The issue of stray, abandoned and surrendered dogs and cats in Ireland is a real one. According to Dog Control Statistics, in Ireland, the figure of dogs being destroyed in pounds decreased from 916 in 2017 to 725 in 2018.
Although this figure reflects improvement, 725 dogs being destroyed is still very upsetting news. Dogs Trust shared these statistics on their website upon their release and said that they are still concerned about the number of dogs still entering pounds across Ireland.
Although the numbers have decreased, there are still a high number of stray and abandoned dogs in Ireland and Dogs Trust believe in a prevention approach as opposed to a cure approach.
Although all this news is rather upsetting, the good news is that there are many animal organisations across Ireland who are doing amazing work to combat these figures and we want to give them a spotlight in this article.
Since we already mentioned Dogs Trust, we may as well start with the work they do! They are Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, establishing their homing centre in 2009. Their mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life that is free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. They are very successful with rehoming dogs to happy homes. As reported in 2018 on their website, they rehomed 2,025 dogs. As a charity, to raise money they fundraise, have sponsorships and they have a dog school whereby you can book classes with them to train your dogs. They also offer advice on their website about how to properly take care of your dogs to ensure the best possible welfare.
Drogheda Animal Rescue provide shelter and care to dogs and cats who have been abandoned, strayed, neglected, abused and injured. From there, they rehome dogs and cats to potential homes. They are a voluntary, non-profit organisation that are committed to the welfare of animals. They make money through donations, fundraising and doing special projects such as making Christmas cards calendars of all the animals in the rescue with their stories. They do not have a huge centre to house animals; therefore, they rely mostly on foster care. In addition, it is not just volunteers who foster animals, so if you would like to get involved this could be a great way to do so.
The ISPCA, also known as the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is Ireland’s largest national animal welfare charity and represents 17 affiliated member societies. As a team, the ISPCA and their members work to rescue, treat and responsibly rehome tens of thousands of animals of all different species. The ISPCA also have a national animal cruelty helpline where people can report the abuse of animals and they will investigate the situation and bring it to justice. They have many stories regarding this on their website blog and as much as they are shocking and upsetting to read, it is so wonderful to see the work they are doing to remedy the situation for the animals who are suffering.
ASH Animal Rescue is located in Wicklow and their overall mission is to introduce you to their many animals who are searching for their forever home. They have lots of dogs and cats. They are reliant on donations, so if you would like to support them, you can visit their website. They also are always looking for volunteers if you would like to do some feel good work. Alongside this, they really appreciate food donations and toy donations, even newspaper so that they can provide the best possible welfare for these animals before they make it to their forever home. You can also sponsor animals on their website.
This animal rescue is located in Dublin, they are a charity that was initially set up in 1987 by three women to help dogs that were unwanted and abandoned in Dublin. Since starting the sanctuary, they have helped rehabilitate and rehome hundreds of dogs and cats. They keep the dogs and cats who are too old for rehoming in their sanctuary, where they care for them until they have to cross rainbow bridge. Their aim is to give the animals as normal a life as possible until they are able to be rehomed. They prefer them to spend a majority of the day outside playing on the grounds of the sanctuary rather than being cooped up in runs.
As an animal foundation, they feel that every animal deserves to feel happy, healthy and loved. They essentially provide a safe haven to nurse animals back to health and find them good homes to live out the remainder of their lives happily. The animals with them are primarily dogs and cats, however, some wildlife sneak in too. They also run events such as dog walk days and concerts for people to get involved.
PAWS are located in Tipperary and was founded in 1997 by two women whose original vision was to rehome unwanted pets from their current homes and take in dogs from the local pound to save them from destruction. At this time, there were 35,000 dogs being killed in Irish dog pounds each year and Kildare was one of the top ten places where this was happening. They felt this was unacceptable and went for a bigger project, an animal shelter. Today, they have rescued, vaccinated, rehomed and neutered thousands of dogs. You can help these women keep their dream alive by donating to their cause because they do struggle for funds.
A Round Of Applause..
These organisations deserve a true round of applause. The issue of stray dogs and cats in Ireland is a huge one and what is even more upsetting is the number of dogs being destroyed in Irish pounds this year. However, although quite upsetting, it is amazing to see these organisations who are making a huge impact in decreasing that number and are truly giving these animals the second chance at a happy life they are begging for. All of these organisations look for people to get involved so check out their sites and if you are up for it, send them a donation, look at some of their beautiful animals before going out and buying that pedigree and see what else you can do with them directly to help their visions flourish.
