Mention dogs in Bermuda and everyone seems to have an opinion on what is being done wrong: they’re running loose and attacking people, owners are illegally breeding them, and they’re not being cared for humanely. Animal lovers Esther Douglas and Kelly Glazebrook have heard the calls for change and founded Forget Me Not Canine Centre, the island’s only charity focused solely on dogs.

Its mission is to find “loving, forever homes” regardless of the owner, the breed or the situation. Fundraising is now under way as, to achieve its goal, the charity needs community support.

It is not uncommon to see requests to re-home 20 dogs in a single month and it costs roughly $1,000 to ensure each animal is healthy enough for fostering or adoption.

“That’s restricted breeds and non-restricted breeds,” Ms Douglas said. “So your Jack Russells, your cavaliers, your cavapoos, your huskies, doodles. It's not just pitbulls. These are obviously family pets that people can no longer keep for whatever reason.”

Vaccines, parasite control and neutering or spaying contribute to the expense. Large dogs “bump up” the tally, as do any skin issues, ear issues or other medical conditions.

Finding somewhere to house dogs in the short term is another big challenge.

“It is a foster-based situation right now; it’s what we can bring into our homes safely. What we’re struggling with, is finding an appropriate quarantine place,” Ms Glazebrook said.

Many of the dogs that need re-homing have not received adequate veterinary care, and she and Ms Douglas cannot risk making their own dogs sick.

Their hope is to find a place where they can quarantine dogs “for up to 14 days” before onboarding them for fostering.

Even if the dog is healthy, temperament is another issue that must be considered. Puppies are easier as they “have less of a ‘memory bank’ on behaviour”, but older dogs may be more difficult to socialise.

“A lot of the older dogs have been living a life of solitude because they’re illegal and people are afraid to take them out in public. So they're at home by themselves in someone’s yard,” Ms Glazebrook said.

“Trying to introduce them, at that stage, to a pack of dogs and live in [a home] environment takes time. It works when you have somewhere to take that dog ― where it has its downtime in a shelter or space ― and then you [slowly introduce it to other dogs].”

It is a massive undertaking for the pair, whose love of dogs stems from childhood.

Between them, they have fostered nearly 60 dogs over the past 2½ years and have decades of experience ― as owners and through volunteer work with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other organisations.

The pair have received “insightful mentorship” from Trish McMillian, the world-renowned shelter expert, and spent “countless hours” training in Bermuda with Eileen Thorne, a certified professional dog trainer and expert in dog behaviour.

Recognising that change requires a team effort, they hope their expertise, combined with support from friends who are “canine professionals”, will help the island move beyond its present “crisis point” where there are more dogs than available homes ― and there are dogs that pose a risk to the community.

“[The public have] been calling for it. They’ve been asking; it’s all over social media constantly. We’ve just been quietly in the background trying to make sure that everything is lined up appropriately and legitimately, so that we can put together a respectable programme and offer a community service that people feel comfortable coming to,” Ms Glazebrook said.

Until she and Ms Douglas launched the charity this year, people had only two options for surrendering their pets: wardens and the SPCA.

“An additional resource is needed. Between the wardens and the SPCA, they need help and so that’s what we aim to provide ― assessing dogs from the wardens to make sure they are suitable and safe for the community,” Ms Glazebrook said.

Each dog will go through an individualised rehabilitation programme where they learn skills such as how to play appropriately and remain calm around people.

“Because there’s also the problem that a lot of dogs in our community are not safe, we work with vets who are very keen on the behaviour side of their work, and with certified professional dog trainers to assess these dogs, to make sure that they carry all the qualities to be safe in our community.”

Their dream would be to see a programme similar to The Kennel Club Assured Breeders scheme where dogs must meet certain health and temperament requirements before they can be bred legally.

“Because then we’re producing a better quality of dog. For example, there’s so many of the local pitbulls that have skin issues. People fall in love with this cute little puppy, and it’s great.

“They take it in, and they do all the right things. But then a year in, they’re spending a fortune on allergy medication, it has skin problems, and they’re in and out of the vets, and the bills are just racking up,” Ms Glazebrook said.

Ms Douglas added: “We need more personnel to help vet that. Right now, to breed a restricted breed, you should have a certain percentage of people already lined up for those puppies, but there’s not enough manpower to make sure that always happens.

“And then you get illegal litters, which mostly tend to be the bully breeds. People are breeding because, ‘oh well, I think my dog should be a dad’, or ‘I think my dog should be a mom’, and then there’s nowhere for these puppies to go.”

However, it is an issue that extends far beyond pitbulls and other restricted breeds. All types of dogs are being bred without ensuring that there are homes ready to take them.

Compounding the problem, many landlords don’t allow dogs. Tenants must move if they want to get a pet, or re-home or surrender an existing one.

People interested in adopting a restricted breed must obtain government approval, which can be discouraging owing to costly fencing requirements.

Just as important as rescue and rehabilitation is educating the public, Ms Glazebrook emphasised.

Many people are not aware of basic things: that they must license their dog annually, that there are vaccinations needed at different growth stages, that there are legal requirements for owning a dog.

There also should be an open discussion on ethical and responsible breeding, and required standard of care versus acceptable standard of care.

Ms Glazebrook concluded: “Is it a life for a dog to live in a 6ft by 6ft kennel or a 10ft by 10ft kennel all its days, in solitary confinement? While that might [meet] the legal side of it, is that really fair or humane?”

• For more information on Forget Me Not Canine Centre, or to donate to the charity, visitwww.forgetmenotcaninecentre.com/