Why do we need to Home Dogs?

There are two important and closely related activities that are fundamental to the function of running a dog shelter. There are a variety of dog shelters in Cyprus. There are the ones run by charities such as Paphiakos and CAPCA in addition there are the municipal shelters and of course a variety of private facilities.

All of them attempt to provide for unwanted, abandoned, lost and unloved dogs. They arrive at these shelters in depressingly large numbers and in a variety of conditions ranging from barely alive to fit and healthy. There are also a large number of puppies of all types which are dumped in cardboard boxes. The reasons why dogs end up at shelters fall into three of four main categories. Simple abandonment - very often of hunting dogs at the end of the hunting season in March; perhaps the dog has not proved to be a good hunter or is simply too inconvenient to keep until next season. The dogs are found wandering around scavenging for food and water and frankly can be a considerable nuisance and are brought in either by the municipalities or by well wishers when they have grown so weak that they can no longer avoid capture. The shelteres will endeavour to bring them around but frequently the damage caused by weeks of malnourishment and dehydration is too great to overcome.

Inconvenience is another main cause. These dogs are usually brought in to the charitable or private shelters, often by a third party, with the stories of "our landlord won't let us keep a dog", "it barks too much", "it doesn't get on with our other dog or child etc", "our neighbours have threatened to poison it". All these are valid reasons, if true, to try to find another home for the dog, but the dog shelter should not be the first place they come to get rid of their problem. Training can frequently resolve the behavioural difficulties giving rise to the problem but near in mind training applies to both owner and dog!

Then we have the perennial "we have to go back to the UK". It is not easy to take a dog from Cyprus to the UK - it takes planning. The elapsed time is seven months - the dog needs a rabies shot followed one month later by a blood test to prove it has been effective and then a six month wait before the dog can enter the UK. So, if there is any chance that the owner may have to return to the UK, the dog should start its rabies routine as soon as possible after it is acquired. There are of cours always the unwanted puppies. What a surprise? The reproductive process is a complete mystery to some it would seem. There are cultural reasons why some Cypriots oppose neutering but for the rest uf us it is highly recommended. I am principally talking of canines in this regard.

However, having said all that, there will always be a need for facilities to receive unwanted or lost dogs. Much as we many wish it, we will never succeed in reforming everyone's behaviour towards dogs much as we may campaign and educate. We need to accept that there is no such thing as a shelter with unlimited capacity. There has, therefore, to be a balance between dogs coming in and dogs going out.

There are three ways in which dogs can go out: Natural death - this thankfully is verly low even when you take into account the odd fatal dog fight. Euthanasia - There are some dogs that have to go because of behaviour problems or simply poor health but mostly they have to go just to make room for new dogs coming in. The municipal shelters have a policy of not keeping a dog for more than 14 days otherwise they would be bursting at the seams.

Homing - This is the whole raison d'etre of this organisation. The more dogs we can home the more room there will be for new dogs in the shelters and consequently a reduction in Euthanasia. What is needed is more people who are prepared to home a dog from the Shelter. This is aimed at everyone out there who does not have a dog and is missing out on one of life's great pleasures. Owning a dog can contribute a great deal to the owner's wellbeing. As has been said before there are huge benefits to be derived having a loved dog in your life.

Dogs increase the quality of life by giving focus to the day. The daily walking routine can have tremendous health benefits. Health studies have shown that owning a dog can lower a person's blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Dogs are non-judgmental and offer uncondi- tional love as well as being entertaining and offer the opportunity to increase social interaction. Dog owners frequently talk about little else.

The shelters have a large number of dogs of all sizes and descriptions. There is as least one dog to suit all tastes and usually far more than one. Remember that each dog that is homed makes room for another dog in need of care.