NO REST FOR ANIMAL SHELTER DESPITE COVID-19
WHILE WICKLOW ANIMAL WELFARE CONTINUES TO ACCEPT ABANDONED ANIMALS, FIONA BELIEVES WE NEED TO REASSESS OUR TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
WICKLOW Animal Welfare ( WAW) located just outside Rathdrum continue to take in vulnerable and abandoned animals, even in the middle of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
However, the re-homing of animals remains on hold for the time being out of respect for social distancing protocols.
The organisation was established by Fiona Gammell back in 2006 after she had already worked as a cruelty inspector and held the position of the Vice-President of the Wicklow Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for a three year period.
Talking about the Covid-19 restrictions currently in place, Fiona said: ‘ These are tough times for everyone. Rescue work has always been tough and to think that it could get tougher probably never entered our heads. But we are still here and still taking in vulnerable and abandoned animals, which is a positive thing in this very worrying time. Some rescues have closed but we live and work on the premises so the animals are never left on their own anyway. We never refuse an animal here as long as we have room to take it in.’
‘We are lucky to have some wonderful volunteers, like Hilary Fitzgerald who helps to foster dogs and gets them ready for their forever homes, and Miriam Peters of Minnie Peters Design who finds the best homes for them. Without support and backup from our brilliant team of volunteers, we could not do what we do. We are forever grateful for their support and to all those who help in any way with fundraising and home checking. I have to also mention Mairead Nolan in Avondale Vet Clinic in Rathdrum who knows what I need even when I forget.’
Fiona also hopes that the outbreak of Covid-19 worldwide helps change some peoples attitudes toward animals.
‘I think this is a wake up call for us all. We cannot continue to treat animals in this world the way we have been. The virus reportedly came from a wet market in China where all kinds of animals are sold for human consumption. Animals are not here to be used and abused. They have a right to live on this earth as we do. We must not abuse our position but to use it instead to help animals whenever and where ever we can.’
WAW is geared towards rescuing and treating dogs and pups from all over County Wicklow, and also sees Fiona work closely with the Travelling community. Last year Fiona was awarded for 40 years of rescuing and rehabilitating dogs when she won the Charitable Contribution of the Year Award at the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards.
Waw also work closely with two UK rescues and send an average of twelve dogs to the UK every month.
‘ They are all fully vaccinated, wormed and de-flea treated, microchipped, rabies vax, neutered and pass-ported at a cost of €300 per dog. That’s excluding feeding and looking after them whilst they are in our care before they travel on to their new homes,’ explained Fiona.
‘We are lucky to have rescues that will take our dogs as we could not hope to find homes for even half the dogs we take in here. Mostly working dogs, lurchers, Greyhounds, terriers, Collies and everything in between.’
Fiona also takes in large numbers of dogs from puppy farms, who often suffer from behavioural and psychological problems because of the conditions they were kept in.
She said: ‘ These dogs are usually traumatized and can take months if not years to come around to anything resembling normality. These are the mothers and fathers left behind when people ‘insist on buying puppies’ without seeing where the mum and dad came from. The buyers are the real problem here - no buyers, no profit, no breeders, simple. It’s not so simple to rehabilitate and get a dog who has known nothing only the inside of a dark, dirty shed for the entirely of its life. Even though it’s good to realise that there are kind people out there willing to give them a chance of a normal life. The ones we get are the lucky ones, some breeders ‘dispose’ of their used up breeding machines without ever giving them the chance of a decent life, even after all the money they have made from them.’
Fiona also feels people need to put more thought into plans to purchase a dog - such as is it a suitable breed of dog. She would also like more pet-owners to consider taking in a rescue dog to help open up shelter space for another animal who might desperately need it, rather than buying a dog.
‘Around 50 per cent of dogs in rescues are ‘ bought’ dogs. Usually they are dogs that were bought without due consideration of breed type, exercise requirements, time element and a myriad of things that will cause the dog to be abandoned in a rescue, a rescue that was there before they decided to buy their dog. I often remark that people claim ‘not to have known the rescue was here, but know where to come when they want to get rid of their dog’. I might sound cynical but it’s true.’
Any potential adopter of a dog is asked a number of pertinent questions to make sure they are a suitable owner. A number of people have also contacted WAW about adopting a dog to help cope with self-isolation measures brought about due to the Convid-19 crisis.
‘We ask a lot of questions before we will consider a dog going for adoption,’ said Fiona.
‘We will try to match the right dog to the right family. That way a dog really is for life and not for a short time. Some people don’t understand why we must make sure they are ready and willing and able to take on the responsibility of a rescue dog. The dog may have been let down in the past and will need that extra bit of time and direction to become part of a new family. We have had a lot of phone calls recently from people who find themselves at home now for the next number of weeks, and think a dog would be a good idea. But with social distancing regulations and the country in lockdown, we will be unable to accommodate them with regard to coming to see a dog here at the rescue centre.’
WAW recently ran two reduced price neutering schemes for cats and plan to introduce similar schemes for dogs.
‘We had a huge uptake on the neutering scheme for cats. I just wish we had as many looking to help in our fundraising efforts. Our intention is to run a reduced neutering scheme for dogs in the future if we can get the funds. We are great believers that prevention is better than cure, and until all the animals born are wanted, we will continue to help to neuter as many as we can. We have been paying for neutering of dogs for years.’
Fiona is also quick to praise the many people who have visited WAW to provide a forever-home to one of the dogs being looked after by Fiona and her small but dedicated team.
‘We have some of the most wonderful people in the World who come and adopt our dogs and puppies. We do have a strict re-homing criteria and do our best to make sure all involved are happy in the end. Without our supporters, we couldn’t continue doing the work we carry out. We need help now more than ever. We don’t get any tax payer or government money or county council grants. Instead, we rely 100 per cent on the generosity of our supporters. I often get the impression that people think we are like the RSPCA in the UK who have millions at their disposal, unfortunately that really isn’t the case here.’
If you would like to help Wicklow Animal Welfare then please Text WAW 50300 to donate €4, Paypal or bank details can be provided.