Written evidence submitted by Dogs Trust
Response to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors
- About Dogs Trust
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. We have a network of 20 rehoming centres across the UK – and one in Dublin – through which more than 14,300 stray and abandoned dogs were cared for last year. We invest substantial resources in information services, community outreach programmes, and education on responsible dog ownership. Since Dogs Trust was founded in 1891 (formerly National Canine Defence League) we have always campaigned on dog welfare issues, and we played an instrumental role in the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
As a charity, our work has been significantly impacted by COVID-19. In 2020 and 2021, we are expecting increased demand for our services, whilst also facing severely reduced income.
- Executive Summary
This unprecedented crisis has had a significant operational and financial impact on the work of Dogs Trust, not just in the UK but also internationally. Like many other charities we are anticipating a significant reduction in overall income as a result of the impact on our fundraising activities, reserves and legacies. At the same time, we are trying to manage the immense strain on our resources as a result of a reduced workforce and not being able to rehome as many dogs due to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as facing increased demand for our services including pet advice and our rehoming and fostering services.
Looking ahead, the future remains uncertain, but we anticipate the worst is still to come for animal welfare charities. We expect to be facing long-term impacts on our income and ways of working and are preparing for a continued increase in demand for our services, based on the dog relinquishment and abandonment rates after the financial crash of 2008.
We have welcomed being able to take advantage of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which is helping to protect jobs and the work of the charity. We have also welcomed having an open dialogue with Defra on the issues affecting our sector and to have worked collaboratively with other animal welfare charities and the pet industry in order to mitigate the impact on the nation’s pets.
However, we are extremely disappointed that there has been no specific Government support for animal welfare charities and would strongly like to see further support through targeted inventions. Our recommendations, which are detailed in our response, include but are not limited to: lifting the €800k limit under the COVID-19 EU Temporary Framework for State Aid; introducing business rate relief for veterinary practices; and speeding up notifications in the legacy system. We have also worked with Defra and other charities in the sector to submit a request to the Treasury for specific funding for animal welfare charities. We would urge the Government to support this request.
- What has been the immediate impact of COVID-19 on the sector?
3.1 Impact on our work in the UK
- Reduced rehoming of pets - a survey[1] of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) members found that initially 87% of welfare organisations ceased rehoming due to the Government restrictions on non-essential travel and social-distancing. Since the survey some charities, including Dogs Trust, are now implementing ‘handover at home’ and ‘virtual homing’ but rehoming numbers are still greatly reduced. Since our last ‘normal’ week for rehoming (week commencing 16th March) we have seen a 72% drop in year on year rehoming, with April being most affected with an 88% reduction. The guidance around rehoming changed slightly in the week commencing 27th April to allow ‘handover at home’ rehoming, but during this week there was still a 55% reduction in our rehoming rate for this time of year. From 1st June, we will be aiming to allow a limited number of dogs to be visited outdoors at our rehoming centres, for example if this is necessary to allow them to safely meet other dogs from the household they are being rehomed to. However, given the resources required and the need for social distancing, we expect our rehoming numbers to continue to be significantly impacted.
- Limited access to veterinary care - to meet social distancing guidelines vets have been (rightly) prioritising emergency treatment throughout the lockdown period. This resulted in limited access to routine veterinary treatments such as vaccination and neutering. Although this is starting to change as the lockdown restrictions are lifted, there will be an inevitable backlog of neutering to be carried out, as well as vaccination courses needing to be restarted. Owners are also likely to not be accessing veterinary care due to socio-economic pressures or having to delay treatment during lockdown. We are concerned about the ongoing impact of this on dog health as well as the potential impact on the dog population through unwanted litters being born. In addition, there is an increased pressure on our vets and vet nurses to adapt to video consultations rather than being able to assess dogs in person.
- Meeting a new demand for short term fostering of pets – animal welfare charities have been asked about how they can support pet owners who may need respite pet care due to COVID-19 (25% of households have a dog or a cat according to the PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2019). This includes key workers who might be unable to care for their pet in addition to hospitalised owners.
- Meeting the public’s demand for pet advice – whilst we welcome that the Government has produced some advice for pet owners, it was delayed in being published and included limited details. This resulted in many members of the public getting in touch with animal welfare charities for clarity. Dogs Trust is an active member of the Canine and Feline Sector Group (CFSG) and through this group we have collaborated in producing detailed infographics and advice for pet owners and pet related businesses.
- Preparing for a potential increase in demand – following the financial crash of 2008 there was a cumulative 30% increase in stray dogs in the subsequent three years[2]. We are aware that relinquishment and abandonment could similarly occur as families struggle to care for their pets in these challenging times. In addition, if some charities in the sector are unable to continue operating, there will be an increased demand on those still operating (see Section 3.2. for more information on the financial impact across the sector).
- Reduced workforce – in addition to furloughing staff, we have been working with a reduced work force due to the rules around self-isolation. We have had a reasonable number of staff self-isolating due to them or a member of their household having symptoms of COVID-19, without being sure they had the virus due to testing being unavailable. For a 3-week period we saw self-isolation/shielding levels at nearly 10% of frontline rehoming centre staff, which affected our ability to take advantage of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme earlier. We peaked at 68 staff out of 773 centre staff being unable to work for this reason. For safety reasons we also had to take the decision to ask our volunteers not to give their time, instead advising that they stay at home and keep safe. This had a further negative impact on our workforce at the time when a large number of staff were self-isolating/shielding. A reduced workforce presents various challenges, not least in being able to ensure the welfare of the dogs in our care. We therefore welcome the introduction of more widespread COVID-19 testing.
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Dogs Trust is committed to protecting our staff and their jobs and we have welcomed that charities are eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. As of 1st June, 35% of our employees had been placed on furlough, which is helping to protect jobs and the work of the charity. However, we were disappointed that the rules of the scheme prevent staff members from volunteering for their charity whilst furloughed.
- Access to supplies – the Coronavirus pandemic has inevitably resulted in challenges in securing access to certain vital supplies. This has included challenges in securing sufficient supplies of hand sanitiser. Whilst there is no evidence that dogs can transmit the Coronavirus, they could play a role in the transfer of the virus, for example via their fur. It is vital that we are able to maintain biosecurity in our rehoming centres, especially if receiving dogs from COVID-19 positive households.
3.2 Financial impact
- Overall impact on income - a recent survey of the charity sector, conducted by the Institute of Fundraising and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations[3], predicted a 2020 reduction in income for all UK charities of 31% based on the current understanding of the COVID-19 crisis. This figure does not include any loss as a result of the potential recession following lockdown.
- Using Dogs Trust’s 2019 annual report data, we are modelling a loss of £36.5m based on the above.
- Dogs Trust receives no Government funding to deliver our work and whilst the Government has been supporting a significant number of charities during the COVID-19 crisis, Dog Trust has not been eligible for this support.
- In the survey of ADCH members on the impact of Coronavirus (see section 3.1) only 52% of members have funds that will ensure they can continue to operate for over three months. 32% had less than three months funds, 5% less than a month and 13% reported they did not know how long their funds would last. 57% of members have closed their shops and 100% have cancelled fundraising events.
- Fundraising activities - our public and corporate fundraising activities have been significantly impacted by the lockdown:
- Dogs Trust’s network of 40 charity shops has been closed as well as our network of 30 Dog Schools. Our 20 Rehoming Centres all stopped rehoming at the start of lockdown and have now moved to only limited rehoming. This means both our retail income has been stopped completely and our operational income is significantly reduced.
- Our extensive network of community fundraising events across the country from the London Marathon down to smaller local events have all been either cancelled or postponed.
- Our fundraising programmes in partnership with commercial organisations have all been either cancelled or postponed.
- Our national fundraising programmes including direct mail campaigns and face to face collections have all been significantly reduced or cancelled.
- Legacies - legacies provide an important source of income for charities and this is anticipated to significantly decline. Legacy Foresight, the legacy modelling body, has modelled a decrease in legacies of between 9-27% due to the drop in share prices, static or decreasing house prices, sales not going ahead as a result of the lockdown and reduced GDP.
- Reserves - Dogs Trust’s standard and capital build reserves have both suffered significant loses of income as a result of the overall decline in the investment markets.
3.3 Impact on our international work
Through our affiliate charity, Dogs Trust Worldwide (DTW), we dedicate significant resources to improving canine welfare outside of the UK, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. DTW is currently helping 48 current grantees manage their responses to the current pandemic and their continued dog welfare activities; none have the opportunities afforded in the UK of furloughing or other government support. With differing restrictions globally and countries at different stages of the pandemic, flexibility is key and small organisations in particular are grateful for the support being provided by DTW and others. Some particular challenges encountered in our international work are:
- Rabies vaccination programmes - large scale vaccination of owned and street dogs is a key component of the WHO/OIE/FAO global strategic plan to end human deaths by dog-mediated rabies by 2030 (Zero by 30). Rabies is 100% vaccine-preventable in animals and humans but key to success is vaccinating 70% of the canine population in a short timeframe to prevent the virus circulating. Dogs Trust Worldwide currently supports 19 projects carrying out large scale canine rabies vaccinations in 11 countries (in 2019 we vaccinated 378,000 dogs). All these projects are currently paused due to COVID-19 restrictions.
- Dog population management programmes - organisations, including DTW, have spent many years sharing the science supporting humane methods of managing dog population globally and advocating against culling of street dog populations. In 2019,117,000 dogs were sterilised by DTW projects. Sterilisation (or Catch Neuter Vaccinate Return - CNVR) activities have now been paused in the 35 projects supported by DTW in 18 countries around the world; this is due to a variety of factors which may differ from country to country but include lockdowns preventing the catching of street dogs and veterinary services carrying out emergency work only. Some countries are starting to allow and enable CNVR projects to start again and the hope is that the temporary pause in activities can be overcome.
- Feeding of street dogs - most stray dogs are reliant on humans for food and other resources. With COVID-19 restrictions, restaurants, shops and markets are often closed, removing a common source of food and shelter for dogs. In many low- and middle-income countries, as jobs became scarce, many people left large cities and returned to their villages, while tourists and ex-pats returned to their home countries. Food sources for dogs have become scarce as these regular feeders of strays are no longer around. DTW is providing additional support to trusted partners who have needed to change focus temporarily from CNVR or vaccination to feeding dogs on the street, where this is legally allowed and manageable with appropriate social distancing/use of PPE etc.
- Other impact on our international work - as in the UK, shelters caring for dogs and cats around the world have struggled with fewer staff and volunteers, as well as reduced income over the lockdown. Many organisations also rely on international volunteers as part of their workforce For example, some veterinary programmes rely on the input of international volunteers but are currently on hold due to the multiple factors of lockdown, social distancing, veterinary priorities and also the inability of international trainers to travel. We have also been concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to an increased fear of street dogs and cats and that governments might resort to culling. Although there are a few reports of this happening, we are working together with others to ensure correct information is shared (based on OIE, WHO, CDC etc guidance) and to counter fears of companion animals being a source of infection for people.
- How effectively has the support provided by DCMS, other Government departments and arms-length bodies addressed the sector’s needs?
- What will the likely long-term impacts of COVID-19 be on the sector, and what support is needed to deal with those?
5.1 Impact on our work in the UK
- Ongoing, significant income challenges – post lockdown, we believe the situation could worsen. To date the Government has made no provision for financial support after the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme has ended, yet ongoing losses from reduced income have been modelled to be around 30% for charities. The significant income challenges we have faced to date (see section 3.1) are likely to continue, especially given the likelihood of a longer-term recession.
- Adapting ways of working – whilst it is not currently possible to fully anticipate what COVID-19 restrictions will be in place in the medium and longer-term, the Government has advised that social-distancing measures of some kind are likely to be in place for the remainder of 2020 at least. This will require Dogs Trust to significantly adapt our ways of working and operational processes. This is likely to apply across our ways of work including but not limited to:
- how our rehoming centres operate
- how we run our Dog School training classes
- how our charity shops operate
- how education team can interact with children
- how we run various events, including fundraising events
- how our head office functions and how we can adapt to longer-term homeworking
- Preparing for a potential increase in demand – we are anticipating an increase in demand for our services at the same time as needing to operate on a significantly reduced income. We anticipate an increase in demand due to several factors:
- Increased relinquishment and abandonment as families struggle to care for their pets in these challenging times. Increased abandonments, strays and relinquished animals may also occur due to owners becoming ill or passing away during the pandemic.
- Larger numbers of animals potentially needing rehoming due to unwanted litters from unneutered females.
- Owners not accessing veterinary care due to socio-economic pressures or having to delay treatments during lockdown.
- Animals developing behavioural problems due to a lack of socialisation during lockdown/when owners return to work.
- Reduced rehoming capacity due to social distancing and altered operational models.
- If some charities in the sector are unable to continue operating, there will be an increased demand on those still operating (see Section 3.2. for more information on the financial impact across the sector). Equally, animal rescue organisations may continue to take in or keep animals despite facing resourcing shortfalls and potentially not be able to meet their welfare needs.
- A lack of resources for Local Authorities to enforce animal welfare legislation and care for stray dogs.
- The illegal importation of puppies is continuing as usual to meet demand, leading to increased welfare and disease risks.
- An increased demand for services such as our Freedom Project, which provides a dog fostering service for people who are fleeing domestic abuse. The Freedom Project initially saw a reduction in referrals during the start of the lockdown, which we believe may be due to the more limited options for survivors to access help, as well as have the opportunity to leave safely if they are at home with the perpetrator. However, this is now starting to increase and we have seen in the referrals that we are receiving, the majority are survivors who are at ‘high risk’ of harm and need an urgent response. This includes cases we have been made aware of where the perpetrator has set fire to the home, as well as cases where survivors have been forced to stay at home with very violent perpetrators without a safe means of escape. During the lockdown period we have dealt with cases where dogs have been beaten, suffocated and poisoned by perpetrators of domestic abuse. Dogs Trust research found that 89% of domestic abuse professionals were aware of cases where pets had also been abused, and 97% of domestic abuse professionals believed that threats to pets are used as a tool to attempt to coerce and control someone. Additionally, the Freedom Project has also seen a significant increase to our website page ‘Accessing our Service’ with a 319% increase in visits, compared to the same period in 2019.
5.2 Impact on our international work
- Expected increase in demand for dog welfare services - there may be increased dog abandonment and an increase in fear towards dogs, especially street dogs. There will be an increased need for humane dog population control and canine rabies vaccinations programmes. There will also be a need for a concerted and joined up approach to changing human behaviour around live animal markets.
- Reduced resource to respond to these challenges - many of the smaller organisations, especially local ones in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, will not survive the economic challenges and this will also impact on the work plans of others. A continued significant reduction in international travel will impact those organisations who rely on international volunteers.
- Impact on the priority given to rabies - an additional concern is that rabies may become less of a priority for international governments in the face of continued COVID-19 infection spikes.
- What lessons can be learnt from how DCMS, arms-length bodies and the sector have dealt with COVID-19?
- At the current time, DCMS has not offered much support to our sector specifically. We have been extremely disappointed that there has been no financial support allocated specifically for animal welfare charities. Whilst the Government has been supporting a significant number of charities during the COVID-19 crisis, Dog Trust has not been eligible for this support.
- The companion animal welfare sector has been effectively working together throughout the pandemic. Through the Canine and Feline Sector Group we have produced detailed infographics and guidance for pet owners and pet related businesses. Through the Association of Dog and Cat Homes we have shared guidance on rehoming, circulated and analysed a survey to assess the impact on the sector and offered various other means of support. For example, ADCH has launched a Coronavirus Emergency Fund to support smaller organisations. Organisations with a turnover of <£500,000 can apply for a grant up to £10,000. ADCH has also sourced donated food from a few major manufacturers, which is being distributed for free to help reduce running costs. This is very much welcomed but is unlikely to go far enough.
- This cross-sector working has included the pet industry as well as animal welfare organisations. For example, through joint working on guidance for pet businesses.
- How might the sector evolve after COVID-19, and how can DCMS support such innovation to deal with future challenges?
7.1 Evolving after COVID-19 – our UK work
- Dogs Trust will need to adapt our ways of working to comply with longer-term social-distancing requirements (see section 5.1). This will have a significant impact across the ways we work, including for our rehoming centres, Dog Schools, charity shops and the many ways in which we interact with communities and members of the public.
- We are likely to need to continue to operate on a significantly reduced income for the longer-term (see section 3.2). As a result, we may need to reconsider the breadth of activities which we work on.
- At the same time, there is likely to be greater demand on our sector. For example:
- Pet owners may be unable to care for their animals for various reasons, including economic reasons.
- We anticipate issues such as owners delaying taking their animals for veterinary treatment to avoid veterinary bills. This could mean that by the time dogs enter our care, they are in need of more extensive treatment and support.
- If some charities in the sector are unable to continue operating, there will be an increased demand on those still operating.
- There may be a risk of welfare issues across the sector - as shelters are managing on fewer resources and are likely to have an increased demand for their services.
7.2 Evolving after COVID-19 – our international work
- Dogs Trust Worldwide will similarly need to evolve to be able to adapt to the long-term challenges outlined in section 5.2. There is a strong possibility that, like in the UK, a number of our smaller overseas partner NGOs will be under severe financial pressure and some will not survive – which is a significant concern.
- However, there may also be some positive outcomes as part of this evolution:
- The improved collaboration between international NGOs is an opportunity to have greater impact and reduced duplication/wastage.
- Reduction in international travel (and thus foreign input into field programmes) may lead to greater take up of this space by indigenous groups implementing dog population management programmes; improving sustainability.
- There may be greater innovation around online learning and communication.
- We must use the opportunity to push for an end to live animal markets and the dog and cat meat trade. Any changes to live animal markets were only temporary following the last SARS outbreak.
7.3 Support for future challenges
As lockdown eases, there are several recommendations that we believe would make a significant difference to animal charities:
- We have worked with Defra and other charities in the sector to submit a request to the Treasury for specific funding for animal welfare charities. We would urge the Government to support this request.
- HM Courts and Tribunal Service has seen a 50% drop in applications for grants and probate possibly due to digitisation and COVID-19 restrictions. A speed up of notifications in the legacy system to reduce the backlog once restrictions ease would assist. Legacies provide an important source of income for charities, and we are concerned that any impacts from a slowdown in legacy due to the lockdown will negatively impact on our cash flow at a time when cash flow from other sources is drying up due to COVID-19 economic impacts.
- Lift the £800k limit under the COVID-19 EU Temporary Framework for State Aid so that charities can claim the business support permitted under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund for all of their charity shops - at present the £800k limit means that charities such as Dogs Trust with more than around 30 shops will reach the financial ceiling and so be financially penalised as this funding will be unavailable.
- Targeted investment for small, medium and large charities to ensure critical capacity is sustained in the sector so that animals can be supported both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Make it clear within Government COVID-19 safety employer guidelines which guidelines apply equally to volunteers; as a charity we rely upon our fantastic volunteers at our shops and centres and clear guidance will alleviate complex interpretations.
- A temporary uplift in the rate of Gift Aid.
There are also further areas in which wider support to the sector would be valuable:
- We would welcome the introduction of business rate relief for veterinary practices. We believe that preferential VAT rates on services and access to cheaper veterinary medicines would assist the veterinary provision which we rely on as the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. To put this into context, we believe this could, for example, be the equivalent of running three rehoming centres for a year.
- Following the example of the Scottish Government which has continued its legislative programme on animal welfare alongside the COVID-19 response. We would encourage ministers to finish legislation in the pipeline in Westminster such as increased sentencing for animal cruelty and strengthening pet travel legislation once Britain leaves the European Union.
- COVID-19 is inevitably presenting challenges for the greyhound racing sector whilst it has not been possible for racing to take place. Some of the gambling revenue from greyhound racing would usually go towards greyhound welfare via the voluntary levy from bookmakers. However, this has been reduced due to the lack of racing which presents a challenge for greyhound welfare. If this leads to an increase in greyhounds needing to be rehomed, the charity sector will also need to the resource to be able to help. We urge DCMS to explore the possibility of introducing a statutory levy for greyhound racing, similar to that for horseracing.