There has been a surge in undesirable pets following the breeding frenzy that took place throughout Covid
Animal rescue centres in Wicklow are struggling to maintain up with the numbers of dogs being dumped every day.
Fiona Gammell from Wicklow Animal Welfare has spent near 50 years rescuing animals. The non-public rescue centre took in, rehabilitated and rehomed 600 dogs in 2023, and has already taken in 165 dogs thus far this 12 months.
She feels that the dire scenario in the present day continues to be a hangover from a growth in new pet possession throughout the pandemic, and that those that took up breeding dogs and cats then are nonetheless doing so, however now the demand for his or her offspring has disintegrated.
“Never was an opportunity to make easy money from breeding dogs and cats more evident,” Fiona mentioned. “People paid ten times the worth of dogs in the hopes of breeding them themselves and making even more money. No thought for what might and did happen when people had to return to the real world and real jobs.
“Dogs that were badly bred, primarily to make money, badly socialised and badly trained are now endemic in pounds and rescues across the country and beyond. Most countries are in the same situation and where, in the past, dogs may have been transported to rescue centres in the UK and beyond, they too have found themselves with too many dogs and not enough homes.
“We can only hope that things will pan out soon and people will realise that there is no money for the puppies that they are breeding by the van load. There are instances where whole litters of puppies have been handed into rescues. We have always had that in our line of work but it has increased across the country.”
Fiona Gammell of Wicklow Animal Welfare.
Fiona is looking for the Government to take motion to deal with the worsening situation.
“Something needs to be done and quickly,” she mentioned. “As long as rescue centres continue to mop up the detritus, the Government will wash their hands of the problem that has become insurmountable by rescue centres alone. More money is not the answer. The councils are giving licences to breeders and puppy farmers to breed hundreds, if not thousands of puppies every year. This must be curtailed until at the very least, things are under control. Rescue centres cannot keep up with the sheer numbers being dumped every day.”
Helena and Remi Le Mahieu run Ash Animal Sanctuary in Rathdangan and are additionally discovering it more and more troublesome to safe everlasting and loving houses for the dogs they’re at the moment caring for.
Helena mentioned: “Things have really gone backwards since the pandemic. We are right back to the old days of dogs being dumped and abandoned, or left tied to the gate of the local cemetery. We were getting so close before Covid to getting everything under control, but things since then have been setback at least ten years.
“So many people saw money flashing before their eyes during Covid and set about breeding, without having the proper knowledge involved. We had people contacting us during the pandemic asking if they could take a couple of bitches from us so they could breed them and make money of the puppies. Of course we would never hand a dog over to someone like that or in those circumstances.
“Finding homes for these dogs is now much more difficult than in previous years, and it’s placing all rescues, including Ash, under real pressure.”
Pet homeowners who’re reluctant to get their canine or cat neutered are additionally including to the issue. Wicklow Animal Welfare has already organised two decreased fee neutering schemes for cats by Avondale vets in Rathdrum thus far this 12 months.
Fiona added: “Please neuter your pets, as we do not need any more dogs and cats until all the ones languishing in rescue centres find loving homes.
“We cannot cope with all the requests to surrender pets. Please think twice about getting a pet, but if you do, please think of all the animals in rescue centres who are, through no fault of their own, waiting for the chance to be part of a real family. Most of the dogs we get in here are unneutered, unvaccinated and not microchipped.
“Microchipping is law since 2016 and a dog cannot be sold, or supplied without the benefit of a microchip. Unfortunately the law is in place but is not being enforced. If laws were enforced and every dog had a microchip inserted and registered correctly, it would be impossible to sell or supply a dog without the correct paperwork being in place.
“Unfortunately until this is taken seriously, animals will suffer by dent of being abandoned by uncaring and callous owners. Please be responsible and be part of the solution, not the problem. Contact Dogs Trust in Dublin who can issue reduced price neutering vouchers. We are in a crisis situation and we all need to help the animals that have been let down so badly by their owners.”
There has additionally been a noticeable surge in breeds such because the XL Bully, who don’t at all times socialise effectively with different dogs and will be troublesome to rehome.
“There are so many bull breeds now and they can be very difficult to fit in with a centre with so many other dogs. They don’t tend to socialise well with other dogs,” mentioned Helena. “They are fine if they are the only dog in the house.
“There are all sorts of bull crosses and all these crosses can make the dog very unpredictable, not just in terms of how they look, but also in terms of their temperament. They are the most loyal dogs and in the right situation they make super pets, but in the wrong situation, they aren’t.”
Ash Animal Rescue simply discovered 17-year-old Tigger a brand new home.
However, it’s not all dangerous information for Wicklow’s animal rescue shelters. Last weekend Ash managed to rehome a number of dogs, together with 17-year-old Tigger.
Helena added: “Tigger first came to us as an 11-year-old, but was sadly returned to us following the passing of his owners five years ago. He was rehomed again last year, but unfortunately he was returned to us again due to a change in housing circumstances.
“We paid for him to have a full medical check and the reports were all good. He only has one tooth left, but all his joints are working well and his bloods were all good too. It was heart-warming to see such lovely people take him away to provide him with is final home. It put a spring in all of our steps.”
