Homeless dog charity’s pleas for London Emissions Zone exemption fall on deaf ears
The refusal to grant a ULEZ exemption to charity Dogs On The Street could have serious implications not just for dogs, but for their homeless guardians too, writes Claire Hamlett.
Last month, London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) became 18 times larger when it was expanded from central London up to the North and South Circular roads in a bid to drive down air pollution in the city. Vehicles that don’t meet strict emissions standards must pay a daily charge of £12.50 if they drive in the ULEZ. There are a few exceptions including emergency vehicles, taxis and vehicles used for community transport. Unfortunately, the vehicles of the charity Dogs On The Streets (DOTS) do not meet the exemption criteria.
“It will impact us financially as funds have been hard on the charity since COVID,” says Michelle Clark, founder of DOTS. “I want the public’s donations to support our cause, not pay continuously for ULEZ charges.”
DOTS provides an important service in London and several other locations in the South East of England. With specially equipped vans and a team of volunteers, DOTS offers support to homeless and vulnerable people with dogs, including providing veterinary care, free essential items, and a street dog fostering service. Homeless people who need to go into hospital, for example, can give their dogs to DOTS to look after, safe in the knowledge that they will be reunited with them once they are discharged.
As an approved defibrillator provider, DOTS can also respond if someone suffers a cardiac arrest on the street until an ambulance arrives. In these ways, Clark argues, DOTS supports emergency services, including the police, ambulances and hospitals, and should therefore be exempt from paying the ULEZ charge. A petition to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to this end has already gathered nearly 5,000 signatures.
Volunteers frequently have to drive into the expanded ULEZ, the petition text explains. “The vehicles head into Central London to provide vital services, which incurs a £15 congestion charge on top of the £12.50 for each vehicle - that's a total of £40 every day as both vehicles are needed. DOTS already has significant outgoings as vet costs alone were £94,000 last year.” Using the scrappage scheme to purchase new vehicles that comply with the ULEZ standards is not a viable financial option, “as it would cost £40,000 to make a new special vet van and £9,000 for the [dog] transport van.”
It’s easy to see the huge impact that DOTS has on the lives of homeless people and their dogs. As the Big Issue recently reported, when homeless people were offered temporary accommodation in hotels last year at the start of the pandemic, many of them were forced to choose between a bed and their beloved companion because most hotels do not allow animals. Even in non-COVID situations, finding accommodation that allows companion animals is difficult, meaning that homeless and vulnerable people face an extra hurdle to accessing shelter or support. This gap in dog-friendly care for such people is the one that DOTS fills.
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Some people who rely on DOTS’ services credit the charity with saving their dog’s life and even with saving themselves from criminal activity. As one testimonial on the DOTS website says: “I use to [sic] beg and shoplift for my dog's food and I have a criminal record for stealing dog food. I don’t do that anymore now I have Dogs On The Streets.”
As shown by the stories in the Big Issue article from homeless people DOTS has helped, a dog might be the only family some people have, and often have a positive influence on the mental health of their guardian, alleviating loneliness and depression. When living on the streets, a homeless person may also be the first to encounter stray or abandoned animals, who they then take into their care.
While the benefits of a companion animal for homeless humans seem clear, the experience of homeless dogs is given less consideration. Anyone who has enjoyed the special bond between guardian and dog will know that dogs usually consider their guardians to be ‘home’, rather than any specific place. Accounts from homeless people often describe how much love and care homeless dogs receive from their guardians and how the dogs can live more freely and with more autonomy than dogs in traditional homes sometimes do. There are numerous reports of dogs developing issues such as separation anxiety now that their guardians are returning to the office after lockdown and the dogs are being left home alone for long stretches at a time; by contrast, homeless dogs are with their guardians all the time.
None of this is to say that a dog or a person is better off homeless than in a stable home, but rather to point out that there is evidence that homeless dogs can get as much out of their relationship with their homeless guardian as their guardian does. But while British people spend on average around £200 a month on their dogs, including grooming, feeding, vet bills and dog walking, homeless people will not always have the resources or the knowledge needed to provide for their dogs’ needs.
DOTS, and similar UK charities like Street Vet and Street Paws, provide not only veterinary care but also advice on everything from nutrition to training, helping homeless dogs to live better lives. Without an exemption from the ULEZ charges for DOTS, as well as other animal charities, London’s homeless dogs will be worse off.
Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.
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