Huge improvement in Pound Statistics

Discodog

The 2009 Pound Statistics are showing a huge improvement over 2008.

Dog killed in Irish Pounds:

2004 16598
2005 16546
2006 14598
2007 12649
2008 10069
2009 6506

As you can see this is a totally out of proportion reduction to that achieved in previous years. This is even more remarkable given that the recession has put increased pressure on rescues.

magentas

Ireland still has one of the highest figures for dogs been destroyed in europe but 2009 has shown a marked improvement.

Not only has reccession put a strain on rescue centres but on owners too and TBH I'm delighted with statistics 'cos you would almost expect them to be higher when shallow people decide they can't afford their pets anymore and dump them somewhere.

Over 10000 fewer dogs destroyed since 2005...wow! Not sure of the maths but it's close to a 70% reduction

But 6506 dogs put down last year is still 6506 too many...

EGAR

It's a false postitive as many many rescues take from the pounds and the rescue "tourism" of Irish dogs to the UK, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and even the US is alive and well. Actually larger numbers are now leaving Ireland than ever before.

So no, nothing has changed as in regards of dumped and unwanted dogs.

boomerang

Two things that I'd say are making a difference:

The Dogs Trust neutering scheme (sadly, now all but wound down - not as many vouchers issued to vets anymore) and the efforts of rescues like Dogs In Distress, Dundalk Dogs and A Dog's Life to get dogs out of the pounds.

MsFifers

Thats great news. Well done to all you animal rescuers out there!

sambuka41

EGAR wrote: »

It's a false postitive as many many rescues take from the pounds and the rescue "tourism" of Irish dogs to the UK, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and even the US is alive and well. Actually larger numbers are now leaving Ireland than ever before.

So no, nothing has changed as in regards of dumped and unwanted dogs.

SHowing my ignorance here but what is rescue tourism? Where do they send the dogs, sorry i never heard of this before.

seamus

sambuka41 wrote: »

SHowing my ignorance here but what is rescue tourism? Where do they send the dogs, sorry i never heard of this before.

It's when dogs are taken from Ireland and sent to the UK to be rehomed there.

The Greyhound industry in Ireland for example, results in thousands of unwanted Greyhounds every year (those who can't run and are unsuitable for breeding). If they're rescued before they're put down, they are very difficult to rehome here - Irish people don't really consider Greyhounds as family pets or working dogs - so massive numbers are sent to the UK, where they're a very popular family dog.

Discodog

It's difficult not to view the figures with a touch of suspicion. The rates have been consistently falling by 2000 per year & suddenly we get a drop of 4000. The Dogs Trust account for an estimated 700+ but that still does not account for the 4000 improvement.


2008 2009

Dogs seized 7942 6845

Surrendered/collected 12707 9568

Rehomed/reclaimed 10561 9921

oppenheimer1

EGAR wrote: »

It's a false postitive as many many rescues take from the pounds and the rescue "tourism" of Irish dogs to the UK, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and even the US is alive and well. Actually larger numbers are now leaving Ireland than ever before.

So no, nothing has changed as in regards of dumped and unwanted dogs.

And what exactly is wrong with rescue tourism?

seamus

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

And what exactly is wrong with rescue tourism?

It hides the actual figures. The issues are puppy farming and otherwise ignorance in the keeping of dogs. It's not a "success" if an extra 5,000 dogs are sent overseas this year because it means that we still haven't tackled the problem.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that all dogs are bred for a purpose and that all dogs bred have somewhere to live. That's an ideal, and like zero road deaths is ultimately unattainable, but it's what we should be working towards. Shipping the problem overseas is an Irish solution to an Irish problem, just like abortion.

Discodog

We are also really fortunate that overseas rescues offer us help with our problem. There was a fuss a few months ago when a specific breed rescue complained about the number of Irish dogs. Yet in reality many overseas rescue's do far more that we could reasonably expect them too. The Dog's Trust have taken it a step further by opening here. The other good thing is the number of non nationals that are involved running rescue's here or working in animal welfare.

My Vet & I were discussion how or why my new little chap would of been dumped. Then we worked out that he would of been about 8 weeks old last Christmas !.