Abandoned. Neglected. Forgotten. For millions of dogs in the U.S., this is the heartbreaking reality every year. But Dogs Trust USA is changing that story. As an extension of the UK’s most trusted animal welfare charity, they are tackling one of America’s most critical challenges: ensuring every dog finds a safe and loving home.
At the helm of this mission is Owen Sharp, President of Dogs Trust USA, a leader who envisions a world where no dog is left to suffer. Through a combination of advocacy, education, and innovative programs, Dogs Trust USA is working to address the root causes of pet overpopulation and improve the lives of countless animals.
In this exclusive Q&A, Owen shares insights into the organization’s mission and how they are impacting the landscape of pet care across the country.
Owen, what inspired you to join Dogs Trust USA, and how has your journey been so far as the CEO and President of this impactful organization?
I had previously worked in the health sector and then at several non-profits, mainly in the area of cancer research so my background is in non-profit management. I was on holiday when I was approached for the role at Dogs Trust, with my dog Dixie by my side. I’ve had dogs all my life, including a current Dogs Trust rescue called Lexi. As a lifetime dog lover, I felt passionately that I wanted to reduce the number of healthy dogs euthanized, which is sadly over 760,000 a year in the USA as well as millions more globally.
My first couple of years were not as I imagined as I joined in Summer 2019 just before the pandemic hit, and like every other non-profit leader had to react and deal with the unknown on a daily basis, whilst trying to get to know the teams and a new organization while being locked down at home. I am incredibly proud of all that the Dogs Trust teams achieved during that difficult period. Whilst we’ve returned to some normality now, we are facing bigger challenges, including a cost-of-living crisis meaning owners are struggling to care for their dogs and the boom of pandemic puppies that are now adolescent dogs who are struggling with their behavior. This has resulted in even more dogs being abandoned and at risk of euthanasia sadly, so our work is needed more than ever.
Can you share a defining moment in your career that solidified your commitment to animal welfare and the work Dogs Trust USA does?
Dogs Trust USA works to improve dog welfare within the USA, but also in other places around the world where dogs are treated cruelly or inhumanely (usually through human fear of rabies or dog populations being out of control).
I’ve travelled all over the world to see our work in action, but my first trip to Goa in India was probably the moment I realized dogs needed us so desperately outside of the USA as much as they do at home. Our Mission Rabies project saves both children and dogs. It’s a 100% deadly disease if not caught early, but it’s also 100% preventable and seeing what has been achieved in Goa, which is India’s only rabies free state, really inspired me. I believe Dogs Trust USA’s work will be truly transformational in saving millions more dogs from cruelty, suffering and death if we can eradicate rabies globally over the next 20 years.
Dogs Trust USA recently announced over $1.38 million awarded in grants since its inception. Could you share some standout stories or examples of how these funds have helped improve the lives of dogs and their communities?
We have over 60 partnerships across the USA. We tend to focus our work on the states with the highest rate of euthanasia where we feel the need is the greatest and we can have the most impact. One of our most recent partnerships is with Kentucky Humane Society and the impact of our partnership has been profound. For example, in Webster County – located almost 3 hours southwest of Louisville (population 13,000) – we spayed a beautiful white Pit bull mix who had clearly had several litters in the past. After we checked her out to her owner at the end of the day, a Webster County Animal Shelter volunteer confided that this dog has had at least 3 litters in the past, all between 10 and 12 puppies per litter, all of whom were then surrendered to the small, underfunded shelter. The shelter has been begging the owner to spay her dog, but she could not afford local costs, as the only veterinarian in their county charges up to $500 for a large dog spay surgery. Based on the Shelter’s annual intake numbers, simply spaying this one dog will reduce Webster County’s canine intake by nearly 5%. We are beyond thrilled that our efforts to aid this community will pay off in such a significant way.
One of the key pillars of Dogs Trust USA is to prevent unnecessary euthanasia. What are some of the innovative strategies the organization has implemented to address this issue in overcrowded shelters?
Our affiliate non-profit in the UK, Dogs Trust, (of which I am also CEO), has been in existence for 135 years and has 21 rehoming centers across the country, finding over 12,000 dogs a year new homes. With a no kill policy, dogs sometimes stay with us for long periods, so our facilities must be world leading, a home from home if you like. Dogs Trust has been a leader in shelter design for decades, advising many other organizations around the world as we have updated our own centers and rebuilt new ones with the newest technology and most up to date research, we have on dog welfare to support those designs. In creating better facilities, dogs cope better in a shelter environment and have a greater chance of being adopted. In addition, we focus on prevention work to reduce the number of dogs that end up in shelters, which led us to develop our Dog School program. This is a specialist program that provides training at an affordable price, using only positive training techniques. The goal of the program is to stop problem behaviors before they grab hold and risk damaging the human-dog bond, that in the end results in some dogs being relinquished. In the UK, we have over 40 Dog Schools helping 30,000 dogs and their owners a year and have piloted similar classes in both New York and California with positive results.
Animal welfare is constantly evolving. What are some of the most innovative solutions that Dogs Trust USA is exploring or implementing to address the challenges faced by stray and homeless dogs?
Technology will play a key role in animal welfare innovation. For example, we will use technology to recruit and support an expanded network of foster carers. We know there is not sufficient capacity within shelters for all dogs that are abandoned and that many dogs do not cope well in a shelter environment. Fostering at scale increases the number of dogs an organization can help at once, and we are trialing different approaches, for example one of our programs does not have dogs come into the shelter at all. They are adopted directly from the previous owner to the new adopter. In our work globally too, technology has been a critical element of our success to save more dogs and reduce the cases of rabies in dogs and humans. Through our Mission Rabies project, we developed an App in response to challenges encountered during large scale canine vaccination campaigns – it has now evolved into so much more. Teams can navigate across an area, switching between Google Maps and Google Satellite in the app. The path tracker function eases navigation for data collectors, ensuring that no area is repeated or missed whilst gathering the vital dog population data. For shelters and surgical teams, this function ensures every animal collected is released in the same location. Over 40 organizations worldwide now use the Mission Rabies App.
What do you see as the biggest challenge in the animal welfare sector today, and how is Dogs Trust USA positioning itself to address it?
The explosion of the dog population during the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis putting financial pressure on dog owners, other animal welfare shelters closing their doors and our operating costs rising due to inflation means we are in the middle of a perfect storm.
Dogs Trust USA has reviewed its strategy and is prioritizing the areas where we feel we can make the greatest difference and save as many dogs as possible with the resources we have available. We have three main organizational goals across the USA and around the world:
- To reduce poorly managed dog populations – which leads to overcrowding in shelters and growing numbers of street dogs living in poor conditions or at risk of euthanasia.
- To improve the physical welfare of dogs – poor physical welfare is sadly often a result of owners struggling to afford high-cost veterinary care or food – and because street dogs have no access to veterinary care in developing countries around the world.
- To reduce deaths caused by rabies – Fear of rabies, which is 100% preventable, leads to millions of healthy dogs being inhumanely killed in communities around the world, and many more being mistreated or left to suffer.
Many organizations have seen shifts in animal adoption rates post-pandemic. How has Dogs Trust USA navigated these changes, and what new trends are you observing in the way people engage with pets?
A larger dog population post pandemic has had an impact on all of Dogs Trust’s operations globally, but in the USA specifically, we have seen the greatest impact on our local partners. With more dogs being abandoned, shelters and rescuers have found it difficult to participate in our behavior programs due to resourcing issues. They now work tirelessly each day to deal with the basics of managing and caring for increasing numbers of dogs often with fewer staff and volunteers than they had before. I believe these programs are still desperately needed across the USA to help prevent problem behaviors in dogs before they become unmanageable, but for the near future as a Board we have made the decision to use our resources to focus on controlling the dog population through spay and neuter programs and providing free or reduced cost vet care to help keep dogs and owners together as owners struggle to care for their dogs in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
In terms of trends in dog owners, owner expectations of their dog and how they fit into their home and life has changed. At Dogs Trust we recently completed some research that showed modern dog owners want dogs to be part of the family to increase their own mental health and wellbeing. If dog behavior problems or illnesses are not quickly resolved, owner satisfaction decreases, and the dog is more likely to be taken to an organization to be rehomed.
Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for Dogs Trust USA in the next 5 to 10 years, both in terms of organizational growth and impact on animal welfare?
From an organizational point of view, we want to scale up the operations of Dogs Trust USA to help even more dogs, and to do that we need to hit an income target of at least $10m p.a by 2029. We need people and organizations to support us on this journey by making philanthropic gifts, grants and partnering with us and spreading the word about Dogs Trust USA. We have the skills, expertise and know how to solve the key issues in dog welfare, but like all non-profits, we need the resources to make this a reality.
Domestically, we want to play our part in reducing the number of healthy dogs euthanized in shelters across the US; and globally we will half the number of human deaths due to canine rabies. We won’t do this alone, everything we do is done in partnership with like-minded organizations who care about dogs as much as we do.
Are there any new programs or initiatives in the pipeline that you’re particularly excited about and that you think will significantly advance the organization’s mission?
We have plans to build further international training centers around the globe, where we not only train local vets to US standards to ensure local communities can provide the best veterinary care to animals in the future; but also provide much needed free or reduced cost veterinary treatment today in some of the poorest parts of the world. Access to vet care is a vital component of good dog welfare and much of our work is focused on supporting veterinary development and availability.
We will also want to create a globally accessible rabies vaccine vault. To half the number of rabies deaths globally over the next five years, we need to increase the availability of the vaccine. Working with the global health organizations, our local partners and manufacturers will be critical to enabling us to close this gap in supply over the next five years.
From a profile point of view, Dogs Trust’s Ambassador program is starting to take shape, and I’m delighted that James Middleton has recently joined us as our newest Ambassador. James has already made such a difference, raising awareness of our work and supporting our fundraising events. Our royal links don’t stop there. His Majesty King Charles is the Patron of Dogs Trust in the UK, and I am excited to see who else will be joining us in the future. There are so many well-known dog lovers within the USA and globally who we hope might like to get involved.
As a leader in the nonprofit sector, what legacy do you hope to leave behind both within Dogs Trust USA and in the broader animal welfare community?
Within the USA, to have helped significantly reduce the number of healthy dogs euthanized in the shelter system. Whilst the scale is different, in the UK over a period of 20 years, we managed to reduce the number of dogs being euthanized in pounds from 80,000 to 1,400 per year. Outside of the USA, the eradication of rabies globally over the next 20 years. This would have a transformational impact on dog welfare in parts of the world where dogs are still feared and as a result are inhumanely killed or treated cruelly. Only once we have rabies under control in an area, and the human-dog bond can be more positive; can we start to work with those communities to improve dog welfare outcomes more broadly.
Lastly, what advice would you give to future leaders who want to make a difference in the animal welfare field, particularly those leading nonprofits?
Get to know the organization you’ve come in to lead and work with your Board and Leadership Team to truly understand what makes the organization unique and where you believe it can have the biggest impact. This will help drive your decision making around how you can drive the organization forward with a clear sense of vision and purpose. Make the time to get to know your peers in other similar organizations and use those networks to support you in the role. I particularly found this useful during the pandemic, having a trusted forum where we could talk about challenges of leading during such a difficult time and together coming up with solutions that could help across the sector. Pick your kind of people – yes, people with the skills and talent needed– but also just great people to be around every day who are right for your culture and the challenges you’re facing as an organization now at this point in its journey. If you get this right, you’ll build a strong, committed team, and the rest will follow.
More About the Organisation
Dogs Trust USA is part of the global Dogs Trust network, which aims to improve the lives of dogs across the globe. Founded as a 501(c)(3) organization, Dogs Trust USA partners with local animal welfare organizations across the United States to support projects that address dog abandonment, responsible dog ownership, and the welfare of dogs in shelters. The organization’s grant program funds initiatives that promote adoption, spay/neuter programs, and innovative approaches to reducing dog overpopulation and abandonment. Through collaboration with various nonprofits, Dogs Trust USA is committed to making a lasting positive impact on dog welfare in the U.S.
