Saving Death Row Dogs
Stray, Unwanted and Abandoned Dogs - Poundies/Death Row Dogs
New Hope have been dedicated to helping dogs on death row and/or with medical needs for the last 20 years and this is probably what we are best known for. Sadly many thousands of dogs are ‘put to sleep’ in the U.K. every year, of all breeds and all ages. Unlike many other countries, our stray dogs are kept behind closed doors and many of the general public are not aware of the system.
We aim to help as many as we can, given their circumstances and in particular, dogs that have been turned away elsewhere. We often take in animals in immediate danger to save them from death and then place them into other rescues once a space is available. We occasionally re-home those that we consider adoptable but concentrate on being the middle link between immediate danger and rescue spaces. We care for animals in our own homes, foster homes or private boarding kennels, where we often have to keep many of the death row dogs.
New Hope is limited by space, fosterer’s availability and financial help. We rely on donations to help keep saving lives. Our kennel fees, transport costs and vet bills are very large, as we endeavour to help any animal that needs help whatever the costs might amount to. We have seen vet bills during the course of a year running into tens of thousands of pounds. At the moment we regularly deal with 5 stray pounds, plus others when we can and also take dogs from other rescues and charities, social services, vets and Police when we are able.
What is a Death Row Dog?
In the UK, the law requires that if you find a stray dog, you must report it to your local authority dog warden service.
If a dog is unclaimed after 7 clear days, they become the property of the local authority. These 7 days include weekends and Bank Holidays. In some cases where local authorities will be closed for weekends or Bank Holidays, owners will only have 3 actual days to try and find their dog! When a dog has been detained for 7 clear days after the seizure or, where a notice has been served and the owner has not claimed the dog and paid reclaim amounts due, the local authorities may dispose of the dog in the ways below:
(a) by selling or giving to a person who will, in his opinion, care properly for the dog.
(b) by selling or giving to an establishment for the reception of stray dogs.
(c) by destroying in a manner to cause as little pain as possible.
No dog seized shall be sold or given for the purposes of vivisection.
The local authority may cause a dog detained to be destroyed before the expiration of the 7 day period where they are of the opinion that this should be done to avoid suffering. The dogs that are not claimed and have no one coming for them are the ‘death row’ dogs that are desperate for a rescue space or will end up euthanised.
How Many Dogs are Killed Each Year in the UK?
Sadly there are no true figures to collate a definitive total of dogs that are euthanised each year. A larger animal charity commissions a survey each year for local authorities in the U.K. but for 2023/2024 only 71% of local authorities replied and sometimes the information is lacking. Also the figures do not include dogs taken to vets by owners (yes – vets are able to euthanise healthy, unwanted dogs with the owners permission), or dogs that have landed in rescues that do not adhere to a strict ‘no-kill’ policy and can end up considered ‘kennel blockers’ if not quickly adopted and are often 'put to sleep'. Therefore our information is the best we can give at the moment but, in our opinion, will be on the lower side of what is actually happening.
All figures here relate to the year from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. Nearly 40,000 dogs were handled by local authorities, with a 6% increase in dogs being euthanised compared to the the previous year, which estimates nearly 2500 dogs put to sleep across the U.K., with England being the worst for euthanasia. This equates to an estimated 48 per week, every week but if you follow social media and see the constant pleas for life saving rescue space, then you will agree that, as previously mentioned, we think the problem is far greater. When you think how small the U.K. is, there are a phenomenal amount of dogs killed week in and week out compared to other countries. Only 39% of stray dogs were reclaimed, down from 54% in 2022/2023, in fact more dogs were taken by rescue centres than reclaimed by their owners!
How Can I Help?
Please spay and neuter your dogs! Not only is it better for their health, especially in later life, but we already have so many unwanted dogs in this country that it is sheer madness to breed any more. Dogs are being killed every day – adoptable dogs of all breeds and ages that sadly haven’t made it out of the system.
The law mandates that all dogs over eight weeks old must be microchipped and registered on one of the many databases. If your dog is not microchipped, or you have not updated the details, which is your responsibility, you can be liable for a £500.00 fine. It is also a legal requirement for your dog, when outside, to have a collar and tag with the owner address and contact information. If you have lost your dog you should notify the local authority and keep in regular contact with them, and of course notify your microchip database. Also note that it is a criminal offence to keep a lost dog. There are also volunteer based websites that will notify local people and help you create posters and give you advice. These options will help you get your dog back home quickly in the event that they escape or run off.
Adopt don’t Shop! There are dogs of all ages and breeds in rescue and often you are better to look at your life style and what you can offer the dog rather than limit yourself to what you think you want. Take advice from the rescue as they want to match their dogs with the perfect home. There are also specific rescues too for all breeds, where original owners would have paid many thousands of pounds for dogs in some cases, before abandoning, dumping or not caring for them.
When you adopt a rescue dog, you are actually saving two lives as you will then create a space for another ‘death row’ dog to be saved. Also when you adopt from a reputable rescue your dog will have already been wormed, de-flead, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, behaviour tested and have life time back up. Some even give a free month of insurance too. Factoring in the costs of buying a dog and as a responsible owner sorting all of the above, a donation fee for your dog is an absolute bargain! Life time rescue back up will also give you peace of mind for any life changing events, knowing your beloved dog will always be safe and not end up another ‘death row’ dog, as the reputable rescue will always take them back.
Various rescues have various adoption policies and we often hear people have bought dogs as ‘no rescue would adopt to them’. Either they have not looked hard enough or some people are really not suitable to be entrusted the care of animals that they want.
Other ways to help are by sharing posts on social media and also by supporting small rescues with donations, fundraising and volunteering. If you'd like to support New Hope, do visit our Ways to Help page and follow us on Facebook.
News and Media
Here are some links to articles and videos of our ‘poundie’ and other work over the years:
19/02/25 Dog abandoned on roundabout in Dartford announced as finalist of Crufts The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/dog-found-dumped-in-basket-on-roundabout-named-crufts-finali-320361
19/02/24 What a difference - seven pups dumped bald and deformed transformed in just four weeks
https://www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/what-difference-seven-pups-dumped-9109642
01/06/21 Covid: Sharp increase reported in abandoned dogs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-kent-57286672
16/05/21 'Death row dogs'
15/05/21 ‘Death row dogs’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/death-row-dogs-pandemic-pets-whose-owners-dont-want
25/05/21 Dogs on death row: Animal shelter warns that strays and older dogs who struggle to find new owners will end up being put down as homes struggle to cope with influx of lockdown puppies
25/05/21 ITV This Morning
https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/the-pandemic-pups-being-saved-from-dog-death-row
05/06/19 Herne Bay New Hope Animal Rescue takes in injured dog Kizzy from Lower Halstow
26/04/17 Abbey Wood-based New Hope Animal Rescue centre launches £300,000 crowdfunding appeal to buy land and help more pets in need
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/15244399.abbey-wood-based-new-hope-animal-rescue-centre-launches-300000-crowdfunding-appeal-to-buy-land-and-help-more-pets-in-need
24/12/16 Unilad Adopt Don’t Shop
https://www.facebook.com/uniladmag/videos/2508108139212230
22/01/14 This Guy’s on a Quest to Save London’s Death Row Dogs
https://www.vice.com/en/article/death-row-dogs
16/12/13 Council’s Dartfordian award
https://dartford.moderngov.co.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=17479
27/10/13 Express IFAW Dog Rescue Award
https://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/439397/Darling-dog-s-owner-receives-IFAW-award-among-other-nature-lovers
21/10/13 IFAW: Animal heroes from around the UK to receive awards
https://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-former/press-release/2013/10/21/ifaw-animal-heroes-from-around-the-uk-to-receive-awards/page/279
Sources: Gov.UK, Dog's Trust