Unwanted Dog crisis spiralling 'Out of Control' - Animals In Need

The amount of unwanted dogs in Donegal seeking new homes continues to spiral out of control.

Every dog rescue in the country is full, yet the situation is getting worse.

Demand for a pet dog is at an all-time low and unwanted dogs are flooding into rescues and Dog Pounds.

So, how did we get here? Several factors have combined to create the perfect storm.

Prior to Covid, the unwanted dog situation in Donegal had shown signs of improvement, but during the lockdowns, many people suddenly decided to get a dog or two, and unscrupulous breeders and puppy farmers were churning out pups as fast as they could to meet the demand.

However, when restrictions lifted and people resumed their old lives, many found that a young dog no longer fitted in with their lifestyle.

Known as ‘Pandemic Pups’, the dogs were no longer wanted and so rescues were asked to rehome them or they were left in the Pound.

Fluffy has a degloving injury 

Then, there is the continuing problem of farmers overbreeding collies in the hope of getting a good working dog from the litter.

It is not all farmers, but there are enough farmers still breeding from their female collies to cause serious problems.

The vast majority of dogs that Animals In Need (AIN) rescues are collies and as it is not unusual for a collie to give birth to a litter of 10 or more pups, if one pup makes it as a working dog, that leaves the rest of the litter looking for homes, which are few and far between.

On top of all this is the housing shortage, with landlords refusing to allow pets, and tenants unable to pick and choose where they live, plus the soaring cost of living has made it expensive to keep a pet.

The only solution is to stop breeding so many animals. There are far too many already that are desperate for a home, without bringing more into the world.

AIN are appealing to people to please neuter their pets. It may sound expensive but raising a litter of pups will cost more, with all the puppy food, wormers and vaccinations that they require plus, by law, all pups must be microchipped before they are homed.

There is no end in sight to the current unwanted dog crisis but if you can offer a dog a home, please adopt from your local rescue or from the Letterkenny Dog Pound, where so many wonderful dogs are crying out to be chosen.

It has also been a busy week for the cat rescuers, with calls regarding lone or litters of kittens coming in daily.

All fosters homes are almost full and only emergency cases can currently be taken in.

Sometimes, rescue comes too late, as was the case with a lovely young male cat called Otto, who was found in a very neglected and weakened state.

Otto had initially seemed to respond to treatment, but on Thursday he went downhill and was rushed to a vet.

Despite every effort by veterinary staff, Otto passed away that night, the ravages of life on the street had taken their toll on his young body.

Sadly Jerome was beyond help

Otto was the sweetest cat who won the hearts of all he met. RIP Otto.

There was a sad end for another adult cat who was found on Sunday last. Named Jerome by his rescuers, he was in a very bad way when he was rescued and unfortunately he did not survive.

AIN also rescued a small kitten called Fluffy, who has a bad de-gloving injury to his mouth, most likely caused by falling from a car engine.

Fluffy is around 5 weeks old and is doing well at his AIN foster home.

There is also good news, as AIN’s longest cat residents, Elvira and Daphne, were both rehomed this week.

Finally, AIN were delighted to get their new van on the road this week, which will be a great help for transporting all the rescued animals.

To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.