Pet Gazette Pet Gazette July 2017 | Page 47

VET GAZETTE | 47
E5 DOG PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography : Michelle Clark
Street Vet . My pets ’ groomer was interested and a friend put me in contact with a trainer . I decided that this would be a great basis for a static station service so hence I created the concept of DOTS – Dogs on the Street – London . I found a location in central London to start with , on The Strand in the borough of Westminster . We ’ re now coming up to our ninth station . We ’ re really going to strength to strength . Jade is a compassionate and energetic provider of vet services to DOTS and she now leads a number of vets supporting DOTS .”
DOTS LONDON has grown into an independent voluntary project that protects and supports all street dogs covering the Borough of Westminster , Camden , Shoreditch , East and parts of North London . The static station takes place on Sundays , to provide essentials such as dog food , leads , collars , coats and toys , alongside weekly health checks and access to a trainer . A dog grooming van is also on site on the last Sunday of each month . Jade says : “ Michelle was very keen to come up with a concept for standardised care . I supported her in this and now I provide the vet services to DOTS . Michelle has been a real driving force in getting people to trust DOTS with their furry friends .”
OUTREACH PROGRAMMES
One of Jade ’ s first steps , as part of her veterinary services to DOTS , has been to get to know the pets ’ parents . She says : “ a lot of the dogs are in really good condition . People are caring for their dog before themselves .
They won ’ t go into accommodation because they can ’ t take their dogs or they won ’ t go to appointments with doctors because they won ’ t leave their dogs . That ’ s how strong the bond is between them . It ’ s taken a while for people to trust me , understandably , because this is their world and I ’ m coming along to say ‘ can I treat your dog ’. Michelle helps with that because they have known her for five years .”
Jade isn ’ t solely based at the station . Michelle travels around London to visit potential clients and Jade will often accompany her , providing veterinary support . Jade says : “ Members of the public are alerting us to dogs that they ’ re concerned about or letting us know when someone says ‘ my dog really needs vet care but I can ’ t get to them ’. We try to do outreach once a week . I will offer a general health check and see if the dogs need defleaing or worming . Our vaccine clinic is just starting so for the first time we ’ re able to vaccinate dogs on the street . If I see anything that needs treatment , and antibiotics or pain relief I have a basic kit with me . I can treat them for ear infections , skins infections , give them pain relief for arthritis or check anal gland or do nail clipping .”
The dogs receiving these services are registered with DOTS and wear a dog tag with the project ’ s details on and a unique number . This means that when owners and dogs circulate to other veterinary care providers any other pet professionals can call regarding the care history DOTS has provided and information on any special diets provided by DOTS .
DOTS raises funds to help the dogs that
cannot be treated on the street . Jade says : “ I have very nice bosses at the practice where I work . They allow me , in my own time , to carry out procedures on our premises at a subsidised cost . For instance , I met the dog I ’ m currently caring for in October last year . The owner has become quite worried about her as she ’ s lost a lot of weight and she ’ s elderly , approximately 14 to 15 years . Her mouth is painful and it ’ s beyond what I can do on the street . So I put her on antibiotics and painkillers on Sunday for a week and then Michelle collected the dog , Cassie , and her owner and bought them to me . I ’ ve had her on fluids all day and she ’ s just had a lot of teeth out . When she ’ s recovered we ’ ll put her up in a Travelodge for the night with her owner so she ’ s not going straight back onto the street .”
Like the others who have been providing services to DOTS , Jade has been working to build bonds with the pet parents and their dogs . She says : “ They ’ re seeing me on a regular basis . Sometimes I say ‘ your dog needs to have surgery . We can try to get her seen by one of the charities or I can work out a way in which I can do the procedure . The
www . vetgazette . biz July 2017