Dispatches from the North: Man’s Best Friend

This might seem like a bit of a random subject but its at the forefront of my life at the moment. I have just adopted a dog, his name is Max and we adopted him through a dog charity here called Dogs Trust. Dogs Trust does fantastic work with dogs in Britain and my husband and I are happy to support them and are thrilled with the new addition to our family. We were so impressed with their concern for the dogs in their centers and I would recommend adopting through Dogs Trust to anyone here in Britain. We live in a wonderful location to have a dog with a couple miles of seafront running in front of our place. It is so fun to take Max out to the water every day and he loves chasing waves and splashing around and digging in the sand. 

Our new dog Max playing in the North Sea

You might think there couldn’t possibly be much of a difference in the “dog culture” of the UK, but surprisingly there are some major differences that I have noticed that go far beyond calling a leash a lead. One major difference I have noticed that I find incredibly refreshing is the scarcity of pet stores. I have yet to see a single pet store, I am sure there are some but certainly not as many as there are in the US. The British are much more conscientious about where their dogs come from, even if you asked a child about buying a dog they would probably tell you “You should always see the mother” because the British are reluctant to buy a dog from anyone other than a breeder. 

This can be both a positive and negative thing for dogs. On one hand, it makes it much more difficult for puppy mills and other irresponsible breeders to be successful as there is a high demand for properly bred dogs and most potential owners will not buy a puppy without seeing at least one parent. On the flip-side, it is more difficult for cross breeds and shelter dogs (like our dog Max) to find good homes. Overall the demand for proper breeding in the UK is such a positive thing for the dogs. In the US there are thousands of puppy mills that produce around a quarter of a million puppies bred in inhumane conditions each year. The only reason these puppy mills survive is because unlike in Britain, the only requirement for many Americans is a cute puppy and they don’t think about where that cute puppy came from. 

Another thing I have noticed is that insuring pets is far more common in Britain. In the US, pet insurance policies are expensive and people who take out insurance policies on their pets are usually considered a bit silly. Here insurance policies for animals are very affordable and more people tend to insure their pets. We received a 4 week “free trial” insurance policy through the adoption of our dog, and when the 4 weeks are up we fully intend to renew the policy and I don’t feel the least bit silly about it.

Britain is still by no means perfect when it comes to dogs. There are still problems with irresponsible breeding and “designer dogs” just like in the US and there is a lot of controversy about dog racing in this country. There is still a problem with stigmatizing certain breeds and animal abuse, but when it comes down to it the British people love their dogs.