some may also think “my dog won’t get lost” but its not about that. There are still people stealing dogs at any opportunity, assessing the dog then dumping it as it is not worth anything to it.

There is also the good sides to chipping, some dogs have been reunited with owners many years after being lost or stolen. Just from them being scanned by chance.

People will still be over breeding dogs, puppy farming or not. There are accidental mating or puppies that cannot be sold. These dogs might be kept for a time then dumped. Boxes of puppies are going to turn up at shelters due people not wanting the responsibility or trace-ability of chipping the dogs.

There is a lack of dog wardens in the UK due to the cost and the fact that the councils are in charge of the dog wardens and cannot afford the cost of employing people due to the cut backs all over the UK leading to stretched resources. The lack of dogs being picked up could account to the reduction in strays being reported as people are just catching and getting them home themselves as the dog warden cannot get to them.

Strays will always be a problem in any country, but in the UK we have managed to keep it to a minimum with the resources we have. The trend in dogs has changed from working to pets, and with this change means more and more dogs being bred or discarded as they are not “fashionable”. They have become a disposable product, so the reduction in the amount of strays could be signaling the end of this fashion for crazy puppies and return to not over breeding dogs for fashion and profit but for companions for those or want them or as working dogs.

BBC Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24125601