First OIE regional workshop on dog population management- Raising public awareness on stray dogs

Transcription

1 Bucharest June 2014 First OIE regional workshop on dog population management- Raising public awareness on stray dogs Alexandra Hammond-Seaman RSPCA International

2 Raising public awareness WHY? - Dog ecology is linked with human activities - Promotion of RPO can significantly reduce the numbers of stray dogs and incidence of zoonotic disease - Successful DPM intervention has to be accompanied by a change in human behaviour

3 Factors influencing dog population size Human attitudes and behavior Reproductive capacity of the population Access to resources Community resources and stakeholder action

4 Factors motivating people to control dog populations -Zoonotic disease -Current roaming dog population -Poor health and welfare of the roaming population -Risk to the public -Nuisance

5 Raising public awareness Overpopulation and overproduction of dogs is linked to human activity and is therefore a societal problem which needs to be addressed as a complex and multifaceted issue.

6 Community engagement - Community engagement is critical when planning and designing an intervention. Interventions must be community owned. - Without public support even the well resourced and planned programmes can t succeed. - Any intervention has to seek engagement from the wider community.

7 What do we need to know to develop and intervention that is community owned: Public Attitude (What people think, what people want) Human Behaviour (What people do) Public attitudes toward strays? Toward their own dogs? Public awareness of connection between stray and owned ( stray might be owned roaming, but creating puppies) Public awareness and attitudes toward principles of responsible pet ownership (vaccination, sterilisation, controlled reproduction) What are people s concerns? Rabies? Bites? Barking? Do people want dogs on the street? vs. Do people want dogs killed? Will people tolerate community dogs if safe/healthy, not aggressive and sterilised? Why do people own dogs? How do they treat their owned dogs? Training? Do people let their dogs roam? Abandon? What do they do with unwanted puppies when their dog gets pregnant? What are most common issues that people cannot cope with (causing abandonment)? Disease, behaviour, money, etc.

8 Raising public awareness on stray dogs Creating a multi stakeholder concept -Governmental bodies -Veterinary community -Local and municipal communities -Dog owners and potential dog owners -NGO community -Academic community -Educators -Local media -Local leaders -International bodies -Private sector

9 Raising public awareness- Education -Long term programme but most important element to change attitudes towards dogs and animals in general and starts with children. -Should be conducted by professional educators. -Promote responsible dog ownership; neutering, vaccinations, training -Child safety training; disease and dog bite prevention

10 Promoting responsible ownership/citizenship -The major challenge for a successful DPM programme. -RPO means a different thing in different communities. -The health and welfare of domestic dogs may be improved through the promotion of responsible human ownership. -All stakeholders have a role to play and should deliver the same message.

11 Intervention objectives Possible impacts: - Improve dog welfare - Reduce dog population density/population turnover - Reduce risks to public health - Improve public perception of dogs - Improve shelter performance - Reduce negative impact on wildlife - Reduce negative impact of dogs on livestock

12 Indicators for measuring change in public perception Improve public perception/satisfaction of dog health/welfare/risk/nuisance Public perceptions of dogs will vary both between locations and between people living in the same location. There are a few indicators that will be widely applicable, however it is likely that perceptions will need to be explored in each location and key perceptions selected as locally relevant indicators.

13 Indicators for measuring change in public perception -The proportion of dogs that are acquired through adoption (in the country) as opposed to purchased may be used as an indicator of increased empathy towards/positive perceptions of street and shelter dogs. -Change in attitudes and acceptance of dogs measured through change in level of agreement with key attitude statements posed through specifically developed questionnaires. -The number of complaints relating to dogs may also be an indicator of how public perception is changing over time. -Human dog interactions- Improvements in public perception may also be reflected in the way people interact with roaming dogs in public places.

14 Implementation, monitoring and evaluation - Community will expect demonstrable evidence whether an intervention has been effective. - People will know whether the situation is improving. - It is important to involve the community in M&E and discuss the positives and negatives openly and transparently. - To change public perception od dogs it is critical that all stakeholders work together and communicate openly. - If the programme ensures a community buy- in and the implementation is transparent this is the most certain way of influencing public perception.

15 CITY OF ZAGREB-SHELTER FOR ABANDONED ANIMALS OUR WAY TO ANIMAL WELFARE, APRIL 2014.

16 - first croatian shelter - since 2001.; City of Zagreb - no kill policy - budget euros ABOUT SHELTER

17 INFO CENTER - open in lost, found, neglected & abused animals - City of Zagreb - report about complains

18 ANIMAL CORNER - open in June City of Zagreb - rehoming & educational center - shop

19 - fundraising events - rehoming - educations - media - You don`t need to buy love! MARKETING

20 WE WANT TO BE EVERYWHERE - Cro a Porter - Concert hall Vatroslav Lisinski - Theatres - Galeries - Cinemas - Calendars

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22 - Sisi & Petra kids last year (3.500 this one) - schools, kindergartens, libraries - programmes about coexistence EDUCATION

23 - workshops & seminars - best volunteer of the year - they can be a great help for shelter routines and organizing events - Klara The best volunteer in Zagreb in Irena fundraising lady VOLUNTEERS

24 WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO TATJANA ZAJEC! CITY OF ZAGREB-SHELTER FOR ABANDONED ANIMALS

25 Raising public awareness on stray dogs In summary Community problem Societal concern Dog and human ecology interconnected Need to effect the human behavior Need a full stakeholder engagement -stakeholder committees Tools to measure public perception Communications strategy People need to understand how they can affect stray dog population dynamics Targeting owners and potential owners