It s a dog s life: vet nursing at Dogs Trust centre, Leeds

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Dorthy Cooper
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1 Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession It s a dog s life: vet nursing at Dogs Trust centre, Leeds Author : Vicky Tonks Categories : RVNs Date : May 1, 2008 Vicky Tonks VN, describes the work her role as veterinary nurse at the Dogs Trust centre in Leeds involves DOGS Trust is Britain s largest dog welfare charity, founded in 1891 as the National Canine Defence League, and it now has more than 300,000 members and supporters. Dogs Trust s mission statement is working towards a day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. Our aim is to work for a reduction in stray dogs, and for the provision of proper veterinary care. We also aim to solve the problem of why there are so many unwanted dogs in the UK, through practical measures, such as neutering and microchipping, and raising awareness through education. In the past, Dogs Trust has been involved with campaigns such as outlawing performing dogs in music halls, safe rail travel for dogs, and the anti-vivisection movement. These days, we still run a variety of outreach programmes, such as The Hope Project, which provides advice and free veterinary care for dogs whose owners are homeless or in a housing crisis. The Freedom Project is a fostering scheme for dogs owned by women fl eeing domestic violence Dogs Trust fi nds temporary homes for these dogs and when the women are back in a stable and safe environment, the dogs are returned to them. International programmes, such as catch, neuter and release projects in Romania jointly funded with Battersea Dogs Home and North Shore Animal League to humanely reduce the growing population of stray dogs roaming the streets also form part of our work. Projects closer to home include those working with veterinary clinics to provide subsidised neutering schemes, as well as 1 / 10

2 regional campaigns providing free neutering on particular estates or streets where there is a specifi c problem with stray dogs and unwanted litters. These are usually low-income families who need fi nancial help. We are already seeing a reduction in the number of stray dogs and dogs being destroyed. We run microchipping events throughout the country where people can attend with their dogs and have them microchipped for free. Education is also a big part of the work of the charity. By encouraging more people to neuter their pets we can greatly reduce the number of unwanted litters. Workshops are carried out by education offi cers with children the dog owners of the future to promote animal care and welfare. On our website, people can read or download fact sheets on responsible dog ownership, dog behaviour and training, healthcare and much more. At our centres, our staff are always there to give advice, and we run adoption talks that people must attend before taking one of our dogs home. Rehoming Just under 13,000 dogs were rehomed last year from our 17 rehoming centres in the UK. I am the veterinary nurse working at the rehoming centre in Leeds. The dogs we take in come to us through council-run stray kennels or private handovers from people who are unable to look after their dogs any longer, either through a change of circumstance or as a result of behavioural problems. We endeavour to take in all dogs, but we struggle for kennel space and dogs must be willing to share a kennel with another dog. We have a training and behaviour advisor (TBA) who works with dogs that come in with behavioural issues. These range from nervousness and under-socialisation to dog or people-focused aggression. A dog s fi rst port of call when handed over to us is at the vet suite, where our vet gives them a complete health check. All dogs are vaccinated, microchipped, treated for fl eas and worms and any conditions present. Dogs from the stray kennels often come in with a form of kennel cough and these are treated with a short course of antibiotics, which clears most of them quickly. As soon as they are well, all dogs are neutered on-site, and any necessary dental work, lump removals, etc are carried out at the same time. We see the widest range of dogs imaginable, from stray cross-breeds to pedigree pointers and old English sheepdogs, from chihuahuas to Rottweilers. With some dogs it is obvious that they are not strays, they are well groomed and well fed if they were microchipped they could have been reunited with their owners. It is really rewarding to see dogs that come in to us extremely nervous, but slowly come round, turning into great dogs that make perfect companions. At our rehoming centres there are fi ve different blocks: New arrivals Dogs that arrive from stray kennels go into new arrivals fi rst. It is an isolation block, so if the dogs 2 / 10

3 have kennel cough or anything more serious they can be kept away from the other animals until they are cleared by the vet to move to the rehoming area. Rehoming Once dogs have been cleared by the vet or if they are private handovers, they go into our rehoming block. Dogs on this block are up for adoption and can be viewed by the public. Booked Once a dog has been reserved by new owners, it is moved over to our booked block so it is no longer on show to the public. Training Our training block is especially for dogs who need to work with the TBA before they are ready to be rehomed. Puppy block We get lots of puppies in from people who can t cope with them, often after unplanned pregnancies. The puppies are either looked after with their mother or hand reared by our staff. They are kept isolated from the other dogs in the centre and after they have had their vaccinations they are rehomed from the puppy block. When people first arrive at Dogs Trust reception, they are asked to fi ll out a rehoming questionnaire, which asks them about their lifestyle, working hours, dog preferences, etc. They can then walk through our rehoming block and have a look at all the dogs currently up for adoption. Each of the dogs has its name and a brief description on the front of the kennel so that people can see its age, breed and whether it is good with cats, children and livestock. Once visitors have picked out a dog they like, they go back down to reception with the dog s name and either our receptionist or one of our rehoming staff can talk to them about the dog, giving a more in-depth description and seeing if that dog meets their requirements. If all this matches up, the potential owners can then take the dog out for a walk so they can meet them and spend some time with them. After that they can put a reserve on that dog and it will be moved over to the booked block. Once a dog is reserved, a few routine checks have to be carried out on the new owners to see if they are suitable dog owners. Dogs Trust is extremely careful not to let dogs go out to homes that aren t just right. If the people have owned a dog in the past five years, a vet reference is carried out by telephoning their previous or current vets to fi nd out whether their dog was kept up to date with its vaccines, if it had any accidents or illnesses, and whether the owners brought them in and kept up with treatments, etc. If they haven t owned a dog 3 / 10

4 in the past five years, a home visit is carried out. This involves one of our canine carers visiting the house to check if the garden is secure and whether the fence is high enough to prevent escape (depending, of course, on the size and age of the dog). We fi nd out where the dog will be sleeping and whether it will be left for more than four hours, and what provisions have been made if so. Home checks Other reasons for a home visit include checking if the owners have cats or other dogs. Another dog is usually introduced at the centre, rather than at home, to ensure there are no territorial issues. The dog is then taken by a canine carer to meet the cat or dog in the home. If the dog chases the cat or the owner is not happy about how the introduction goes, the reserve may be pulled and the dog will be put up for rehoming again. However, if all goes well, the adoption can go ahead. The new owners need to come up to walk their dog at least three times before they can take it home. This builds a bond between them, and both the owners and the dog benefi t from spending some time together. The new owner also needs to prove that he or she has registered the dog with a vet and with a dog trainer if it is a younger animal. Dogs Trust holds adoption talks twice a week, taken by our managers, TBA or rehoming staff, and they cover subjects such as settling a dog into a new environment, and training. They also talk through the keepsafe tag that we provide for every dog. Keepsafe is a national database of dogs and owners details. Each dog has its own specifi c number; it is an additional security to the microchip. Adoption fee All our new owners pay an adoption fee. For this, the dog is vaccinated, chipped, neutered, and it includes any other surgery and medication. In addition, Dogs Trust will provide lifelong support, either from our TBA for behavioural issues or from our vet for immediate medical problems that have not been picked up at the centre. If a dog is more than 10 years old, or has a chronic medical condition, it may be placed on our foster scheme, which means any medical bills are covered by us. However, if a dog has a pre-existing condition that we know about, such as epilepsy or diabetes, we put that dog on to what we call a part foster. This means that Dogs Trust will pay for any veterinary bills relating to that condition. This makes people more willing to take on older or less fi t dogs as they are safe in the knowledge that veterinary costs will not be an issue. I have worked in the new rehoming centre in Leeds since it fi rst opened and the work we do here for the dogs is amazing. There are so many stray dogs in our area and there is a neverending list of handovers waiting to come in. The work that Dogs Trust does is outstanding and in the future, due to all the neutering and education programmes, there will hopefully be no more needless destruction of healthy dogs in our country. 4 / 10

5 Dogs Trust sees a huge variety of dogs, from cross-breeds to pefigrees, at its Leeds centre. 5 / 10

6 Dogs are only put up for rehoming after they have had a full vet check and have been assessed by a behaviourist. 6 / 10

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8 The centre has a puppy block, where mums and pups can be cared for away from other dogs until after they are vaccinated. 8 / 10

9 The centre has a puppy block, where mums and pups can be cared for away from other dogs until after they are vaccinated. 9 / 10

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CAREERS INFORMATION. learnwithdogstrust.org.uk. Dogs Trust Registered Charity Nos and SC037843

CAREERS INFORMATION. learnwithdogstrust.org.uk. Dogs Trust Registered Charity Nos and SC037843 CAREERS INFORMATION learnwithdogstrust.org.uk Dogs Trust 2017. Registered Charity Nos. 227523 and SC037843 Careers with Dogs Trust What does Dogs Trust do? Today Dogs Trust is the UK s largest dog welfare