Company caring for abandoned dogs in Carlow takes on €1m contract from neighbouring council

A company that runs a dog shelter for the Carlow-Kilkenny area and several other counties has been awarded a €1m contract to run Laois Dog Pound.

Midland Animal Care Ltd has been awarded a two-year contract to run Laois Dog Pound and provide Dog Warden services in the county after winning a tender process issued by Laois County Council.

The move marks the end of a longstanding arrangement with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) who had managed the service for Laois County Council since 1988. 

According to tender documents, the two-year contract is worth around €1 million. 

In a statement originally issued to the Leinster Express/Laois Live, Laois County Council said: “Laois County Council recently tendered for the provision of the Dog Warden Service and for the management and operation of the dog shelter in Ballacolla. Midland Animal Care Ltd have been appointed to provide this service.” 

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Midland Animal Care Ltd runs shelters in Carlow-Kilkenny, Meath, Roscommon, Clare and in South Dublin, Fingal and for  Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council. 

CEO of Midland Animal Care Ltd, Ian Kenny, said the service would continue with the same staff and will still operate from the same premises. 

He explained that the ISPCA had merged with the Dublin SPCA and formed the NSPCA (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and announced their intention to cease operating dog shelters in Laois, Wicklow, Donegal and Kildare last year. 

Midlands Animal Care Ltd, which has been managing services at locations in Ireland, applied for the contract when the tender was issued by Laois County Council.   

He said the company operates similar services in other counties for the last 12 years and that he believes animal rescue charities would agree that Midland Animal Care Ltd has a good name and a good record.  

He said Midland Animal Care has a very good rehoming record. The core service is to patrol the county, pick up and rehome dogs and he explained that this was funded through the dog licence fee.

“We would remind people that it is the law that if you have a dog you need a dog licence,” he said. 

Mr Kenny praised the current dog warden who has been in the job in Laois for many years. “The county is lucky to have such an experienced dog warden patrolling the county and advising people,” he remarked. 

He urged dog owners to have control over their dogs and to be particularly vigilant at this time of year as lambing season approaches. 

Mr Kenny also appealed to dog owners to clean up after their dogs and he said dog poo is a particular issue for parents with prams, wheelchair users and cyclists. He said dog poo can be put in the regular bins and people should either bin it or bring it home and bin it.