Our impact

Together, we have made huge strides forward for dogs. Explore the impact of the work we did last year.

Bruce takes a trip

The promise to never put down a healthy dog has been our rallying cry for years. It’s the cornerstone of what we stand for, but we want more for dogs than simply to avoid euthanasia. 

We want to see all dogs living full, safe and happy lives. And we know, to make this happen, we need to work with people as well as dogs – the people who own dogs or who care for them, and those who will in the future. 

Together, we have made huge strides forward. Explore the impact of the work we did last year. We couldn’t have done it without you. 
 

A glance at what we achieved in 2022

  • We cared for 12,546 dogs through our 22 centres across the UK and Ireland. 9,707 of these dogs were rehomed, including 463 that had been with us for more than six months.
  • We donated 19,500 dog meals to Fareshare and opened food banks at 10 rehoming centres to help dog-owning families through the cost of living crisis. 
  • With the help of our committed foster carers, we fostered 3,822 dogs through our Home From Home and Freedom programmes, and rehomed 2,697 of those.
  • We provided urgent support for families impacted by the war in Ukraine and opened 2 emergency quarantine centres here in the UK. 63 Ukrainian dogs were quarantined and reunited with their loving families as a result.

Our response to the cost of living crisis

 

  • We registered a record number of 51,804 handover enquiries, many from owners fearing they may no longer be able to afford their dog’s care.
  • Our research identified expensive vet bills as one of the key issues for dog owners through the cost of living crisis. We responded by increasing financial support through our emergency vet fund, and by setting up a Temporary Relief Fund for all our rehoming centres.
  • With a record-breaking 7,875 dogs handed over to us by owners, we increased capacity in our kennels by approximately 13%, and fast-tracked the expansion of our fostering programme.

Preventing problems  

  • In Autumn 2022 we launched our Behaviour Support Line, a free service offering dedicated support to dog owners. Receiving 879 referred calls in its initial phase, the service launched with the aim of keeping more dogs and their families together.
  • Our Education team ran 10,809 workshops, delivering key messages to 425,162 children about living safely with dogs.
  • We ran 14,606 discounted Dog School training classes, including 1,204 1-2-1 sessions. Recognising the need for a wider range of training support, we also introduced a new training course for owners struggling with reactive dogs.

Support for dog all owners  

  • 2022 saw a 190% increase compared to the previous year in calls referred to our specialist outreach schemes Hope Project and Freedom. We expanded both programmes into new regions of the UK.
  • Hope Project – we worked with 225 homelessness services to provide support for dog owners across the UK, endorsing 14 homelessness services as pet-friendly so that they now welcome dogs.
  • Freedom – our dedicated volunteers helped foster 325 dogs from households facing domestic abuse, enabling 258 families to flee to safety and 213 dogs to be safely reunited with their owners.  

Improving welfare in sourcing and breeding  

  • Our Puppy Pilot, which aids the seizing of illegally imported puppies at borders, and provides care and rehabilitation before rehoming them, cared for its 2,000th puppy. We also initiated a campaign to make visual checks compulsory at border crossings to deter puppy smugglers.
  • We announced a significant policy change calling for a phased end to Greyhound racing, with the aim of preventing hundreds of needless deaths each year.

International impact 

  • Dogs Trust Worldwide was instrumental in establishing UPAW, an emergency platform for animal welfare aid distribution across Ukraine. The delivery team covered 165,206 kilometres to distribute 1 million kilos of pet food across the country.
  • Programmes funded and supported by Dogs Trust Worldwide saw 88,970 dogs neutered, 263,824 vaccinated against rabies, 694 vets trained, and 1,018,065 children educated on dog safety.
  • We celebrated 10 years of our work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, reaching the impressive milestone of 100,000 dogs neutered since the project began. 2022 also saw the completion of 220 Dog School courses by Bosnian dogs and their owners.

Our Annual Reports

For a more detailed look at the incredible things we’ve been able to achieve together, delve into our recent Annual Reports below.

pdf 4.7 MB
2021 Annual Report
pdf 6.8 MB
2020 Annual Report
pdf 4 MB
2019 Annual Report
pdf 8 MB
2018 Annual Report
pdf 4.3 MB
2017 Annual Report
pdf 3.2 MB
2016 Annual Report

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