Donegal's roaming dogs continue to be an ongoing problem

One of the most basic requirements of dog ownership is keeping your dog under control.

Of course, dogs do accidentally get out from time to time, but unfortunately, many dogs are allowed to

roam on a regular basis, which is not only illegal, it is a danger to the dog, the public and other

animals.

There is also the accompanying problem of dog fouling as loose dogs can’t pick up their poop and

dispose of it. The amount of dog faeces around the towns is not only unpleasant, it poses a danger to

public health, especially in areas where children play.

There have been a number of dog attacks on sheep recently, at a time when sheep are particularly

vulnerable as they have lambs or are pregnant.

The latest attack happened in Donegal Town in broad daylight, when a loose dog killed a sheep and

two lambs and seriously injured a second sheep.

This took place in front of the farmer and two witnesses, but it all happened so fast that it was

impossible to stop it.It was a sad ending for the dog too, as he had to be put to sleep.

AIN is appealing to people not to let their dogs roam. A dog’s owner is liable for any damage or injury

caused by the dog, including road traffic accidents and loss of livestock, plus your pet could end up in

the vets, in the Dog Pound, or even dead.

Please ensure that you know where your dog is at all times, they are your responsibility and they

depend on you to take care of them.

Apart from rounding up stray and loose dogs, AIN’s dog rescuers are under considerable pressure as

Eight-week-old Amelia was found wandering alone

Finding new homes for so many dogs is proving exceptionally difficult at the moment, as the demand

for a pet dog has fallen to an all-time low, whilst the requests from people who want to give up their

dog are coming in daily and the Letterkenny Pound is also being flooded with unclaimed stray and

surrendered dogs.

However, AIN will continue to help as many of the dogs as possible, most of which are collies, but

there is no end in sight to the current crisis.

AIN would like to say a huge thank you to Aidan and Anne for their generous donation to AIN’s

animals, to celebrate Aidan’s special birthday. This is much appreciated as is their support for AIN

AIN's current mother cats with kittens

After a slow start this year, Kitten season arrived with a bang this week with the arrival of four mother

cats and their kittens at AIN’s cattery.

Cats Kelly and Leia were both heavily pregnant when they were rescued and each had three kittens

during the week.

Two more cats were brought to the cattery with three new-born kittens each, meaning AIN currently

has four nursing mother cats, each with three kittens, currently residing in the cattery.

An eight-week-old kitten called Amelia was found in a car engine at the weekend and brought to AIN.

She was far too young to be out on her own but luckily she is uninjured and has settled into her foster

home.

Sadly, by the time AIN are alerted to an animal’s plight, sometimes it is too late to save them, as was

the case with a feral cat who was brought to the vets, but he was in such a terrible state that he had to

be put to sleep to end his suffering.

AIN also rescued an escaped rabbit, who was found hopping along near ATU in Letterkenny. He was

reunited with his delighted owners the following day.

Finally, AIN’s Charity Shop in Donegal Town is fully stocked with fantastic bargains and currently has

brand new photos by Eireal Creation for sale. These are all stunning local photographs, some of which

are already framed and would make beautiful gifts or a treat for yourself.

The Charity Shop is open from Tuesday to Saturday at 11am to 4 pm every week so why not pop in

and pick up a bargain.

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.