8:00am Friday 5th September 2008
By Charlotte Gray
More than 200 abandoned and unwanted dogs have been rounded up off Hertsmere’s streets since the start of last year.
Hertsmere Borough Council has responsibilty for collecting stray dogs in the area and either returning them to their owners or rehousing them. However the council has seen an increase of almost 50 per cent in the number of dogs taken so far this year compared to the year before.
Since January 2007, 204 strays were taken in by the local authority. But nearly half of these - 96 - were recovered in the past eight months alone. And while 124 of these were returned to their homes, another 80 abandoned pets were sent to animal charities such as the RSPCA or Animal Welfare Society.
Last month was the busiest for the council, with 19 furry friends found in August. Only 11 were given back to their owners.
Piers Claughton, Local Government advisor for the RSPCA, which has two centres in Hertfordshire, said: “The figures for 2008 will be more significant as in April this year the law changed, giving local authorities sole responsibility for dealing with stray dogs.
“The Government did not allocate enough money to local authorities to provide an effective service and I fear it will be having a massive impact on animal welfare.”
Across the country an estimated 11 dogs are turned out of their homes every hour and one is put down every 80 minutes. These figures were revealed this week by the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, the Dogs Trust.
Chief executive of the Dogs Trust, Clarissa Baldwin, believes pets should not be treated as throwaway commodities.
She said: “This is the first year that the number of stray dogs in the UK has dropped below 100,000. But this is still far too high a figure — it’s 6,000 more than the number of seats at Wembley.
“For a nation of so-called animal lovers it is unacceptable that pets are being treated as throwaway commodities. Dog ownership is a privilege, not a right.
“The onus remains on owners to accept their responsibility. Get your dog neutered and microchipped and ensure he is wearing an ID tag so that if he is lost he can be reunited with you more easily.”
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