FIONA GAMMELL OF WICKLOW ANIMAL WELFARE DISCUSSES SOME OF THE PROBLEMS SHE FACES ON A DAILY BASIS WITH AND SAYS THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE
WITH over 40 years’ experience in caring for animals, Fiona Gammell of Wicklow Animal Welfare knows exactly what she’s talking about when she says the numbers of unwanted animals in Ireland is now reaching crisis point.
‘What has always been a problem in this country has now become a crisis. The number of unwanted dogs, cats and horses has reached epidemic proportions,’ said Fiona. ‘Finding homes for unwanted animals has never been easy, but neither has it ever been so hard. It used to be an after- Christmas puppy dumping phenomenon but now it seems to go on all year round.’
Fiona believes the popularity of ‘pure breed’ and ‘designer’ dogs and an increase in puppy farming means many rescue dogs are forgotten about and struggle to find a new home.
‘When I was growing up, if you wanted a dog, you got a dog – it didn’t matter what size, shape, breed or colour it was. It could be black, brown, white or yellow. It was usually an unwanted puppy belonging to a friend or neighbour, and that became your dog until the day it died. About 20 years ago, the phenomenon of “puppy farming” took over. This, in effect, made the rescue dog invisible. People could now order and buy the type, colour and size of dog they wanted. It was not just pure breed dogs that were being bought, it was mongrels who were given a ridiculous name and the buying public were hooked,’ she said.
‘ The internet too has been complicit in the buying and selling of puppy farmed and backyard bred dogs. Without buyers there would be no puppy farmers or backyard breeders, no buyers, no profit, no cruelty.
‘Unless you have been living under a stone, everyone in this country and beyond knows that Ireland has the unenviable reputation of being the puppy farm capital of Europe,’ she said.
The problem is further exasperated by dog and cat owners refusing to neuter their pets. Fiona believes pet owners can no longer claim that a lack of animal welfare education is behind their failure to get their pet neutered.
‘ There are several free neutering initiatives run by some animal charities, if not free then for a token fee, but still people refuse to take responsibility and have their animals neutered.’
She said that, in some cases, when the animals then go on to breed and a litter of puppies or kittens arrive, some owners then ring a rescue centre and demand they take in the unwanted animals because, those people believe, ‘ that’s what you are there for.’
‘A lot of people think that rescues are Government-funded with an endless pit of money to throw at the problem of unwanted animals but in a lot of cases that is just not true,’ said Fiona.
Based in Ballinaclash, Wicklow Animal Welfare is an independent registered charity that is totally reliant on the generosity of the public. The charity no longer applies for a grant from the Department of Agriculture because funding received in the past was so small it was of little consequence.
‘ There are about 250 rescue centres in Ireland, not to be confused with places that have become re-homing centres,’ explained Fiona. ‘A re-homing centre is where animals are usually re-homed from one home to another. Usually the animals are already vaccinated, mircochipped and even neutered, as opposed to rescue centres, like our own, that actually go out and rescue animals from unsuitable and neglectful situations.
‘Only 111 of those listed as rescue centres received grants from the Dept of Agriculture this year, so a large number appear to receive no Government support at all. A total of €2.56 million was allocated to rescues for 2018. Compare this with the €80m that was allocated between greyhound racing and horse racing.’
Fiona believes that animal welfare issues could and should be much, much higher on the political agenda and believes that local authorities can do more to alleviate the number of unwanted animals by more closely monitoring the number of licenses issued for breeding dogs. Without rescue centres taking in hundreds of animals up and down the country, far more would also be put to sleep in pounds which councils have contracts with individuals and companies to run.
‘It beggars belief. The Dog Breeding Establishment Act of 2010 took seven years to go