Ireland has one of the worst records of killing dogs in Europe

Sunday May 22, 2005 13:36

by Ciaran Long - Alliance For Animal Rights

JERSEY is coming to the rescue of Ireland’s death-row dogs. A truck-load of the abandoned animals will be shipped out to the tiny channel island, saving them from being put down.

Ireland has one of the worst records of killing dogs in Europe, with more than 17,000 unwanted pets put to death every year in pounds that cannot find owners to take them. Scotland, which has a similar canine population, kills only 800.

David Coulson of Leitrim Animal Welfare (LAW) said the move was part of a strategy to cut Ireland’s “staggering levels” of healthy dogs being put down. “We have a horrendous record of putting down animals and most of them end up being shipped out to Germany for incineration or in Dublin they end up being dumped on a landfill. It really needs to be tackled.

“We will be taking our first consignment of healthy dogs out to Jersey next month so they can be re-homed there because it is impossible to re-home them all in Ireland,” said Coulson, who is also the Leitrim dog warden.

Coulson, who founded LAW eight years ago, has been pioneering a “no kill” policy in the county, where 95% of unwanted dogs are found new homes. This compares with a national rate of just 13%, with all other animals being put to death after just five days in their county or city pound.

Now Jersey has agreed to help out and Coulson is hoping that the first consignment of dogs will arrive later this month.