Three leading global charities have united to take a decisive step forward in the fight against rabies, one of the deadliest zoonotic diseases in the world, which claims the lives of a child every nine minutes, amounting to 60,000 human fatalities every year.
The merger of Dogs Trust, Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), and Mission Rabies is an important milestone in the global fight against the disease and will also transform the welfare standards for dogs and other animals worldwide.
The combined efforts of the three charities will expand their impact on a much larger scale. Mission Rabies has merged into Worldwide Veterinary Service, which has in turn become a subsidiary of Dogs Trust. Working together, they will implement a range of programmes, including spay/neuter, disaster response, vet training, and community outreach, to achieve their shared commitment to eliminate the risk of human deaths due to dog bite transmitted rabies.
Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, expressed his enthusiasm for the merger: “Working together will enable us to make a truly transformational difference to dog welfare and to save thousands of human lives as well.
“In addition, it will significantly increase Dogs Trust’s international impact and establish it as the world’s truly global dog charity, with an international footprint spanning five continents.”
Luke Gamble, Founder and CEO of MR and WVS, shared his excitement about the opportunity to expand their work:
‘It’s tremendously exciting to have this opportunity to really power on the international work of Dogs Trust. WVS and MR have always had a brilliant partnership with Dogs Trust and to now become officially adopted as part of the family is fantastic!
“We look forward to making a massive global impact, in terms of both rabies elimination and championing animal welfare in places that desperately need it.”
Eliminating the risk of human deaths due to dog bite transmissions, which account for 99% of all human rabies deaths, is one of Dogs Trust’s key strategic goals over the next ten years. The charities will collaborate on a variety of initiatives and expand their international work to ensure they achieve their mission and many more besides.
Through their collective efforts, the charities will take significant strides toward achieving their shared goal of eliminating human deaths caused by dog bite transmitted rabies. They are confident that this merger is a meaningful step towards a world where every animal is cared for, every dog is healthy, and every human is safe from the deadly disease.
