Dogs Trust has announced that an estimated 300 roles at the charity are at risk of redundancy as it looks to review its services and ensure its long-term financial sustainability.
The animal welfare charity, which employs 1,765 members of staff, today announced that it was making changes in response to “the perfect storm that is devastating dog welfare in the UK and abroad”.
Dogs Trust has proposed closing a rehoming centre in Newbury and reducing kennel capacity at other sites.
It said these changes would enable the charity to invest across its 21 rehoming centres with more expert staff helping dogs to get ready for their new homes.
The charity has also proposed to stop some of its prevention services to focus on helping more dog owners whose dogs have challenging behaviours.
Dogs Trust’s central, cross-organisational work is also being reviewed to support its new strategic approach.
The charity said it would do everything possible to support staff at risk of redundancy, as well as the wider teams, and that it hoped most employees affected would be able to find new roles at the organisation.
Aim to minimise impact on staff
Dogs Trust said the proposed changes would enable the charity to help more dogs in the UK and around the world, while ensuring its financial sustainability in the long term.
The charity said it will provide more intensive support for dogs in its rehoming centres, build on its fostering and Home Stay programme, refocus its prevention work on supporting owners when they have a problem and redirect its international work through its sister charity, Worldwide Veterinary Service.
Owen Sharp, chief executive of Dogs Trust, said, “We have been living through unprecedented times. The pandemic changed the dog population, and the cost-of-living crisis has brought continuing pressures and uncertainty for dog owners.
“I know Dogs Trust is making a difference, and our people are working hard to offer help and support when our services are needed more than ever.
“But in response to these challenging times, Dogs Trust must adapt to enable a better life for every dog.
“This is why we have made the strategic choice to refocus the organisation's work and change how we work, to maximise our impact whilst ensuring Dogs Trust remains financially sustainable in the long term.
“We are working to minimise the impact of these changes on our staff, although some staff will potentially be affected, as we reshape the organisation to make a bigger difference for dogs.”
