Profiles

Sadly, stray animals are becoming all too common, not just in Gloucestershire, but across the UK. With many owners unable – or simply unwilling – to care for their pets properly, a vast number of dogs end up wandering alone around our towns and villages.

Gill Minnican who fosters rescued dogs

According to the latest report from Dogs Trust UK, local councils took in nearly 97,000 dogs in 2008. Around 6,700 were put to sleep – roughly 18 each day – many due to a lack of space.

It often falls to our Dog Wardens to deal with the problem of strays. Alex Davies, Animal Welfare Officer for Stroud District Council, says that she and Warden Tasha Anderson spend the majority of their working day dealing with stray dogs, as I found when I spent an afternoon shadowing Tasha.

But once the Wardens have done their job, it's down to rescue centres – like Cheltenham Animal Shelter and Teckels near Whitminster – to house the dogs and find them loving new owners.

Ian Coe with a dog belonging to Gill Minnican

Victor Nairn, Animal Care Manager at Cheltenham Animal Shelter is proud that no pets have stayed for longer than six months since he took up his post. And thankfully most of his dogs are found new owners within a few weeks of being brought in.

If you're thinking of adopting a dog, vet Marc Abraham recommends rescue centres as the place to find one. Not only are you saving an abandoned animal, but you also have a guarantee that the dog has been treated well in the shelter, rather than coming from a potentially unscrupulous breeder.

Gill Minnican, who lives near Stroud, owns rescue dogs herself, and also fosters a number of animals. She's happy to give them a good home whilst new owners are found.

Tasha at Teckels Rescue Centre

But some say that the problem of strays could be solved at its root by making it compulsory for all dogs to be implanted with a microchip containing the owner's details.

Sue Cole and her pupils at the Thorpe House School in Norwich set up the Speaking Out for Animals (SOFA) group in 2004, and are leading a campaign to make microchipping compulsory. Marc Abraham is a supporter of the initiative, as is Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood, who was encouraged by the enthusiasm of local resident Sarah Wakefield.

Whatever the solution to the problem of strays, let's hope that the majority of pets continue to be loved and cared for. Please help to save dogs' lives by being a responsible owner.