Dogs Trust

Philanthropy

The vile puppy smuggling trade sees helpless puppies and heavily pregnant dogs being transported thousands of miles to meet the UK’s demand for dogs. They're forced to travel in cramped, dirty conditions, often with no food and little water.

The Government’s plan to tackle puppy smuggling doesn’t go far enough.  It will leave the door open for organised criminals to continue to profit from the suffering of puppies.

There is no requirement for ferry or Eurotunnel staff to see the dogs that are being imported. Crafty smugglers use vile tactics to cheat the system, like gluing microchips to a dog’s fur or cramming several puppies into one tiny carrier but only declaring one dog.

The Government must introduce visual checks at the border. With no checks, we have no chance of ending this cruel trade for good.

Stand with us. Email your MP and ask them to urge the Government to not turn a blind eye to puppy smuggling and to include visual checks in their plans.

Together, we can end puppy smuggling for good.

Email your MP today

Like many charities, we're feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thankfully, our dogs are blissfully unaware of the crisis happening around them, and our dedicated team are doing an incredible job to keep going, in spite of every difficulty created by lockdown. Now more than ever, we need your help to continue this great work.

By giving a gift today you can play a vital role in increasing the number of dogs we care for and reduce the number of innocent strays being put to sleep in local pounds every year. Alongside our rehoming work, we have a number of key projects and your support could be life saving for dogs across the UK and overseas.

Our projects include:

  • Freedom Project

    The Freedom Project is a free, confidential dog fostering service supporting people fleeing domestic abuse. The project has been running since 2004 and we have now fostered over 2000 dogs and helped almost 1,900 people flee to safety. The service is available in Greater London and the South East, East Anglia, Yorkshire, the North West, the North East of England and Scotland. We plan to expand the service further into Wales and Hampshire in 2022.


    Most refuges in the UK are not able to accept pets which means that many people experiencing domestic abuse are unable to flee to safety until they know there is somewhere safe for their dog. Research shows that there is a strong link between domestic abuse and pet abuse, so our Freedom Project allows dog owners to access refuge without the fear of what may happen to their dog if left behind. Dogs referred to the Freedom Project are cared for by volunteer foster carers with all expenses paid by Dogs Trust until their owners have been rehoused and can be safely reunited with them.

    Learn more about the Freedom Project

  • Hope Project

    Our Hope Project veterinary scheme has been providing free veterinary treatment to dogs whose owners are experiencing homelessness for over 25 years. Since the start of the scheme, we have funded nearly 27,000 veterinary treatments for over 8,000 dogs.


    The Hope Project works across the UK and any registered dog can access free preventative veterinary treatment as well as most essential or emergency treatment they may need. Our Welcoming Dogs endorsement scheme supports homelessness services across the UK to become dog-friendly so people and their pets can stay together.


    Most temporary accommodation providers do not accept pets and since dog owners experiencing homelessness share a very strong bond with their pets, dog ownership can be a huge barrier to people accessing the housing they need.

    Learn more about the Hope Project

  • Lets With Pets

    Lets with Pets was set up by Dogs Trust in 2009 to provide advice and tips to pet owners looking to rent in the private rented sector while highlighting to landlords and letting agencies the benefits of accepting tenants with pets.

    Since then, we have sent out more than 5,500 booklets with advice and best practice guidance on renting with a pet to tenants, landlords and letting agencies across the UK.

    Learn more about Lets With Pets

    For more information about making a personal donation, please contact the Philanthropy Team or Bridie Heath if you would like to donate through your Trust or Foundation.

Your support could be truly transformative for one of our key projects and we would love to tell you more about them.

Donate

Become our friend. Join a group of like-minded dog lovers coming together to provide the very best care to our dogs here in the UK. For more information get in touch with our Friends Club Officer Shaun Kett