Dogs Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, reacted to the latest Dog Control Statistics from 2020, released by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The figures reveal that 171* dogs were destroyed in Irish pounds in 2020, which is a 57% decrease on the previous year.
Recent statistics also revealed that 5,267* dogs entered the Irish Pound system during 2020, a 43% reduction on the 2019 figures. While this is a welcome improvement, Dogs Trust is highlighting that 2020 was a very unique year, with the pandemic causing an unprecedented demand for dogs. The Charity has seen a 212% increase in surrender requests over the last three months* and is extremely concerned by this surge as life starts to return to normal in Ireland. The charity is also keen to point out that some local authority pounds closed during certain periods of last year, due to COVID restrictions.
Speaking about the latest figures, Becky Bristow, Executive Director at Dogs Trust Ireland said:“2020 was an anomaly, given it saw the biggest demand we have ever seen for dogs in this country. We must take that and the fact that some dog pounds had to close at certain points of the various lockdowns, into consideration when looking at this year’s Control of Dogs Statistics. Given that 1,468 dog owners still surrendered their dog to pounds, we are keen to establish the reasons for this and urge Local Authorities to record the reasons provided. We are reminding people that we are here to help if you are struggling with your dog and we recently launched our Bark to Basics campaign offering dog owners free practical advice to help keep as many dogs as possible happy in their homes, post lockdown.”
Since 2009, Dogs Trust has been actively working across Ireland, taking in and rehabilitating stray and abandoned dogs from local authority pounds and finding loving homes for them through their Dublin Rehoming Centre, and nationally through their Regional Rehoming programmes. If you are considering adopting a dog, please see www.DogsTrust.ie/Rehoming for more information on giving a dog a second chance in life.
