A national dog DNA database combined with increased sterilisation could help reduce the number of dogs entering UK shelters and improve animal and social welfare, according to a new study examining possible reforms to the way the UK manages its dog population.
Published in Discover Animals, the research article by David C. Cook, Christina Siettou and Rob W. Fraser used a computer model to explore how different policies could affect owned dogs, shelter dogs and dogs held by breeders over a ten-year period. Pasted text
The researchers compared the current UK approach with five hypothetical alternatives: increasing shelter capacity, increasing euthanasia, introducing a breeder tax, subsidising shelter adoption and adopting a policy based on a system introduced in Greece. Pasted text
The Greek approach combines compulsory microchipping and registration with sterilisation. Owners who choose not to sterilise their dogs must instead submit a DNA sample to a national database, potentially allowing offspring to be traced back to their parents and owners held accountable. Pasted text
Of the policies modelled, the DNA database scenario produced the strongest welfare outcome. After ten years, the model predicted around 41,500 fewer dogs in shelters compared with continuing with the current approach. The researchers estimated an improvement in social welfare of £7.3 million compared with the status quo. A subsidy encouraging people to adopt from shelters was the next most beneficial option. Pasted text
Interestingly, simply increasing shelter capacity did not produce a better welfare outcome in the model. The researchers argue that accommodating more dogs in shelters may increase the number exposed to the stress associated with entering and remaining in a shelter environment. Increasing euthanasia produced the poorest result of the policies examined. Pasted text
The study comes against a backdrop of growing pressure on UK shelters. The researchers cite data indicating that the number of dogs entering shelters increased by almost 32% between 2022 and 2024, while the proportion reclaimed fell from 54% to 39%. Pasted text
However, the authors stress that their findings are based on modelling rather than the real-world introduction of these policies in the UK. Several values used in the model were estimates, and factors including owner and breeder compliance, enforcement and the cost of operating a DNA database would need further investigation. Pasted text
The researchers conclude that a policy based on the Greek system warrants consideration in the UK, with their modelling suggesting that preventing unwanted dogs from entering the shelter system in the first place could offer greater benefits than simply increasing capacity to accommodate them.
