Abandoned POUND dogs are being killed unnecessarily.

by Alison Murphy - Chance Fri Nov 09, 2012 19:14 chancewicklow at mail dot com 087 7112243

What we're offering is an utterly simple solution to a massive problem. A photograph can make all the difference here and save lives. In fact, from the photos we took at the public viewing area through two wire fences, one person has already homed direct from pound in a matter of days - a dog that had sat at the pound and on the ISPCA website for weeks with no hope. It works. No one can say it doesn't, and how much better would it be for us to be able to see ALL the dogs without the fence, to photograph and profile them and represent them to their best online? The lack of empathy and interest in improving this situation that we have met with is astounding to say the least. There is €200,000 a year being spent on a service that falls abysmally short of value for money, and that quite simply doesn't value life and is sadly entrenched in killing as a solution to dog control. Wake up WCC and the ISPCA, people don't want dogs murdered. They want to see their photos online, their extra chance at a new life or returning to their old one, their success stories and an end to the needless killing of pets. They want to see value for money, but above all they want to see lives saved.

by maura rua - chance wicklow Fri Nov 09, 2012 20:34

The only thing "wrong" with pound dogs is their former owners!

by Cissy pat Sat Feb 02, 2013 23:34

The power of groups who take photos and publish them on sites like Facebook are pretty amazing. Last Sunday I took in a golden retriever who had somehow become lost. Many would have brought her to the pound on Monday, and she would have died yesterday. I kept her of course, and searched for her owner. I had a lovely home lined up for her on Monday if the owner was not traceable. Eventually, I found her delighted family through the powers of Facebook, and they were reunited yesterday evening. Hre in Galway, there is just one dog warden. There is no way that man can try to track down each incoming stray on Facebook or wherever. Volunteer groups who do this service, free of charge, should be assisted every step of the way.
Not everyone is savvy enough to call the pound looking for their dog, especially in a town like Tuam where dogs roam freely, and in a county with only one warden. Many people turn to Facebook these days, and the man yesterday actually commented on how wonderful it was. Galway is a large county and it would be difficult for many people without transport or who are elderly, or just low on petrol money, to call to the only pound every day in the hope of seeing their dog. Added to that are the restricted opening hours, given that one man runs the whole show. If you have a nine to five job, forget ever getting to check if your dog is in the pound or not..... Modern technology is the easy way to get the pound dogs profiles out there.... Esy for the pound, easy for those having their dogs lost or stolen and dumped (as we suspect in the case of this week's retriever) and damn well cheaper for the council and ultimately the taxpayer!!!!!
I know of one heartbreaking case locally where an elderly lady's elderly companion was killed in Galwat pound as she went from vet to vet trying to find him and get help..... My vet eventually traced the dog for her, but too late..... Unsurprisingly, I hear that the lady passed away a few months later. Had there been a Facebook page for Galway pound, that dog would have Ben traced in mere minutes and the call put through by the vet to save him.

by Cussypat Sat Feb 02, 2013 23:45

And Maura, while I think I know what you are saying, it is not necessarily someone's fault that their dog ends up in a pound. Around here dogs are stolen left right and centre, then dumped, often in a dreadful state. Rescues are overflowing and it is very hard to get a dog into one if you find them. I generally keep foundlings till I can find a good home, but with some dogs it is simply not possible, and many people are simply unable to cope. The retriever I had here all week was a potential danger to my rescued cats, but I could handle that short term, stressful as it was. Had she posed a real threat, a serious one, I would have had to send her somewhere else..... These days, the only guaranteed place taking dogs is the pound. It was not the owner's fault, any more than it was the elderly lady's fault. Both were perhaps guilty of naïveté at worst, and that is often something to be admired in a person..... If some scumbag breaks into my house, steals my dog, finds out it is spayed and useless for breeding, then dumps it..... I fail to see how that is my fault.

by Anon Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:58

I live in an area down the country,near an airport where pets are abandoned regularly around the year,on the christmas period it is particularly bad,when i was younger,i took in my first three dogs,and have been rescuing cats and dogs eversince.
A dog or cat is not just for christmas or a birthday for a young one,its for life.People should remember that before buying.Its a nuisance where i live,i wish i could rescue them all but i just dont have the space.There should be a fine for those who are found to be abandoning their pets.

by Paul Grimes Sun Feb 03, 2013 14:32

https://www.facebook.com/Chance.Wicklow - this is a facebook link about dogs and cats etc, who are lost and found in pounds..dog gets lost,gets stuck in pound,owner doesnt find dog,until facebook page of dog in pound is shown..thats the story so far on here,i think its worth sharing

by eagle Sun Feb 03, 2013 16:00

Anon thinks that there should be a fine for those who are found to be abandoning their pets. Indeed there are penalties for abandonment of pets Anon, the problem is getting such abuses towards animals investigated. This often comes down to the resources made available to the gardai.

Abandoning an animal certainly constitutes cruelty towards the animal under Section 1 (1)(f) of the Protection of Animals Act, 1911 :
"(Where) being the owner or having charge or control of any animal [a person] shall without reasonable cause or excuse abandon it, whether permanently or not, in circumstances likely to cause it unnecessary suffering, or cause or procure or, being the owner, permit it to be so abandoned.”

A word of warning . It is only on a very rare occasion that a member of the public is entitled to take matters into his or her own hands on such matters. Unauthorised action by individuals can result in expensive litigation which the individual will have to discharge personally

Gardai will act when they are notified about an act of animal abandonment , but with the closure of so many stations across the country , their work becomes all the more difficult.

by anon Sun Feb 03, 2013 16:15

I dont quite understand what youre saying about those taking matters into their own hands, you could say i take matters into my own hands by rescuing the odd dog or cat,that i see in trouble,there are some strays i cant take in but i do feed them outside the back door of my house from time to time when they are stuck for food..
Although i have been taking on dogs and cats in the past,i do ring the RSPCA about such matters now,and i dont think there is a law against taking in dogs or cats that are abadoned.

by eagle Sun Feb 03, 2013 16:49

Absolutely nothing illegal about taking in abandoned animals , Anon . My previous comment was a warning to those who (understandably) might be inclined to take action against the vile people who abandon their pets .
Although I would have many criticisms of the organization, the ISPCA would be the more appropriate authority to contact about pet abandonment in this jurisdiction . The RSPCA does brilliant work , but unfortunately its remit stops at the border. Something for cross border cooperation there perhaps?

by anon Sun Feb 03, 2013 16:53

oh sorry i got that wrong..yes, i agree there should more of a cross border effort,it should be a priority..
But animal rights are never a priority with our government hence why we have blood sports and hare coursing and the horrible ripping apart of beautiful foxes by blood hound dogs on the hunt..