Donations to animal charities made on behalf of pup Riley
KAREN Tiernan of Wicklow Kennels and Cattery in Kilbride has been able to donate funds to two animal charities from a portion of donations made to save the life of her beloved dog Riley. Karen, a native of Newtownmountkennedy, rushed Riley to the vet last week after he accidentally ingested medication.
From there, she went to the veterinary hospital in UCD where Karen was told that the dog’s life could be saved, with ventilation costing €150 per hour. There was a huge response to a campaign on gofundme.ie, with over €4,000 raised when Karen stopped accepting donations.
Clients were coming into the kennels with envelopes full of money, everyone hoping that Riley would make it. She made it home and is currently well and healthy and getting into trouble again! Riley is just eight months old and has rejoined fellow-pup Rori (10 weeks), who was distraught at the absence of her big sister. With almost €2,000 left over after Riley’s treatment bill, Karen will donate €930 to Dogs Trust, and €930 to WSPCA at Sharpeshill. She said that she is extremely grateful for all of the support, both financial and emotional, during the ordeal.
While the original estimation had put the bill at anything from €5,000 to €8,000, the sum was lower. This was because Riley’s breathing became consistent after she went completely into a coma so she did not need to be ventilated for her entire stay, just kept on oxygen and intravenous medications. Both charities are delighted with this large donation, which is coming just at the right time before the post- Christmas surrender of puppies. They have asked Karen to pass on their thanks to everyone who contributed.