MANY ARE ‘FAILED’ SHEEPDOGS

FAILED sheepdogs are being dumped in dog pounds in soaring numbers, an animal charity warned.

Donegal Animals in Need, a charity which works closely with the Letterkenny dog pound, said the overall number of the animals being rescued is rising again.

It had dropped drastically as people looking for pet dogs during the Covid pandemic shot up.

A spokesperson for DAIN said “As predicted, as restrictions ease and people return to work, some owners are finding that they no longer have time for their pup, who is now a young dog, and the number of dogs being surrendered or left in the Letterkenny Pound is rising.”

But the spokesperson added that most dogs rescued in Donegal are collies, many of them left in the pound because they have not made the grade as sheepdogs.

However, as collies are prized pets in Britain, many of the rescued dogs are transferred to Collie Rescue UK and found homes.

Homes

The spokesperson added: “Many of these ‘failed sheepdogs’ go on to excel in agility classes and competitions, which is a perfect way to keep these highly intelligent, act ive dogs happy and entertained.”

Officials in recent days issued three collies in Letterkenny with Pet Passports and the animals will be shipped to Collie Rescue shortly and another three dogs were rehomed in Donegal last week to new owners.

The animal charity said that after a fairly quiet 12 months, dog rescues are on the increase.

The spokesperson said: “The past year has been a peculiar one in dog rescue as, for the first time ever, the demand for dogs exceeded the number of dogs available as people took on a canine companion during lockdown.

“For the first time since the charity began 15 years ago, there were no pups to rescue.

“Usually, pups are regularly left in the Letterkenny Pound, sometimes whole litters of them, but this year it is believed they were sold instead, often for extortionate sums.”