Dogstrustusa.org

Saving Dogs and Fighting Rabies with Dogs Trust USA's Owen Sharp

About the Guest(s):

Owen Sharp is the Director and President of Dogs Trust USA, appointed in July 2019. With a rich history in leadership roles within the non-profit and healthcare sectors, Sharp previously served as the Global CEO and Executive Director of the Movember Foundation in Culver City, California, and has had an impactful tenure as the CEO of Prostate Cancer UK. A trained nurse from Glasgow, Scotland, Owen is also honored with a doctorate from Glasgow Caledonian University. His passion for animal welfare, particularly dogs, is matched by his personal commitment to animal rescue and advocacy.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Chris Voss Show, host Chris Voss engages with Owen Sharp, President of Dogs Trust USA, for an insightful discussion about the critical issues facing dog welfare today. Sharp, with his extensive background in leadership and dog welfare, sheds light on the staggering challenges animal shelters face, from overpopulation and economic pressures to the rising abandonment rates following the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation traverses the importance of education and responsible dog ownership as a means to alleviate these issues.

Sharp discusses the ambitious goals set by Dogs Trust USA to tackle poorly managed dog populations, improve physical welfare, and address the deaths caused by rabies internationally. Emphasizing the necessity for affordable spay and neuter programs and veterinary care, he urges for a committed community effort to support shelters in the US. By understanding the intricacies of training and matching the right dog to the owner, as well as creating awareness around rabies prevention, these measures promise to enhance dog welfare significantly and save countless lives.

Key Takeaways:

Dogs Trust USA focuses on the crucial areas of population management, low-cost veterinary care, and rabies prevention to improve dog welfare globally.

COVID-19 has significantly increased dog abandonment rates, as many people adopted pets during lockdowns without fully understanding the responsibilities, leading to crowded shelters.

Achieving responsible pet ownership starts with selecting the right dog for one's lifestyle and ensuring proper training and socialization.

Rabies is a major global health problem, with one person dying from it approximately every 8-9 minutes worldwide. Dogs Trust strives for the total elimination of canine-mediated rabies.

Supporting local shelters can be done through donations, volunteering, and fostering dogs, contributing to sustainable solutions in the welfare community.

Notable Quotes:

"If you have the right knowledge, if you have the right skills, nearly all of those behavioral issues can be avoided." – Owen Sharp

"Our ambition is to halve the number of human deaths from rabies in the next five years." – Owen Sharp

"It's not just saying, 'I want a dog,' and I want that one that I've seen for whatever reason, be it fashion, or a TV show." – Owen Sharp

"We need to educate people about the type of dog that they get." – Owen Sharp

"Rabies is 100% preventable—there is a vaccine that exists that you can give to animals." – Owen Sharp