My name's Emma-Louise Livingston, and I'm the social relations officer here at Dog Trust Glasgow. I've worked at Dogs Trust Glasgow since July 2008. We can hold up to 120 dogs. On average, we have about 100 at any one time. We do have a non-destruction policy, and we keep our dogs in our care until we find a loving home with them, as long as they have a good quality of life with us. The majority of them will come from a previous home. We have a small minority that will be strays, but the majority of them will come in because the owners can no longer look after them, and will bring them here for re-homing. The saddest reason we see dogs coming in to our care is because the owner is terminally ill. This dog may be the owner's only friend in the world, and it's really sad that they need to give it up just because they can't give it the love and the care that they can. A lot of people come in looking for a specific breed or looking for a good-looking dog. And a lot of our older dogs, and perhaps black dogs, do get overlooked. I've only actually adopted one dog from Dog Trust during the time I've been here, [FOREIGN]. It was a young girl who's actually went out, managed to get her hands on a pup, went home, and mom says no, we're weren't having the pup in the home. So Kipper came into Dog Trust and obviously was too young to be rehomed. We didn't have a mum or other pups that he could socialize with, so at that time, I was the only member of staff with a young dog. So Kipper came, and was fostered by myself until he was eight weeks old. And that's quite a common occurrence so if we got a lonely pup here, or maybe if you've got a little shaeste dog that's not settling in the kennel environment, maybe it come home and stay with me overnight just to save one. Most of the staff here do take the job home with them, and we like to take our dogs home, make sure they're safer then, in especially if we've got a lot older dog or someone who's a lot worried. And of course our management team still on site, so if a we've got a mom who goes on a pup they will be here all night with the mom. Well, at Dog Trust we do try and satisfy all the dog's needs. And one of the biggest issues perhaps is stimulation for the dogs, and maybe having that one on one interaction with owners on a regular basis. And while the dog's in our care, and if the dog comes in a single dog, we'll hopefully find a kennel mate so it has a little bit of company while it's in the center. Our dogs are all walked at least one time a day, so it will get out, get that interaction with the team staff and volunteers. It can enjoy a free run in the fields, or enjoy some time in the covered paddock area. At Dog Trust Glasgow, we do have our own behaviorist on site who will set up entertaining programs for our dogs, to work through any issues that dogs may have, and also to help simulate the dogs fearlessly in weathers. What I would suggest that dog owners out there is to get your dog's checked and get your dog neutered. We see so many dogs coming into our care, previously haven't been spayed because they've been unable to be returned to their owner. And as well we see so many unwanted litter of pups coming in, and mom's been abandoned, just being taken. I think owners should seek advice for behavioral issues, in we have our own behaviorists that work with our dogs, but I would suggest people try and work through the issue rather than just give the dog up for adoption. If people are looking to get a dog, they really should think about it seriously. It's a life changing decision and you will have that dog for the rest of the dog's life. So it's not a decision to take lightly. The whole family needs to be in on the decision. And you need to ensure that you are able to care for that dog. Whether that be financially or being able to take it on walks and spend the time with that dog.
