Homeless animals in Galway

softmee wrote: »

.it looks like some people still think animals cant feel cold and hunger and its sooooooo funny to think about their freezing paws.

Where did anyone say that?

Edit: Sorry DB! :pac:

softmee wrote: »

I think their approach to the adoption is crazy. I understand they have to check who they are giving animal to, but people who are willing to take one shouldnt feel like they are suspected of treating them bad in the future. This is very discouraging and i am sure most of the people who even think of adopting one have a very good intentions.

the main reason for home-checks and allt he questions would be that the shelter does not want to see an already abandoned/neglected/abused animal ending up back in the shelter after all the effort of re-homing them the first time!

do you really think MADRA or EGAR actually want to keep these animals in shelters? they are absolutely packed to capacity this time of year especially with the local pounds closing down for their Christmas holidays meaning every dog in there will be PTS:(:mad:

all involved in these centres work very very hard and get very little in return and it's not fair to give them a bad rap.

Home-checks and the criteria for adopting is for your benefit as well as the shelters, if you're not serious or maybe don't realise the work that's involved when you take on a rescue animal, then they would rather wait for the right owner to come along.

all of these animals had an owner/ a home at some stage and they ended up abandoned...it takes more than that, on top of basic neccessities like food, water and a roof over their heads,they need exercise(proper walking and playtime), training, socializing, love, attention and cuddles!
ok so I'm mainly talking about dogs here but it's the same principles for any animal really

of course, there are exceptions and I know GSPCA won't re-home to a family if there's children under 7 and stuff like that but the likes of MADRA and EGAR look at each application individually and will always work with you to find a suitable pet whereby both animal and owner will have a permanant happy home!

IMO if you are serious about adopting, you should be able to understand why they ask these questions and do home-checks and appreciate it instead of viewing it as a barrier:)

For anyone looking to adopt or even foster a pet, here's some contacts:

http://www.madra.ie/ contact tara or marina

http://www.egar.org/ contact sarah

http://www.galway-spca.com/home.htm

crally wrote: »

hi here is the horse welfare, galway bay have feed for the horses if people let us know where the horses are. a few of the ones on the headford road have been removed. a few near me are being fed and i am taking water to the poor things. I am embarrased to be Irish!!!

Plenty of other countries treat animals like crap, unfortunately it isn't specifically an Irish thing.

21 European Countries signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals including Romania, Azerbaijan & Turkey in 1989/1990. Ireland has still not signed it.

Per population we kill 10 times more dogs than the UK.

We have ineffectual legislation because we don't consider it important enough for political groups to put it on their manifestos. So I will paint the majority with the same brush.

"Dog Control" is considered as waste disposal. Local Councillors do not make law & it is the law that needs to change. Like the Greens the proposed Animal Welfare Bill is now history so we will remain one of the very few countries in Europe that have not introduced such a Bill or are planning to do so.

It's the owners that need controlling not the dogs.

When the Greens introduced the Dog Breeding Bill they were roundly criticised for putting Puppy Farming ahead of more pressing matters. Brian Cowen even represented the biggest Puppy Farmer in Ireland.

I spent two hours of my Christmas Day trying to reunite a Christmas Puppy, that was left to roam on a main road, with it's owner. They had bought him a fancy collar but couldn't be bothered with a name tag or microchip. The man who's car went into a spectacular skid, terrifying his family, to avoid the dog desperately wanted to meet the owner - luckily he didn't especially as the owners thought that it was all "a fuss about nothing".

The leaflet with license idea ignores the point that thousands don't buy licenses. Galway Coucil issued 8000 licenses in 2009 as opposed to 11000 in 2004. They only issued 9 on the spot fines in 2009 & didn't prosecute anyone - so why would anyone bother with a license especially when it is clear that the money does not go to dog welfare. Most dog owners that I know would rather give money to rescues.

The first time that I went to buy a license the Post Mistress had to blow the dust off of a shoebox that contained the licenses. Mine was the first one that she had issued in three years !.

I wonder if some Irish people equate neutering with human birth control as our neutering figures are very low. My own Vet has told me many times that she has a real problem in persuading people to neuter. The biggest neutering campaign here to date has been by Pedigree Petfoods, any English company & the Dog's Trust, an English charity.

So I won't paint millions but I will paint the majority until they prove me otherwise.

Jordy Obnoxious Siphon wrote: »

Its not always possible to put in farm animals. Once they are well fed and have water, which involves bringing them water when the pipes are frozen they are happy enough. They are a lot tougher than humans. We have all our stock of cows and calves in the fields at the moment and also have horses out, with blankets on. Our animals are very well treated and I'd take offense to anyone who said we were being cruel by having them outside.

Its not much if any warmer in a shed either in this weather, especially slatted sheds where the animals lie on concrete.

We had to take our guinea pigs in to the study and put them in one of the 50 litre RUB boxes I use for my cornsnakes and geckos (minus the snakes and geckos of course) as it was so cold in the shed the water froze in their bottle.

Some breeds of ponies cope with harsh weather quite well. The shetland isles are located further north than Ireland and the ponies are equipped to deal with the weather, they start to resemble pony shaped versions of Cousin It from The Addams Family.

Most of the pony breeds native to the UK and Ireland would be able to much better cope with the weather than a human would. Most important thing for them would to make sure that their water supply remains unfrozen and a regular supply of hay and perhaps a supplement feed if the hay isn't providing adequate nutrition.

A walk-in shed would make a good shelter for horses and ponies but even a single tall concrete or stone wall would provide them something to hide behind

I agree that it is getting better but slowly. I know of two new Vets that have opened near Galway this year. The number of dogs in our Pounds reduced considerably in 2009 - thanks in no small part to the Dogs Trust who took nearly 1000 additional dogs off of the 2008 figures.

However we still allow 10,000 Greyhounds to die every year for "sport". The "racing industry" is dying in the UK but here it receives massive government support. We also promote Hare coursing, when it is banned in most of Europe. Even the Spanish are changing - there is a big movement to ban bullfighting.

Unfortunately we do not teach Pet care in schools. My neighbours got a kitten & fed it on bread & milk. They now don't feed it as it's "job" is to catch mice. They are both school teachers !.

Lads, I am *assuming* that all of ye on this thread calling the majority of Irish people 'worse' (in terms of animal mistreatment and cruelty), are vegans and vegetarians?

I assume this because Ireland has an agricultural tradition, and you have done research into the comparative animal farming methods and treatment versus the rest of the 'civilised' world? Then still found Ireland worse?

I assume you have done comparisons in terms of wastage from animal slaughter versus amount used for human consumption in other countries vs Ireland, and the latter was worse.

I assume that it is cruelty to *all* animals ye are concerned with, not just the ones that Disney favours?


Because if you haven't/aren't/didn't then speaking about the comparative 'mistreatment' of animals here vs elsewhere, would at very least, be misinformed.

Amhran Nua wrote: »

I'll tell you one thing for a writ large in stone fact though - you won't get anywhere by insulting people.

That's complete nonsense. One person in three owns a dog? Even one household in three is rubbish. Every estate and apartment block in the country would be overrun with dogs, and this is clearly not the case.

Or are you saying that the Irish people as a whole are somehow responsible for the abuse of children by religious figures?

If a poll was to be taken, do you think that the majority would vote to support animal abuse? Of course not. Its just not an issue that regularly if ever crosses their minds.

If the presentation of fact is insulting then feel insulted. I am stating facts unlike you who state your suppositions. Where is your evidence to show that only 10% of the Irish population own a Pet. My figure comes from the people that supply pet food. Now unless the recession has forced us to eat dogfood their info should be pretty reliable. 200,000 dog licenses were issued in 2009 - even that is hardly 10% & most people don't get a license.

I am not going to move off topic with child abuse but yes I believe that elected politicians knew & so did a lot of the population.

Of course people would not vote for animal abuse but neither are they clamouring for a poll to vote against it or even offering any support to those that are.

Discodog wrote: »

The thread is about homeless animals which are not generally farmed. Why should someone's dietary habit prevent them for being concerned about cruelty ?. The regulations that govern the treatment of farm animals are far tougher that those that protect domestic pets.

We don't slaughter 10,000 cows for no reason in the way that we kill Greyhounds. We don't kill 6500 sheep to incinerate their bodies because they are unwanted like our Pound dogs. A farmer will feed an animal because it is worth money to him. A person will abuse a dog because, to them, it is worth nothing.

On the majority issue. The After Hours board here has a sticky listing the recommended funniest threads. One of them is a thread started by a guy claiming that he had just killed his dog with a stun gun - the majority thought it to be hilarious.

I agree, the thread DID start off about homeless animals and their mistreatment, then the conversation meandered to the mistreatment of animals in general in Ireland. So killing is ok? So if someone decides they can't keep a puppy it is grand to slit its throat and eat it? I am frankly sick to death of this double standard of some animals humanlike, some animals not. Cruelty is cruelty, full stop. I am not on the side of cruelty, I just thing we are myopic if we think that Ireland is so far behind in terms of treatment to all animals. With CJD who had to slaughter MILLIONS of cattle because of their feeding practices. Not Ireland.
If everyone on here ranting about how cruel the whole of Ireland (no sorry, wait, the majority) is compared to the UK etc, if all those people are vegan / vegetarian OR raise their own meat and know it doesn't support cruel farming practice, then I would be more likely to listen to that argument.

Some people would argue, discodog, that eating meat IS cruelty to animals, in that it is unnecessary. That is not my personal opinion, but when I see these sweeping statements about the majority of Ireland, and unnecessary cruelty, I feel like people are missing the bigger picture. For the record, I do think people need more awareness and education, but you're not going to get anywhere by quoting statistics and damning 'most of Ireland. We all know that statistics are skewed, including those of pet food companies, dog licenses etc.

After hours HAS to be taken with a large grain of salt, no? People post on there to get a rise out of folks more often than any other forum imo.

Amhran Nua wrote: »

All true, and all anecdotal.

Great way to run a political party. I have heard that it's true so it must be !.

From your website:

"We seek to join and surpass our fellow European nations in modernity"

By killing many times more unwanted animals than they do.

softmee wrote: »

They should ask every person to sign agreement saying if they cant for some reason keep the dog or there is something wrong, this person has to return dog to them.

I don't know about the GSPCA but every other rescue that I know already does this.

EGAR wrote: »

Ireland is also the capital of Europe's puppymillers. And the legislation for it: a joke! Half-baked ideas to legislate to get more revenue, again, no mention of welfare

From the Irish Times:

The penalties provided under the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill were criticised by Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hogan.


“Penalties of up to €5,000, to be imposed on people for very minor offences, are onerous,” he said.

Oh good so we can rely on our new FG government to make things better :mad:

inisboffin wrote: »

So if someone decides they can't keep a puppy it is grand to slit its throat and eat it? I am frankly sick to death of this double standard of some animals humanlike, some animals not. Cruelty is cruelty, full stop.

Some people would argue, discodog, that eating meat IS cruelty to animals, in that it is unnecessary.

No because they are not qualified to kill it humanely & there are animal protein alternatives.

Eating meat is not cruelty. Humanely killing an animal never constitutes cruelty - every Vet would be guilty. It is the quality of life that constitutes cruelty in farming such as battery hens, veal calves etc. The excellent organisation Compassion in World Farming show that you can farm without being cruel.

If we killed Cows the way that we kill foxes, by chasing them with a pack of dogs, then very few people would eat beef.

If I am wrong about us Irish then I assume that we buy lots of free range foods - do we ?

Discodog wrote: »

No because they are not qualified to kill it humanely & there are animal protein alternatives.

Eating meat is not cruelty. Humanely killing an animal never constitutes cruelty - every Vet would be guilty. It is the quality of life that constitutes cruelty in farming such as battery hens, veal calves etc. The excellent organisation Compassion in World Farming show that you can farm without being cruel.

If we killed Cows the way that we kill foxes, by chasing them with a pack of dogs, then very few people would eat beef.

If I am wrong about us Irish then I assume that we buy lots of free range foods - do we ?

Right, I can see that we fundamentally see animal welfare differently. By your own statement, we do not need to eat *any animals*, therefore killing them (however humanely) is just for our own profit and unnecessary. I never said eating meat is cruelty. But the fact that you are telling me the meat industry is completely 'humane' in the western world is at best dubious.
There is a lot of cruelty in mass farming, and that's pretty common knowledge.

In terms of the farming industry, I think we have a lot less 'mass farming' here, where livestock are fed hormones and ground up versions of the same species than other places. But again, I am assuming that everyone on here has researched their facts if they are accusing the majority of the nation of animal cruelty. You tell me.

If it were simply about eating 'humanely' killed animals, then there would be no reason why you couldn't get dog steak at the butchers. It is about double standards. Just like we treat humans with differences unequally.

The irony is I agree with you about many atrocities like fox hunting and letting animals starve, I just think we conveniently turn a blind eye when it doesn't suit our 'needs' like the meat industry. I honestly don't care whether a farmer takes care of his cows well for money reasons or takes care of his horse well for reasons of compassion, as long as the animal IS well cared for.

I don't want this thread to be closed because of going way off topic, so please feel free to pm me if you want to. The important thing is not who is worse, but how we can fix it here. In our country, with our issues and our temperament and our resources.

inisboffin wrote: »

. The important thing is not who is worse, but how we can fix it here. In our country, with our issues and our temperament and our resources.

Most of Europe has the same issues & pro rata resources. The English & Welsh population donated €140 million to the RSPCA in 2008 so that's about €3 per person. If the Irish followed suit then the ISPCA would get €14 million but I bet that they don't.

So maybe it is an issue of temperament. Maybe to avoid injuring our Irish pride we should keep quiet & hope it gets better - where have we heard that before ?.

A friend of mine farms mountain sheep in Wales. They graze in the remotest areas. If one of his sheep develops a limp he will hear about it within hours because someone will spot it, maybe a tourist/walker, they will phone the RSPCA who will call my friend. How long could you leave a sheep with a limp in Ireland before someone reported it ?.

You can't make people care. Ireland will improve but it will take decades to reach the standards of much of Europe & by then they will of become even better. If the majority here cared about animal welfare we could turn it around in 12 months.

Natalie, Ireland is RIPE will feral cat colonies which alot of rescues like myself try to reduce by trapping, neuter and release (TNR) and WHY on earth should cats be sold in petshops? Give me strength...

Do you have any idea how many adult dogs and pups end up in pounds every year? Obviously not, as per capita Ireland has a HUGE stray problem.

And it is yet again obvious that education is sadly lacking in those areas..

Discodog wrote: »

A friend of mine farms mountain sheep in Wales. They graze in the remotest areas. If one of his sheep develops a limp he will hear about it within hours because someone will spot it, maybe a tourist/walker, they will phone the RSPCA who will call my friend. How long could you leave a sheep with a limp in Ireland before someone reported it ?.

Are you really asking this question? Are we ok with anecdotal evidence now, in which case my experience is very different to yours. To answer your question I have one family member and one friend who are sheep farmers, one in Galway one in NW, and they DO get calls about injured sheep.

Please can you stop talking about the 'majority' of Irish people not caring about animals. It is a sweeping statement, and 'caring' is obviously a word we use very differently.