Paper short abstract:

Despite being a much researched area, the surrendering on dogs to rescue shelters still entails much threat to dog welfare, as well as to the humans involved. Drawing on ethnographic research, a balance of advocacy and academia was called upon to address some of the issues of dog surrendering.

Paper long abstract:

Unwanted dogs face alarming threats to their welfare when their guardians choose to relinquish their responsibilities and hand them over to the care of a rescue shelter. Welfare concerns have been well documented, from the development of behavioural problems through to the danger of euthanasia. Previous research has documented the emotional strain dog surrendering also has on rescue shelter staff and relinquishers', yet practical application of such findings appears to be largely in its infancy. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted at a UK rescue shelter, similar issues were identified, yet also sought to explore avenues for practical strategic action.

Recognising that such welfare concerns transcend the species barrier, the current research looked to adopt a One Health perspective, whereby a focus on improving dog welfare could produce pragmatic strategies that improve the welfare of humans too. Whilst the research aimed to inform strategies that may benefit all parties, conflicts of opinions arose which had to be challenged to effectively advocate for better dog welfare. As such, research methods and the delivery of findings had to be carefully considered and reflexively practiced, to ensure the researcher's ethical code of conduct was not infringed in the process of advocacy.