COUNTY VET SAYS DEMAND FOR DOGS NEVER GREATER
OLIVIA RYAN MEETS STAFF AT THE LOUTH COUNTY ANIMAL POUND WHERE THE SOUND OF SILENCE TELLS OF DEMAND LIKE NEVER BEFORE
THE sound of silence at Louth County Council’s Animal Compound last week signals the intense demand for dogs from stay at home households during 2020. ‘It is unusual, but we don’t have any dogs in kennels today,’ says Garrett Shine, Louth County Veterinary Officer. ‘ This year has been a very busy one for rehoming. We‘re finding we don’t have dogs very long at all.’ Although during Level 5 COVID restrictions the pound located at Whiterath, Dromiskin, operate a ‘ closed gate’ policy, staff are dealing with a frequent flood of requests.
It hasn’t always been this way for abandoned and stray dogs picked up by county wardens.
Garrett has been Louth’s County Vet for nearly twenty years, and recalls the early 2000’s when the ‘euthanasia rate’ for dogs coming into the pound was at around 50%. This year it fell to 5.5%.
‘We dealt with upwards of 1,000 dogs a year back then,’ says Garrett.’ By 2020, much has changed, he admits. ‘ There would have been a lot of strays being picked up by our wardens in those days. But fast forward ten or fifteen years, and with all of the legislation that came in with the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. The number of dogs we deal with has been gradually increasing every year, to around 300 now.’
‘ There is a welcome change in more responsible dog ownership, but the impact of microchipping being made law in 2015 has been huge. Now, when a dog comes into use the first thing we do is check for a microchip, if it doesn’t have one, we microchip it.’
Despite the change in legislation, only 50% of the dogs which come into their care are chipped, making the task of reuniting lost dogs with their owners all the more difficult.
He adds that ensuring the registration is up to date is another key factor in being able to track down a lost or even a stolen dog.
‘In general though microchipping has been a real game changer, and we’ve seen an awful lot less stray dogs as a result.’
The local authority service has also worked closely with animal rescue charities including Dundalk Dog Rescue, LSPCA, and other groups to vastly increase the number of dogs which are rehomed.
‘It’s a welcome sign also that people value their dogs now, they are a part of the family. Years ago, a dog only had value if it was a pedigree with papers, but by and large that has changed, and people welcome all types of dogs into their lives.’
He adds a note of caution for the year 2020.
‘It’s been a very different one, the pandemic has kept a lot of people at home, and as a result the interest in getting a dog for company has really increased But next year things might gradually get back to normal, people could be commuting again, gone from their homes for the entire day. So what happens to the dog then?’
‘I would be worried that we are going to see a lot more surrenders in 2021. I hope not. But generally we always have a peak here in the summer time.’
When they looked at the reasons why owners would decide to give their family pet away at a particular time of year, one shocking fact emerged.
‘Holidays,’ said Garrett. ‘People are maybe facing the cost of putting a dog in kennels for a week or two. I’ve had people say to me ‘ that’s the cost of a seat on the plane, I’m not paying that,’ before handing over their dog to us.’
He warns that the ‘ pure practicalities’ of dog ownership, and the commitment to potentially ten to fifteen years of a dog’s life is one that people should always consider.
This has been borne out, he adds, in the very nature of calls that dog wardens now respond too.
‘Although it is very much welcome that the number of dogs we deal with has gone down, dog wardens have never been busier with dog complaints more than anything.’
Wardens can issues penalties for a wide range of reasons, the most common being failure to obtain a dog licence.
‘But after that there are a lot of penalties issued for not having a dog under effectual control.’
‘If you say have a dog on the Navvy Bank, and you let it off the lead to run, and it then has a go at other dogs, and indeed people, then there is a problem, and it could end up being reported to us.’
Sheep worrying is one of the aspects of dog ownership which is ‘not getting any better,’ says Garrett.
‘People who go out walking in the countryside with a dog, they could let it off the lead and if they see sheep they’re after them. If a sheep runs, a dog will chase it, and it’s all that which stresses sheep out.
He warns people who move to the countryside, and have a dog, to be vigilant if sheep graze in fields nearby, as it could lead to serious injury to one or both.
Dogs on the restricted breed list can also lead to complaints, with work ongoing on ensuring owners have them muzzled in public.
‘Gardai are also a lot more proactive, and are interacting a lot more with people on these issues. It’s quite common now for us to be able to go to court when we need to, on what the gardai have told us.’
He highlights a worrying trend of ‘ bully dogs’ often cross bred pit bulls, which are being used by drug dealers and within gangs.
Louth County Council have moved on this issue by banning
IN GENERAL THOUGH MICROCHIPPING HAS BEEN A REAL GAME CHANGER, AND WE’VE SEEN AN AWFUL LOT LESS STRAY DOGS AS A RESULT
tenants from keeping dogs on the restricted list, and through their housing section have been increasingly active in identifying dogs that cannot be kept at council homes.
NEW FACES
A lot has changed at the flagship animal compound since it was officially opened in 2005, with the very first ‘Pound Keeper’ appointed in 2019, veterinary nurse Catherine Keating.
A graduate of the DkIT Veterinary nurse degree programme, she completed some of her practical training for the course at the county pound, admitting that she ‘ never thought I’d end up as a keeper here!’
A former teacher, she had a lifelong love of animals to thank for the career change.
She says it has been an ‘amazing’ experience to manage the facility for almost two years.
Despite the challenges of COVID, 2020 has been a busy one with the pound dealing with 93 strays, and 49 surrendered. Crucially, 56 of those strays were then reclaimed by their owners, which Catherine adds is a direct result of microchipping.
But the reasons for giving up in a dog and handing it over to the pound are often based on lack of understanding of a breed, she says.
‘People often don’t look at the reasons behind a dog’s behaviour. If it’s been stuck in the back garden all the time, hasn’t been trained properly, or maybe not exercised enough, then it will jump up on people calling at your house, and lunge at other dogs and people when you’re out walking it on a lead.’
Many of these challenging behaviours result in owners surrendering dogs.
‘We get a lot of lunatic adolescent dogs in here!’ laughs Catherine. ‘Especially the larger breeds. They are very cute when they’re pups, but unless you put the work in with them, they can become difficult to handle when they grow.’
‘ The reality is that the dog isn’t a bad dog, but just needs training and socialising.’
She adds that the most difficult dogs to find new homes for are the Alsatian German Shepherds.
‘Dogs like that, and where nobody has trained them, they are big and bouncy, and on the restricted list. It can take a lot to find the right home for them again, and people who are prepared to work with them.’
Older dogs, once on a one way ticket if they found themselves in rescue centres, have found a new lifeline, she adds, with older people now seeing how an ageing dog can be calmer, need less walking, and still be a fantastic companion.
‘We do rely on the rescue groups for older dogs, they do fantastic work, and really do work to find the right homes for animals in their care.’
As a veterinary nurse, Catherine is able to vaccinate, microchip, worm and do health checks on dogs after they are surrendered.
She also has a particular interest in the behavioural aspect of dog’s wellbeing, and is currently on a dog training course.
‘ The demand is such at the moment that we really aren’t having to keep dogs for very long, but I do what I can with them.’