UK dog charity launches €190,000 neutering drive

Dogs may be man's best friend but sometimes they are not treated like friends at all, especially when they are abandoned.

A UK charity aims to do something about this through a neutering campaign costing almost €190,000. UK charity Dogs Trust and the local animal charity RSPCA will be working together in a dog neutering and awareness campaign in Malta over the coming five years.

In selected areas, which still have to be chosen, Dogs Trust will neuter for free all owned dogs.

Dogs Trust is the UK's largest dog welfare charity and takes care of about 16,000 dogs in 18 rehoming centres in the UK.

Over a span of five years, almost €150,000 will be spent on neutering and €40,000 on a school education campaign, Dogs Trust CEO Clarissa Baldwin said.

The campaign would also involve local vets to offer dog lovers vaccinations and health checks for their dogs at reduced prices, she added.

The trust already carried out a similar neutering campaign in Oradea, a town in Romania where over 7,000 dogs were neutered and 2,000 strays homed.

The campaign will target the owners of 81,000 dogs here, of which the trust is hoping to neuter 35,000 pet and stray dogs. The neutering of the 3,000 strays dogs will be overseen by the government.

Neutering dogs reduces the number of unwanted litters but also has certain health benefits because it prevents certain cancers and reduces the possibility of aggressive behaviour.

The neutering programme will start in August and the education campaign in 65 state, private and Church schools will start in September.

www.dogstrustmalta.com