As some of our readers may know, Irish Animal welfare organisations can apply to the Department of Agriculture in Dublin for EX GRATIA grant assistance with their operating costs. Do remember, ex gratia is Latin for: By Favour. In this context it simply means that you have no control over what you will receive (if anything). The staff at the department will decide what you get, or as the case maybe, do not get.

In the recent grant allocation letter from the department all of us who received a grant were reminded that we must comply with the Control of Dogs ACT 1986 plus amendments and especially section 13(3). For those who do not know, this section states that if you as an individual, (or a rescue organisation without official pound status) find a dog you need to notify the Garda ( Police for our non Irish readers) and you must keep the dog for ONE FULL YEAR, before ownership of the animal transfers to you.  Sounds good doesn't it ? Yes ? NO, let us explain why not!

Picture courtesy of Anvil Ireland see: Anvil

Take an example of a single rescue (not the ACS) who lets assume has saved 600 dogs in one year, and assume that 10 percent of the dogs were voluntary surrendered to that rescue. That leaves 540 stray/unwanted dogs which they saved and rehomed. Now say that they have a maximum of 40 spaces for dogs. If they abided by the Control of Dogs Act  it would have meant that 500 ( FIVE HUNDRED ! ) dogs would have ended up in the pounds and we all know what the result of that would have been. The majority would have been killed when their 5 days grace as stipulated in the 1986 Act were up.

If we (country wide rescue groups) adhered to the the 1986 Act, thousands more dogs would be killed, the destruction ratio for dogs would have gone right back up into the stratosphere and the untold misery for the dogs cannot be adequately put in words in this newsletter. BUT...... none of that seems to matter to the folks at the department. You must Abide by the Law is what they tell us... and happily stand by while they are killed by the Thousands ? So... what do we do ? Simple.. we smile and we lie and break the Law. The name of the Act says it all: "Control" of Dogs Act. Yes.. you are right ! Welfare of Dogs ? Who are you kidding ? Welfare of Dogs is academic. So... now you know why we want you to write to the Minister and Department of Agriculture. The sooner this insane Act which causes so much suffering were its clause 13 (3) adhered to, goes out of the window, the more lives can be saved without turning all of us into criminals and liars.