"irish Rescue Dogs Flooding The Uk"

[EGAR]

Irish Rescue Dogs Flooding Into the UK

Remember that any Irish Rescue dog rehomed here in the UK puts a rescue dog here at risk of being put to sleep.

Influx of Irish Dogs putting pressure on UK rescues

German Shepherd Rescue along with other animal rescues in the UK are becoming increasingly concerned about the influx of Irish Rescue dogs into the UK.

 

Figures from the DogsTrust stray dogs survey show that in 2007 in the UK, 7,892 stray dogs were put to sleep which was a 2% increase on the previous year. The worst areas were the North West of England and Northern Ireland. Remember that this is just the stray dog figures and the total euthanasia numbers for dogs destroyed simply because a home cannot be found, are probably much higher. It has been suggested that the figures 'in the UK are unreliable as only 40-60% of the 400 local authorities are willing to reveal their stray dog euthanasia figures.'

 

Why therefore, are an increasing number of rescues in the UK accepting regular deliveries of dogs from Irish rescues? These vans transport 30-40 dogs each time they come over to the UK.

 

Having witnessed the contents of a van bringing dogs over to the UK we and others have noted that these shipments seem to be only young, and pedigree dogs such as German Shepherds, Spaniels, Collies and cute little puppies. Is that because they are easier to 'sell'? It has been suggested that this may not just be about helping defenceless animals but that some people are actually profiting from this miserable trade.

 

Remember that Ireland has an unenviable record for puppy farming where dogs are kept and bred in atrocious, miserable conditions. It is likely that many puppies sold here in the UK through newspaper adverts or on internet websites, will be from dealers and their merchandise will have come from puppy farms in Ireland. Many puppies are sickly, diseased, not well bred and a high percentage die shortly after they are purchased.

 

Not only has the UK been flooded with puppies from Ireland but now we are taking in the adult dogs as well. Many of these dogs have medical problems, behavioural issues and are somewhat of an unknown quantity.

 

Anvil Ireland (Animals Need a Voice in Legislation) press release:

 

"(Dublin, October 2007) A recent survey of some of the largest independent animal rescues in Ireland has revealed that 37% of rescued animals are being re-homed abroad. Indeed, some animal sanctuaries are sending almost all (99%) their animals outside the country for re-homing.'

 

DogsTrust have already established itself as a charity in Ireland and regularly take in Irish dogs into their UK centres.

 

We are now very concerned that the influx of Irish Dogs is having an impact on our ability to rehome dogs from the UK and whilst we would not want to see any animal suffer, we do believe that we should be giving our dogs here in the UK priority.

 

Ireland has a major problem with both puppy farming and stray dog numbers, but flooding the UK with these dogs is not a solution. As fast as these dogs leave Ireland their places are filled with even more unwanted dogs. Exporting dogs to the UK and other countries is a very short term fix and is now putting rescue dogs in the UK at serious risk. The only winners here are the Irish puppy farmers and it is likely some of those involved in the export of the Irish rescue dogs who are lining their pockets with this miserable trade. If there is no demand there will be no reason to supply.

 

This may sound harsh but every Irish rescue dog that comes into the UK is a risk to the life of a rescue dog here. There are only so many homes here for rescue dogs. If this practice continues we may see an even bigger rise in the euthanasia figures for 2008. Young, healthy dogs put to sleep simpy because they are not wanted. This is a national disgrace in what is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers!

 

If you are looking to rehome a German Shepherd, please consider adopting a dog from the UK.

 

 

LINK

[Jacobean]

Erm if people didn't allow their dogs to stray and kept them in their homes they wouldn't need to be euthanised. Says she who has a little Irish fella sat right next to her.

[EGAR]

It really makes my blood boil...

[Jacobean]

Their argument doesn't stand up. There is an increase in the UK of dogs needing to be rehomed anyway. I live in the North West and am quite surprised that this area has a higher rate of euthanasia than other areas. Funnily enough I haven't noticed a flood of Irish dogs in the North West area. Hmm doesn't quite add up.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Jacobean

[snow]

Deja vous I don't know who wrote that but I have read something very similar before about 12 months ago elsewhere......

[celeste]

I don't get it a dogs a dog, are we ( Britain, not Fugees) now going to get all arsey about the nationality of rescue dogs ? perhaps the Daily mail should be informed, yet another threat to our borders

[Mrs Mop]

I suspect a lot depends on the breed of dog, there are more pedigree dogs coming into rescue now but there are many breeds that are never seen there. If someone wants a breed of dog and can't get it here, why shouldn't they go somewhere else for the dog they want?

 

The breeds that are filling our rescues, I have mixed feelings, we have a Staffy problem ourselves but are they the right Staffies, I know the ones we get in are lovely dogs but not all are like this.

 

Have these dogs been assessed or been checked by a vet before coming here? If they haven't they should be.

 

At then end of the day, it is still a dog's life saved which is what matters.

 

I do have a Greyhound that came from Northern Ireland, I did approach several rescues over here first but didn't get any reply from them. These rescues lost a home which Merlin gained.

[cycas]

This article seems to assume that a home is a home is a home. Surely there are very few homes that want a dog - any dog- regardless of age, breed, health, temperament and other factors: I don't see how it helps any dog if a home has a clear idea of what it wants but can't find it, so waits 10 months for the right dog to turn up, when several of the 'right dog' are euthanased because they happen to be in the wrong place...

 

Plus, why on earth is it logical to object to dogs moving from, say, Dublin to Salisbury, and not dogs moving from Yorkshire to Salisbury? Why is it better for Irish dogs to be euthanased rather than British ones? Not to mention that the Irish greyhound industry breeds to feed the UK tracks anyway so cannot really be separated from them economically.

 

I understand the argument that the Irish should be adopting more and breeding less. But I don't see rescues as to blame for this: they are just clearing up the mess.

[boosboss]

Here's a good idea for UK Rescues! Ban all non-native breeds from the UK! Oh no! That might include the dogs in their own backyard

[mum24dog]

Our agility club has a brilliant record of members adopting rescue dogs. Nearly 100 dogs in total and about half of them rescues.

 

Between them they represent the wide range of rescues operating in this country -

Major charities (DT/Rspca/Battersea etc)

Small local charities

Small charities operating nationwide

Private rehomings

 

and yes 3 of them are from Ireland - 2 Wiccaweys collies and my own Dasha hound cross.

 

Country of origin was irrelevant. They were the right dogs and were here.

 

As Jacobean says, we aren't seeing a flood of Irish dogs locally and they aren't taking up local rescue space as far as I know. (If they were we'd no doubt be seeing more in the club.) You have to look for them and travel further afield and usually only people with specific requirements will do that, often because they haven't been able to find what they want nearer home. I doubt that many people set out deliberately to adopt a dog because of it's nationality.

 

The same applies to Welsh dogs.

 

Of course there are unscrupulous people out to make a profit but to tar genuine rescues with the same brush is totally unjustified.

 

How about suggesting that for every large dog like a GSD that is rehomed, 2 smaller dogs like staffies could have been saved? Makes as much sense as the rant above.

 

Pam

[celeste]

............and where does it stop ? the rescue my friend works at ( Borders Animal Welfare Assoc) just got the most delightful Staffie boy in from a pts situation in England, should they have turned their back and allowed him to die when they had the space, just because he came from England ?...................ridiculous

[EAD]

Now why are we one of the worst areas

 

Is it because of the political problems over the last few decades and lack of interest in animal welfare

[celeste]

Now why are we one of the worst areas

 

Is it because of the political problems over the last few decades and lack of interest in animal welfare

 

It's something I've always wondered too, could it be down to the Catholic church not recognising that animals have souls ? well that used to be their stance, things might have moved on a bit.

[EGAR]

Celeste, Pope John Paul II declared in a public audience in 1990 that 'also the animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren...

 

I have several issues with this article.

 

Remember that Ireland has an unenviable record for puppy farming where dogs are kept and bred in atrocious, miserable conditions. It is likely that many puppies sold here in the UK through newspaper adverts or on internet websites, will be from dealers and their merchandise will have come from puppy farms in Ireland. Many puppies are sickly, diseased, not well bred and a high percentage die shortly after they are purchased.

 

This has nothing to do with IRISH RESCUE. Puppy farms here operate like their Welsh counterparts and supply pet shops and dodgy dog dealers.

 

 

Many of these dogs have medical problems, behavioural issues and are somewhat of an unknown quantity.

 

Every Pound dog in the UK has the same unknown quantity and every single rescue dog regardless of where it came from/was born COULD have all of the above ;).

 

"(Dublin, October 2007) A recent survey of some of the largest independent animal rescues in Ireland has revealed that 37% of rescued animals are being re-homed abroad. Indeed, some animal sanctuaries are sending almost all (99%) their animals outside the country for re-homing.'

 

Thre is no way this survey is correct as only a small percentage of rescues participated in the survey. Many rescues over here that I know, rehome solely in Ireland.

 

Also, out of the 21 dogs who currently reside at EGAR 5(!!) are from the UK .

[Rudi]

I've heard people say this a few times now, but you could apply the same logic to different areas of the UK so where does it end?