An interview with Anthony Martin

Anthony Martin is a man who usually stays out of the limelight, but a man who deserves enormous credit for the incredible generosity he has displayed, and contribution he has made to animal welfare. He has experienced the heights of success in business, but it is his work protecting some of our most vulnerable animals that is most admirable - all carried out behind the scenes, with no clamour for praise or attention.

So, without further ado, here’s our chat with Anthony…

Did you have animals as a child and what impact did this have on your understanding of companion animals?

I was evacuated to my grandfather’s farm during the second world war where we had farm animals and also domestic pets, so I had a lot of contact with animals at a very early age, and first experienced the bond that can be made with our animal companions.

Compassion and empathy are key elements regarding our relationship with all species on our planet.  Did you have an instinctive connection with these parts of our inner selves as a result of an early relationship with a companion animal?

I do believe they are key elements, I did recognise them very early in my life and that they do connect to our inner selves.  Not particularly a relationship with one animal but I’ve always thought that human beings have attributes that animals don’t and we should use those to make their lives better and the same is true in reverse.

You are a very busy and internationally successful businessman.  Have you managed to include companion animals in your life throughout your career? 

It has been a very busy period in life, as much as possible have always had domestic pets which in one way or another have normally been rescued.

You started your foundation…which celebrates its 20th birthday this year.  What was the reason for creating a foundation of this kind?

Purely a love of animals and how their lives could be improved by some kindness and care around the world, particularly in the UK and trying to bring a better quality of existence to the whole animal world.

You will have travelled the world in your work.  Are there animal welfare issues in particular countries which have consolidated your belief in welfare systems which benefit the lives of dogs in general?

Unfortunately, I have seen more countries where animal welfare is a secondary issue and animals have extremely poor treatment.  This tends to be in less developed countries around the world, particularly those with autocratic governments,  where the high priority is the survival of those institutions.  Animal welfare tends to become very secondary to human welfare.

Foundations like yours exist because of the huge lack of governmental commitment to ending the cruelty imposed on animals in countries all over the world.  Why do you think there is such a lack of concern and what do you think the answer is for solving this problem?

The major issue is that animals don’t vote! They don’t appoint governments and governments are always focused on trying to please the population that put them in their current position.  Animal welfare seems to be a secondary concern in many countries around the world, although we have seen some progress in Asia.  A bigger priority needs to be given to these charitable and volunteer sectors, which seem to be the only ones concentrated on solving this issue.

Your foundation is basically committed to creating a better life for dogs in particular.  How do you direct the support of the foundation in order to achieve this?

Yes, dogs are somewhat of a priority because they are the animals I’ve been mainly associated with but also we go out of our way to support other species as well.  The foundation has the authorisation to fund programs that are in the interest of all sorts of animal welfare and rescue, government legislation etc.  The final solution to all this is for governments to take a more active part in controlling what is correct for animal welfare, by various forms of legislation.

What upsets you most about how we relate to animals?

How some people don’t treat animals the way that they would like to be treated themselves, which is unforgivable. These species exist on the planet alongside us and we should therefore respect their wishes just as much as we respect our own.

What pleases you most?

In seeing a society that treasures and admires it’s animal population and tends to it’s needs and encourages it to participate in the world outside of just human capabilities.

If you could instigate a specific piece of legislation that would force communities to face head on the way of solving the stray dog population, what would that legislation be?  

I would stop breeders breeding dogs until all of the sanctuaries and charitable foundations, and dogs that they are caring for, have been adopted into the general population and then as part of that legislation, would control birth rates going forwards and would require the dogs be neutered accordingly, so they cannot reproduce without knowing that there is going to be care for them.

And finally, what animals do you currently have in your life? 

I had two rescue dogs from Barbados where we had a huge project to try and solve the stray dog population there. Presently I have one dog which is a rescue from being puppy farmed and anticipate bringing more into my life in future.