Calls made for the restoration of dog pound in this area of Tipperary

It’s “crazy” that the only dog pound in Tipperary is in Nenagh, which is a long way from south Tipperary, Cllr Richie Molloy stated at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

He said that there was a pound in Clerihan for a number of years. The original pound was in Kilsheelan and it seemed to be a fine place but it had been closed for many years.

The issue was raised by Cllr Siobhán Ambrose, who said there was only one dog pound in Nenagh, despite the fact that 120 stray dogs had been seized throughout the county by August of this year.

That situation needs to be reviewed because such a facility was needed in south Tipperary, and there were as many stray cats around the town as well, she said.

The people involved in the pound that had operated in Clerihan couldn’t keep it going.

Cllr Pat English said that the distance between Clonmel and Nenagh was long and a dog pound was needed in the south of the county.

He said that the absence of a pound in south Tipperary was as a result of the cuts that came about when the county councils were amalgamated ten years ago.

The former pound in Clerihan was funded by the council.

Supporting the calls made by his colleagues, District Mayor Michael Murphy said he knew that finance was an issue. But the council tended to cooperate with other actors and volunteers at local level in other areas, and that model could be followed in this case.

Cllr John FitzGerald asked if the council had a vet in Clonmel to deal with the euthanisation of dangerous animals likely to cause injury to people, including children.

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Denis Holland, Senior Engineer with South Tipperary County Council’s Environment and Climate Change Directorate, said the fact that there was only one dog pound in the county had nothing to do with the reform of local government.

The pound in Kilsheelan was closed because it was in an unsuitable location, with the old dump for Clonmel Corporation located nearby.

Apart from the councillors, there hadn’t been any representation from any other organisation such as the ISPCA or dog groups stating that the current service is insufficient.

However the situation would be kept under review on an ongoing basis, said Mr Holland.

Administrative Officer Fergal Condon said that the council still employed the services of a vet who responded to call outs from the dog warden.