CC BY
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Malgorzata Pierko, Marcelina Gaik ©
Department of Zoology, Westpomeranian, University of Technology (ZUT) in Szczecin, 20 Doktora Judyma Street, 71-466 Szczecin, Poland Malgorzata.Pierko@ zut.edu.pl
POPULATION OF DOGS AND HOUSING CONDITIONS IN POLISH SHELTERS FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE DATA FROM THE SZCZECIN SHELTER FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS IN THE
YEARS 2002 - 2007
Abstract: The analysis included the state and the housing conditions in the shelter, the population of dogs, adoptions, euthanasias, castrations, deaths, escapes, the number of dogs rehomed by the original owners. The observations ascertained the trends regarding the homeless dogs in the shelter, the future prospects for the center and its rank among other animal shelters in Poland. The overpopulation problem was noted, and henceforth the the exceeding quantity of euthanized and dead cases. Another problem was the shortage of financial means for the management of the center, and henceforth insufficient sanitary and housing conditions for the animals. Encouraging seems the growing tendency to the adoptions. Despite the above problems, the shelter managed well in comparison to other animal centers in Poland, however it does not belong to the best ones. Positive solution for the future for this center should be an intensified advertising and educational campaign as well as an acquisition of more volunteers and a higher financial aid from various potential sources.
Key words: dog (Canis lupus familiaris), shelter for homeless animals, housing conditions, population.
Introduction.
The shelter is a center for the homeless animals which could not survive outdoors without people's help. It aims at the support of the basic welfare to the animals, such as the safety, the food, the veterinary service and the rehoming (1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14). Polish shelters for homeless animals have been generally established on the outskirts of towns and financed by the county governments, the donations from people and non-profit institutions. They are the basic form of the solution of the homeless animals' problem. A county in Poland, conceived as a local community of inhabitants, the basic unit of a local government is located on an appropriate area and is smaller than a province. At present there are 2478 counties in Poland: 1586 rural, 586 rural-urban, and 306 urban ones (2, 7, 13, 14). Apart from the above form of animal welfare, predominating in Poland, there are also commercial shelters operating according to the market economy regulations (however, they also cooperate with the county governments), and typically commercial centers, operating as "hotels for animals." The former ones are frequently privately owned, whereas the latter ones are not destined for homeless animals. There are also shelters financed and
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owned by charity institutions, however they are scarce (4, 12, 13, 14, 15). There are merely 101 registered shelters (successive 4 have been waiting for the approval of the authorities and appropriate institutions). The majority of them are under the auspices of Polish Society of Animal Welfare (PTOZ) and its local branches, as well as other funds and societies, the number of which amounts to about 20 (3, 4, 11).
The legal situation of Polish shelters for homeless animals is not explicitly settled. Despite the validity of the regulations of the International Declaration of Animal Rights and the European Convention of the Accompanying Animals Welfare, the reality is, however, different (9, 10). The Act on the animal welfare includes merely a regulation of the possibility of the establishment of such centers in cooperation with the appropriate local authorities (12). Polish 'Act on the maintenance of the purity and order in the counties', and similarly the 'Decree on the principles and conditions of catching homeless animals' do not regulate explicitly the problem of animal shelters maintenance, limiting merely to the duty of homeless animal welfare imposed on the county governments (2, 14). Within the veterinary law, there exists a decree of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the detailed veterinary demands for the maintenance of the shelters for homeless animals (1). Besides some reports on this problem, however scarce and irregular collective ones from particular shelters (6, 15), and the annual report of the Chief Veterinary Officer on the shelters for homeless animals in Poland (last issue in 2005) (8, 15) - there are not many other administrative reports of this type, whereas the existing ones are not always published (4, 5, 7, 15). There are no essential elaborations which would include real conclusions and perspectives. There are no scientific works nor analyses. This is a serious error as the situation in the shelters for homeless animals in Poland has been troublesome for years. They struggle with the overpopulation, insufficient financial means and bad housing conditions (15).
Task, the aim of the article.
The detailed analysis considered the state of the shelter, the housing conditions, the population of adult dogs and pups, adoptions, euthanasias, castrations, deaths, escapes, the number of dogs rehomed by the original owners. The main goal of this work was the estimation of incoming and outgoing dogs in the shelter for homeless animals in Szczecin, in the years 2002 - 2007. The work also attempts to ascertain the tendencies regarding the homeless dogs in the shelter, the probable future prospects for the center, and its rank against other units of this type in Poland.
Material and methods.
The site of the investigations was the shelter for homeless animals located in the north-western part of Szczecin (Province of Westpomerania, north-west of Poland). The shelter was established around 1948 by the Society of Animal Welfare (TOZ Szczecin branch). Thirty two years later it was transformed into the so called "Little Zoo" and became supervised by a county cooperative "Urban Greens" maintaining the urban greenery areas. In 1998 the shelter was retransferred under the competence of the Society of Animal Welfare. However, since May 2001, due to the
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decision of the Szczecin City Board, it has been operating within the jurisdiction of the City Board and is administered by the city budget unit - Communal Services Works (6, 11). This shelter functions according to the Polish legal standards and the regulations provided by the Shelter Statute of May 1, 2001 (1, 2, 6, 11, 14).
The analysis comprised the period between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2007. The numerical data and the source information for this work were collected between November 2007 and December 2008. The source of the numerical data were the official documents of the shelter for the homeless animals in Szczecin achieved from the manager of this unit (5, 6, 7). Multiple observations, as well as the interviews with the workers of the shelter were conducted by the author, on the fitness, number, and variety of dogs in the shelter, the housing and nutritional conditions, the daily work in the shelter, and its functioning, the sanitary-veterinary support, etc. Moreover, the analysis used the information from the official website of the shelter (11). The analyzed parameters included: the population of adult dogs and pups (incoming and outgoing, in the annual and monthly specifications); the number of adoptions; the number and causes of euthanasias, deaths and castrations; the number and possibilities of dogs escapes from the shelter; the number of dogs rehomed by the original owners. The data was subjected to a detailed analysis (arithmetic averages and percentage of the investigated parameters were calculated among others), in order to ascertain: the tendencies regarding homeless dogs in the shelter; the future prospects for the shelter; and its rank against other units of this type in Poland. The interpretation of the obtained data considers the legal regulations valid in Poland (i.e. acts and decrees) regarding the animals with particular regard to the homeless animals (1, 2, 12, 13, 14).
Results of researches.
The animal shelter occupies the area of about 0.5ha which is too small for such a number of incoming animals, therefore a continuous extension is planned for the future. Since 2003 certain repair works have been done, due to which the shelter has an access to the water, gas, and sewage network on the entire area, two additional quarantine boxes have been constructed, the existing cages and runs have been renovated, the open boxes have been hardened and roofed, the fences have been exchanged, the offices and surgeries have been renovated (6, 11). The center is open for visitors between 9:00 - 16:00. The animals are cared for 24/7 by the shelter workers (foster carers) and volunteers, who moreover search new homes for the animals they care for. The dogs are supervised by a 24/7 veterinary service - 3 veterinary doctors (1 full-time, 2 half-time). The shelter also provides a daily emergency service bringing in homeless animals (5, 6, 11).
The dogs entering the Szczecin shelter are of various age, and their stay in the shelter varies considerably. It depends on multiple factors, such as the age, physical state, character, and shape. The shelter register qualifies the majority of dogs as crossbreed (about 99%), as they are not pedigree specimens and cannot be included among any established breeds (even if they satisfy the breed standards). Scarce cases, however, ensure the dog's history on the basis of its pedigree, tattoo, chip, or the data
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of the original owner (6, 11). All the incoming specimens are chipped, while the females (excluding old specimens) are sterilized, due to which the males are not castrated any more. The aggressive and diseased dogs ale located separately, in individual cages, what enables an easy care, and a calm existence of the remaining animals and decreases the risk of infection and contusion. The pups have a separate quarter comprising 10 cage collective boxes. The newcomers are put in a quarantine in separate boxes with allotted runs, devoid of any contacts with other animals. This enables the observation of the dog's character and help it to acclimatize. The boxes contain kennels with various types of mats and pads ensuring satisfactory comfort and temperature. The animals are fed twice daily: a warm (cooked) fodder in the morning and a dry fodder (granulate for dogs) supplied about 13:00, which similarly to the water, is limitless (6, 11).
The shelter has 78 boxes for the adult dogs. There are additional 30 boxes in the two quarantine buildings (15 each). The quarantine buildings are circular and therefore are functional and energy-saving (inside each, there is a stove on biofuel). There two kinds of boxes for the adult dogs: for the small-size dogs and the medium and big ones. The small dogs are caged in the boxes in groups, whereas the big and medium ones, separately or 2-3 specimens. The boxes for the small dogs (14 units) consist of the indoor and outdoor parts, they are roofed, the runs are tiled, and the kennels are multicellular. The boxes for the medium-size dogs (11 outdoor ones) are fenced, roofed, with hardened runs and multicellular kennels. There are 14 similar outdoor boxes of the adequate conditions in which mainly big dogs are caged. According to the Chief Veterinary Officer (1) such housing conditions might serve 240 specimens, however the total population of the entering and staying dogs is practically higher (6, 11).
The number of dogs in the shelter varied dynamically in the analyzed period of time (6). That resulted from such factors as adoptions, euthanasias, deaths, escapes, and potential rehoming by the original owners. The highest number of the incoming dogs was noted in 2002 (2704 specimens). The dogs entered the shelter mainly during the summer vacations (June- August) and during a holiday break (Christmas & New Year: December - January), causing an overpopulation of the shelter in those months. In 2002 the shelter was entered by 708 pups, whereas in 2003 the number exceeded to 812. In the successive years the situation improved considerably, in 2004 the number dropped by 236, while in the years 2005 - 2006 the it remained at a constant level between 253 and 276 (6). However, Polish shelters for homeless animals are entered by too many pups. The main reason of this is the carelessness of their owners (uncontrolled breeding and unconsidered desire of having a pet). Unfortunately, many pups do not succeed to survive in such conditions offered by a shelter (diseases, presence of adult dogs, overheating, heavy stress) what frequently results in a death (6, 11).
The highest number of dogs rehomed by the original owners was noted in 2004. In the years 2002 - 2006 a decreasing tendency in the number of adoptions was observed in relation to the reception, from 58% (1556 dogs) in 2002, to 48% in 2006 (the lowest, equaling 1089 dogs). The highest number of adoptions was noted in 2003
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(1558 dogs). In the last year of the analyzed period (2007), the number of adoptions achieved 59% (1415 dogs) by the end of the year (6). Such a tendency could be hoped for in the successive years. The total adoptions in the Szczecin shelter amounts to 50% in an average (in relation to the reception). The highest number of the adopted animals constituted the pups and young dogs (below the age of 5). The escapes from the shelter were rare. The highest number of escapes was noted in the years 2005 -2006 (24 - 25 cases, which constituted 1% of the total outgoing specimens). The lowest number of escapes was noted in 2003 (merely one case, 0.04%) (6). The highest number of the euthanized animals was noted in 2002 (588 cases, ie. 22% of the total), what coincided with the highest number of incomers (2704 dogs). In 2007 the number of euthanized specimens dropped to 369 cases (15%), what constitutes an optimistic prospects for the future. The euthanized dogs are mainly old, casualties, and diseased (particularly incurable cases, or the carriers of infectious diseases). The carcasses are stored in a cold room to be utilized by an external firm outside of the shelter. Unfortunately, there are also deaths in the shelter. A continuous increase of deaths was noted from the lowest in 2003 (130 specimens, 5%) to the highest in 2006 (347 specimens, 16%). The majority of deaths occurred in winter months. Mainly the pups, young dogs, diseased and old specimens used to die. The main reason of deaths is the constant overpopulation in the shelter (most frequently the deaths occurred in overpopulated boxes). The overpopulation results in an increased aggression which leads to fights, wounds, contusions and even biting to death. Despite a constant supervision, such cases are not avoidable. The shelter is entered by a growing number of the specimens of the aggressive and cross-breeds, which are dangerous and cannot be caged in group boxes, on the other hand, their separate caging is technically difficult due to the limited number of such units (5, 6, 11).
In general, the Szczecin shelter manages well as compared to other animal shelters in Poland, however it does not belong to the best ones. A positive solution for the future for this unit is the intensified advertising campaign, the widened educational campaign in order to increase the people's sensitivity to the problem of animal homelessness, the gaining of more volunteers and financial means as well as donations from all possible sources. Such activities will allow for the drop of the number of dogs incoming to the shelter, the increase of adoptions as well as the betterment of the housing conditions of the animals. Such activities have already affected the increased number of adoptions, decreased number of pups incoming to the shelter, and the repairs which have been done.
Similar problems are also noted in other Polish shelters for homeless animals (4, 5, 8, 11, 15). The state of those animal centers is annually reported by the Chief Veterinary Officer (8, 15). The data from the recent years indicate a successive increase of the animal population in the shelters, an overpopulation and unsatisfactory sanitary-housing conditions. Unfortunately, the officials do not provide any plans for the decrease of the population of the homeless animals, whereas there are merely three solutions for that - the shelters might be closed and receive no new dogs, the adoptions might increase, or the animals euthanized. Unfortunately, the overpopulation in Poland is solved mainly by euthanasia, which is frequently the
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mere means for the decrease of the dog population. Encouraging is the fact that the number of adoptions has been growing recently (even to 90% in the best animal centers) (8, 15). Wider advertising campaigns are conducted, even abroad, in order to rehome the dogs from the Polish animal shelters. The politics regarding the sterilization seem also dramatic. According to the data from 2005 (8, 15), merely 7% dogs are subject to the sterilization. 73 shelters do not practice sterilization, ie. every second center! Moreover, solely 48% dogs have been vaccinated against rabies (!), while vaccinations against other infectious diseases are not performed in 41% shelters. There are centers which either do not keep records or falsify them (15). Moreover, there are no plans and conclusions for the future which might better such a bad situation. The last published report of the Chief Veterinary Officer on the shelters for homeless animals for the years 2003/04 (8), lacks space for the chapter devoted to the conclusions on how to solve the problems of the Polish animal shelters. There is, however, information that in 2003 the General Veterinary Inspectorate issued (for the betterment of the shelters state) 54 administrative decisions and 145 recommendations, remarks, and conclusions. There is no information on whether the unsatisfactory treatment of animals at certain shelters has been prosecuted (8, 15). For the pure reason of comparison, a totally different situation is observed in West European shelters. The legal regulations in the West are specified more precisely and executed strictly. Moreover, the shelters are not overpopulated and have higher financial supplies what effectively eliminates the problem of unsatisfactory sanitary-housing conditions for the animals. The United Kingdom has the so called guards for animals (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - RSPCA). Similar institutions have also been established in the USA and certain European Union countries (3, 9, 10). Remarkable is the fact that following the West European and American RSPCA modes, since 2002 an Intervention Patrol of the Society for Animal Welfare (PISOP) has been operating in Poland, which operates more effectively and successfully (3). With an effective law and its successful execution, such institutions are able to limit the number of homeless animals rapidly and effectively.
Conclusions.
It has been observed that the Szczecin shelter has been entered by too many dogs (the majority in the holiday and vacation periods), the effect of which was the overpopulation in the center. A high percentage of the incoming dogs were the pups. A tendency of adoption drop has been observed, however the last year indicated its increase. The euthanasia achieved a high level, however a slow decrease has been recently noted. The number of animal escapes from the shelter was relatively low and did not increase. An increase in the number of deaths was observed, mainly in winter. Despite the above problems the Szczecin shelter managed well against other shelters in Poland, however it did not belong to the best ones. A positive solution for the future for this center should be an intensified advertising and educational campaign, as well as gaining more volunteers and higher financial aid from various possible sources. That will allow to decrease the number of incoming dogs, increase of adoptions and better the housing conditions for the animals. Such activities have
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resulted in a significant increase of adoptions and the repairs in the shelter in the last year of the analyzed period.
Reference
1. A decree of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the detailed veterinary demands for the maintenance of the shelters for homeless animals, from 23.06.2004 (Law Journal from 12.07.2004).
2. A decree of the Minister of the Interior and Administration, from 26.08.1998, 'Decree on the principles and conditions of catching homeless animals' (Law Journal no. 116, position 753).
3. Guard for Animals („The Police for Animals" RSPCA) -http://www.psyimy pl/psy w potrzebie/Psia Policja/324,Straz dla Zwierzat
4. Reporting the content - related with activity of Association the Social & Ecological the "Animal Telephone of Confidence" in Stettin (Poland), in year 2005. the Board the SSE the "Animal Telephone of Confidence" Stettin office, January 2006.
5. Reporting the content - related with activity of Company of Care over Animals in Poland the Squad in Stettin (Poland), in year 2008. The Board the TOZ/Stettin office, January 2009.
6. Reporting with activity of Chalet for the Animals' Homeless in Stettin in 2001-2006 years. Stettin (Polland), December 2006.
7. Reporting with realization of communal fund of protection environment and the water economy in Police for 2007 year. Board Populaces Police (Polland), January 2008r.
8. The annual report of the Chief Veterinary Officer on the shelters for homeless animals in Poland, for 2003/04 years (The Chief Veterinary Inspectorate, Warshaw (Poland), from 11.03.2005 -http://www.psianiol.org.pl/boz/sch/schro03.pdf.
9. The European Convention of the Accompanying Animals Welfare, resolving in Strasbourg, in 13.11.1987.
10. The International Declaration of Animal Rights, resolving in 21.09.1977, in London (England), by The International Federation of the Animal Law (founding in 02.04.1977, in Genewa).
11. The official website of the Szczecin shelter for homeless animals -http ://szczecin.schronisko.net/
12. The Polish Act on the animal welfare, from 21.08.1997 (Law Journal from 1997, no. 111, position 724).
13. The Polish Act from 08.03.1990, 'About Local Communal Government - The constitution of the Polish Local Communal Government' (Law Journal from 1990 y., no. 16, position 95), obliged from 27.05.1990.
14. The Polish Act from 13.09.1996, 'About supporting of the cleanness and order in the local community' (Law Journal from 1996, no. 132, position 622, part 2 and 4).
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15. Tomasz Jastrz^bowski, 2005: The reports of Helplessness - Office of the Animals' Protection Foundation Asylum under the Dog's Angel. My Dog, June 2005 - http://www.psianiol.org.pl/boz/donies/h10.htm
Summary
The data and materials were collected between November 2007 and December 2008. The analysis included the period between January 1, 2002 and December 31. 2007. Official documents of the shelter for homeless animals in Szczecin and the information on the official website of the center were used for the analysis. Author's own observations and interviews with the workers of the shelter were also incorporated. The just interpretation of the data was based on the obligatory norms and legal regulations in Poland, concerning animals with particular regard to the homeless ones. The analysis comprised: the state and housing conditions in the shelter, population of dogs, adoptions, euthanasias, castrations, deaths, escapes, number of dogs rehomed by the original owners. Conclusions comprised the tendencies regarding the homeless dogs in the shelter, future prospects for this center and its rank among other animal centers in Poland. The problem with overpopulation has been noted and therefore an exceeding high percentage of euthanasias and deaths. Another problem was a shortage of financial means to manage the center, therefore insufficient sanitary-housing conditions. Encouraging seems the fact of growing tendency to the adoptions of dogs. Despite the above problems the shelter managed well against other animal centers in Poland, however it did not belong to the best ones. A profitable solution for the future should be an intensified advertising and educational campaign and the gaining of new volunteers and also the financial aid from various possible sources.
Cmammx nadiumna do peda^ii 19.03.2009
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