BIG READ: Tipperary dog pound is operating at 'levels close to capacity'

The Tipperary dog pound is operating at levels close to capacity while a local animal rescue service has highlighted unprecedented numbers of dogs being abandoned in recent months.

The dog pound operated by Tipperary County Council revealed to this newspaper that, due to the “large number of abandoned and stray dogs that our committed warden service picks up, the pound continues to run at levels close to capacity”.

“This is because we hold dogs for many weeks in order to try to rehome them, rather than the statutory requirement of holding for five days,” a spokesperson for the council explained.

“Our pound currently has dogs that we have been looking after for nearly three months and which we will continue to look to rehome.

“We operate as a long-stay kennel rather than a pound much of the time.”

The spokesperson added: “We are fortunate that Mo Chara Animal Rescue (based in Moyne) has taken a number of dogs for rehoming in recent days.”

Mo Chara Animal Rescue has been working closely with the Nenagh-based pound for almost a decade in a bid to rehome abandoned pets. The latest news of the local authority’s dog pound being under pressure, comes after reports in October of this year that stray dogs picked up in south Tipperary by the county council Dog Warden were being sent to the local authority’s Dog Control Unit in Nenagh as the kennels they were previously taken to in Clerihan is no longer providing the service.

News that south Tipperary has lost its accommodation for stray dogs was revealed at Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting where Clonmel councillors called for an alternative location for the service to be found in this part of the county.

The issue was raised at the meeting by Workers & Unemployment Action Group Cllr Pat English, who reminded council management that public representatives were assured when the council-run dog pound in Kilsheelan closed in 2018 that the service would remain in south Tipperary.

Now the kennels in Clerihan that housed stray dogs for the council since the dog pound closed was no longer available, he said.

“I think we should find an alternative. The county is way too large and spread out. This service needs to be kept in the south,” he declared.

Fellow Clonmel Cllr Richie Molloy echoed Cllr English’s comments about assurances given about retaining the service in the south of the county following the closure of the council dog pound in Kilsheelan.

He said he had always encouraged people to go out to the kennels in Clerihan if they were looking to get a rescue dog or lost a dog and he agreed a facility for stray dogs should be retained in the south of the county.

Gina Hetherington, founder of PAWS Animal Rescue based in Mullinahone, said: “Both Mo Chara and PAWS are taking dogs from the overspill at the pound in Nenagh. We had a perfectly good pound in Kilsheelan and it was closed down. The council should have invested money into it and refurbished it, it is now sitting empty. The local authority just closed the gates and walked away. The hotspots for stray dogs are Clonmel and Tipperary Town. If the warden picks up a stray in Clonmel he has to drive an hour and a half to Nenagh. I just put it in on Google Maps there. Can you imagine what that’s costing the council. There’s a perfectly good plot of land in Kilsheelan and they should reopen the pound there and spend some money on it. The lack of a facility in south Tipp is causing the overflow in the north Tipp pound. They should never have closed Kilsheelan.”

Ger Walsh of Tipperary County Council has said that unfortunately due to personal circumstances the owner of the kennels facility in Clerihan has withdrawn the service.

To ensure the continuation of the service, arrangements were made with the local authority’s Dog Control Unit at Knockalton, Nenagh to accommodate stray dogs from the south of the county. He told The Nationalist that the kennels service the council availed of in Clerihan ended at the end of August. He pointed out that the council was making enquiries about securing an alternative kennels service in the south of the county but unfortunately none have been found to date.

He stressed one of the council’s two dog wardens continues to the south of the county. Speaking to this newspaper, Nikki Veasey of Mo Chara Animal Rescue, praised the pound for its policy on keeping dogs longer than the statutory required five days, and for their treatment of the dogs.

Ms Veasey also highlighted what she described as “unprecedented” numbers of dogs being abandoned in recent months.

“It’s a nationwide problem with a number of factors,” she explained. “One is Covid - a lot of people got dogs during Covid and there was an awful lot of dog breeding at the time because dogs were a commodity which soared in price at the time.

“The housing crisis has also had an impact - landlords tend not to want to rent properties out to people with animals. The cost of living crisis is another factor - we’re getting plenty of calls from people saying they can’t afford to feed their kids, never mind their dogs.

“The level of dogs being abandoned at the moment is just unprecedented,” Ms Veasey added. “It’s gone back 10 years in terms of the progress that was made.” Mo Chara Animal Rescue recently took in a number of dogs from the Tipperary pound, in a bid to help the pound rehome dogs in the region. “The pound in Nenagh is run on a par with most kennels, Anne who runs it is amazing,” Ms Veasey explained.

“Some of the dogs will have been there for weeks because it’s not a pound that puts dogs to sleep. A dog would only be euthanized in extremely exceptional circumstances where a dog is very aggressive towards humans or it is deemed necessary on health grounds,” she added.

“When the dogs come to us, we get them any vet treatment they need as well as vaccines, neutering and microchips, getting them ready for rehoming.”

This process usually takes around three to four weeks as the animal rescue organisation get to know the dogs and try to match them with a suitable home. With Christmas upon us, Ms Veasey highlighted the importance of adhering to that old saying - a dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

“I don’t think people should be getting dogs for Christmas - it’s not the right time, there’s too much going on,” she explained.

“In many cases, it’s like any other Christmas present, forgotten about in two or three days. A dog is for life, it’s not just a gift be it for Christmas or birthdays. We would advise people that, if their child really does want a dog and it’s all been researched and thought out, buy them all the things they’ll need for the dog at Christmas,” she added.

“Then, after Christmas, begin the process of getting the dog early the following year.” Ms Veasey also highlighted the importance of researching dog breeds before making the decision to get a dog.