Puppy Love:

Setting up Dogs Trust Malta and introducing

The Puppy Plan Campaign

The Maltese Islands

• Malta

• Gozo

• Comino

• 420,000 population

• 400km² large

The SPCA and Dogs Trust

Why Malta?

• Little animal welfare education• Numerous stray dogs, cats, puppies

& kittens abandoned• 60% of people felt neutering was

cruel• 15% of owned dogs were neutered

In The Beginning• Dogs Trust Malta was registered as an NGO in June

2009• All local veterinary clinics were contacted to take part

in the Dogs Trust scheme• Rehoming centers were contacted • Dialogue was created with the Government Animal

Welfare Department• Established a relationship with all schools and

Ministry of Education

50,000 Latch-key dogs3,000 Stray dogs

Pilot Offer

• Launched in the Capital city of Valletta

• Available to people on means-tested-benefits

• Neutering and Chipping for €25

 

Change of Plan• Created an offer for free neutering and

microchipping for people on benefits, farmers, hunters and factory dogs

• Focused a great deal on Education

Farm dogs

Dogs Trust offered free transport for farm dogs to the clinics to be neutered and chipped.

Saving the cost of a bullet used for shooting a puppy

= €0.11c

• A strategic approach to sourcing farm dogs was put in place.

• Starting from the North East, moving North West, toward the Southern tip.

The Strategy

IT WORKED!

Animal cruelty cases started to become more public and the people of Malta wanted their voice

to be heard

‘Star’ in recovery

The authorities were taking note...

Star’s killer got three months in jail and

fined €10,000

Gaia’s killer was jailed for nine months and

fined €20,000 (later reduced to

€4,000)

Over 14,000 dogs neutered and chipped by Dogs Trust since 2009.

The importance of Education

• Over 40,000 children reached through free workshops in public, private and church schools

• Dogs Trust: -• Organized school

competitions• Held outings to clinics• Conducted one-to-one

sessions with children in need

• Held workshops for scout groups

• Visited residential homes and homes for the disabled

• Spoke in centers for troubled families

Dogs Training Made Easy Campaign

• Complaints about badly behaved dogs were being received constantly.

• Dogs Trust created clicker training packs.

• Thousands of free clicker packs with instructions were sent out to people.

• Promoted positive reinforcement instead of negative training or punishment.

Created the website

www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.org.

Prevention

Cure&

=

Dog Training

Made Easy

=

RESULTS

Most canine behaviour problems

arise from fear

Noise phobia - fear of noises

Separation anxiety - fear of being alone

Reactivity - fear of strange situations

Aggression

Resource guarding - fear of someone taking your stuff

Dog to dog aggression - fear of strange dogs

On lead reactivity to dogs - fear of strange dogs when you can't run away

Dog to human aggression - fear of strange people

Inability to learn

Fear = adrenaline = fight/flight

No learning possible

All these fears - and problems - are

preventable with appropriate puppy

socialisation

Not just 'being social' but instead

'socialisation, habituation and early

learning'

Introducing positively the people and animals we want

the dog to have a social relationship with

Socialisation:

Socialisation only has a positive effect if the

socialisation is positive

Introducing the things in life that can be ignored

because they aren't scary!

Habituation:

There is a time pressure to this early eduction in

dogs

Soft skills

Social interactionsCommunication

Conflict resolutionProblem-solving

Behavioural competencies

Habituation: pre hazard avoidance period lasts up to 5-7

weeks – so while puppies are still with breeder

Socialisation: from sentience up

to 12-16 weeks - so both with breeders and then ongoing

with new owners

www.thepuppyplan.com

The Puppy Plan Strategy

Phase One: BREEDERS

Phase Two: POTENTIAL NEW OWNERS

Dogs Trust put The Puppy Plan into action to get first hand experience

• The process was filmed and turned into a tutorial which would be given to breeders and new owners

• The daily activity was posted on the Dogs Trust Facebook page

Puppy Plan booklets, mock journals, CD video tutorials and car stickers were created

Received the backing of The Kennel Club Malta, the Malta Canine Federation and the Ministry for Animal Rights

An agreement was put in place with an Insurance company to offer free pet insurance for one year to anyone buying or adopting a Puppy Plan Graduate

Started attending Dogs Shows

Set up seminars for breeders

Created The Puppy Plan Facebook group

Official Launch to the Public

• Took advantage of every marketing opportunity• Radio• TV interviews• Online• Print media

• Sent flyers to all households for free workshops on how to spot a Puppy Plan Graduate and continue The Puppy Plan at home

Worked with local councils, local artists and residents to create painted street art in selected areas around Malta. The project didn’t cost Dogs Trust.

Created Puppy Plan sign posts to put in dog parks.

What can YOU do with The Puppy Plan?

1. Start implementing The Plan in your shelter. Even if puppies are in-house for only a short time, every bit helps. It can also be applied to dogs older than 16 weeks.

2. Document what the puppies have experienced.3. Get the backing. Find any clubs associated with breeders and any

means to get close to them, like at dog shows.4. Get the endorsement of your Government or Ministry.5. Make the package more attractive and cost effective. Find a

partner to add something of more value that people will find appealing. Make it available to people buying or adopting a puppy. In the case of shelters, as you are unlikely to finish The Plan in full, make the offer available to people adopting and committing to completing The Plan at home (subject to receiving the journal).

In Malta – 63.6% of people would not consider adopting a dog from a shelter and 41% of those who intend to breed, do so with the intention of

selling them. ¾ of people did not neuter their dogs because they intended to breed them.

6. Get all other shelters or rehoming centers to take on The Plan.7. Use the media. Use any means of PR and marketing available

including those of your partners or backers.8. Get sponsors. Many companies with corporate social responsibility

profiles like to get involved in projects like these where they are part of significant change.

9. Engage with the public. You are their source of information so be open and available.

10.Understand the public. Are behavior problems the main reason for abandonment – why? What are they expecting from their dogs?

Continued...

STICK TO IT

A HEARTFELT THANKS FROM MALTA!