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[wiki] East Galway Animal Rescue


EGAR

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Article title: East Galway Animal Rescue

Article description: Ireland's only Bull Breed Sanctuary

Category: Welfare\Rescue Organisations

Date added: Dec 28 2007, 10:21 PM

Article starter: EGAR

 

East Galway Animal Rescue (EGAR) has devoted itself to the rescue and re-socialisation of the probably most misunderstood group of dogs; the bull breeds. Initially bred for bull/dog fighting and bear baiting these powerful dogs have always attracted the wrong attention, even to this day. As any dog, they can create havoc if trained for the wrong purpose. Dogfights are still an (illegal) pastime for shady characters and often these dogs are killed in the fight. One major trait in bull breeds is their willingness to fight if trained to do so. But even the dogs with a fighting history display no aggression towards humans; they may be dog aggressive but love their humans, even if they send them into a pit to fight until victory or death.

 

Often the “useless†dogs end up in a pound and because of their reputation are not even considered for re-homing and are put down. Many shelters and SPCA’s in Ireland do not take in bull breeds. Bull breeds have no lobby in Ireland, few people truly love these dogs, most people fear what they don’t understand. It is our goal to educate and inform the public about these wonderful dogs and their potential to make loving and loyal pets. We have had many success stories in the past and very few dogs have proved to be unhomeable. EGAR has a strict non-kill policy; the only exception is terminal illness. Unhomeable dogs stay with us for the rest of their natural lives.

 

We also take in stray dogs and other animals if they are in danger or ill. We have not limited ourselves to bull breeds even though they are our primary concern. Last year, 38.000 dogs were destroyed in Irish dog pounds, that is an average of 104 dogs per day…. We can’t take them all but we certainly try to make a difference. Our bull breeds almost always come from pounds and have a “historyâ€.

 

Certainly, a bull breed with a “history†is not a pet for everyone. Our homing procedure is very strict and potential homes are thoroughly vetted. The dogs are carefully screened upon their arrival here, they are tested for dog/animal aggressiveness and receive their first basic training and (if need be) are slowly re-socialized with other dogs/animals. We do not re-home them straight away; some dogs stay as long as a year with us until we are satisfied with their progress. All adult dogs from EGAR are wormed, vaccinated and neutered/spayed. Even after homing, the new owner is not left on his or her own, we offer training classes and accompany the dogs and their new families for as long as it takes.

 

EGAR is a private sanctuary with no government funding whatsoever until now. This year we received a grant 1000 Euro from the Department of Agriculture for the first time ever. Other than that we rely solely on our income from dog training and donations. Currently we are lucky enough to have two volunteers who help out every Saturday. Many thanks to them! Any help is greatly appreciated by us and of course by our four legged friends.

 

As the Sanctuary is also our private home, we operate on an appointment only base. We have no opening hours as such and any visit must be arranged with us first. We hope that you enjoy your visit to our home page and maybe you will find a friend for life in one of our dogs. They are certainly worth it. If any question arises, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected]

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