Animal rescue groups at crisis point

Jenny McGovern

Cavan SPCA taking in up to five dogs a day

Tina Boyle has been involved in rescuing and rehoming animals for the past 14 years and her frustration at the current situation is clear to be seen. She laments: “It’s got to the point of ridiculousness and I don’t understand how this is still happening after my 14 years of promoting spaying and neutering. I can only say that it’s not a lack of education, it’s a lack of responsibility and just sheer ignorance. Dogs have become so throwaway, it’s ridiculous. People need to realise that if they take on a dog they need to look after it for its lifetime. It’s not happening. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they pay big money for the animal, we are getting huskies and labradoodles in to us.”

Tina’s welcoming new legislation on animal welfare, which came into effect on March 7. It outlines in clear legal terms the responsibility people have when they own a pet. The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 includes provision for increased powers for authorised officers to investigate complaints of animal cruelty, and stricter penalties on convictions. The new law also allows authorised officers, including gardaí, Department of Agriculture representatives and officers from animal welfare groups such as the ISPCA, to investigate complaints of animal cruelty in private homes, and impose on-the-spot fines.
“It’s good news that they’re giving more people access to private dwellings. People don’t understand that we (CSPCA) cannot enter people’s gardens, fields, houses, backyards. We have to go and get the guards to do that, so this new legislation means that we now have better access to those who can go into private dwellings such as Department inspectors and ISPCA inspectors.”
She continued: “We’re trying to emphasis to people that if they do go out and get a pup and they fail to get it neutered, there aren’t going to be rescues/pounds to take in what’s not wanted. The dog warden and I have spoke about this at length and we know that down the line we physically cannot cope with what’s coming at us and eventually there will be no choice other than to put the dogs to sleep - there’s simply nowhere for them to go. There are too many.”

At the minute, Tina has in the region of 45 dogs at her own shelter and the Cavan SPCA have about 150 dogs in their care, including those who are currently being fostered. Tina tells the Celt that at present they can only take in emergency cases such as “something that is on the side of the road bleeding or pups that can’t fend for themselves.” The law only requires that dogs be in the pound for five days, if they aren’t claimed or adopted then they can be put to sleep. Tina adds: “If things keep going the way they’re going then there’ll be no alternative. We can’t ask fosterers to keep dogs forever. In my case I know that some dogs will never leave my house, some have been there for six or seven months, they’ve been neutered and vaccinated and I’m not prepared to put them to sleep. It’s inevitable that the first dogs to go will be those left in the pound.”

“Down the line we physically cannot cope with what’s coming at us and eventually there will be no choice other than to put the dogs to sleep.”

 

Tina adds that despite dogs constantly being handed over to the CSPCA there are few being rehomed. “It’s been very slow this year, so far I think I’ve only homed two dogs since before Christmas and when one dog goes out two come in. We’re trying to stress to people that if they’re thinking of getting a dog - to please consider a rescue dog. We have so many different breeds in our care, instead of going to breeders who are making money and giving nothing back. At the end of the day, there are some breeders who don’t care what happens to the dogs. They’re breeding bitches three or four times a year and have no discrimination on cross breeding or selling pups for €300-€400.”

Why adopt a rescue animal?
“When dogs come into us we have them checked over by a vet, if they’re six months old they’ll be neutered, they will also be vaccinated. They won’t leave us until they have had their second shot vaccination, if they’ve picked up any diseases while straying we will clear that up. We also have them wormed, flead, checked for mange and lice and they’re also checked for any medical problems. The adoption fee is minimal at €120 for a dog that is over six months old, which has been neutered, vaccinated, wormed and microchipped. It costs €85 to adopt pups that will be vaccinated, wormed and microchipped. The adoption fee goes towards veterinary costs and the CSPCA asks that anyone adopting a puppy to sign a contract to agree to get the pup neutered once it reaches six months.”

Tina continues: “With rescue dogs there will be no health surprises - a lot of the time people will ring me up and say they’ve bought a dog for €300 and have had to spend hundreds of euro in the vets because the pup was sick, or it wasn’t fed properly, or it was too young to be taken away from the mother, or they weren’t sure if it was vaccinated and they were told by the vet that it was badly bred. There’s nothing I can do in that case, they bought it as they saw it.”

Tina also points out that the CSPCA and the Dog Pound know all about the dogs in their care and are always available for advice.
“We’re not in the business of profit and it breaks my heart to see the amount of dogs running around the country at the minute after fourteen years of neutering and spaying animals and advising people to do the same.
I’ve had hundreds of dogs come through my door and at this stage it’s shocking to see the amount of animals being dumped or straying. It’s heartbreaking, we have so many lovely rescue dogs and I don’t understand why anyone would want to go to a breeder when you see the photos of the animals in our care.”

 

 

Cavan SPCA coping with bills of €60,000 per year:

 

In 2013, Cavan SPCA rehomed 215 dogs and they spayed/neutered 85. Their costs average at about €60,000 for the year. They receive a grant from the Department of Agriculture, which covers approximately a third of their total costs. They must then raise the remainder through donations, fundraisers, their charity shop, their annual calendar and their Christmas card appeal.

Costs
• €150 to prepare a pup for rehoming: Vaccinated, wormed, flead, vet checked,    micro chipped
• €200-€250 to prepare an adult dog for rehoming
• €10,000 food bills
• €18,000 Spay/Neuter
• €25,000 Vet bills (excl spay and neuter)

If you would like to make a donation to Cavan SPCA you can transfer money directly into their bank account. Ulster Bank, Sort Code: 98-54-50, Account Number: 10018338. Or you can donate through the PayPal button on www.cavanspca.ie or through PayPal to cavanspca.ie