Kildare dog licence income up in 2019

Almost 30% of all dogs who went into the Kildare County Council dog pound were reclaimed by their owners or rehoused in 2019, according  to Dog Control Statistics from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

A dog charity has said that there is still a worrying number of stray and surrendered dogs in the State.

There were 2 dogs at the Kildare pound on December 31, 2018 and 106 strays entered the pound during the year. Another 68 were seized and none were surrendered according to the report, which is available on the Department’s website.

A total of 174 were taken in but 29 were reclaimed (17%) and 22 rehoused.

Two thirds (66%) of the dogs (114 of them) were transferred to dog welfare groups, compared to 51% for the State as a whole.

Five dogs were put down, compared to 15 in 2018.

The 2019 reported  mirrored that of 2018, when 173 dogs were taken in.

The 2019 report found that there were no on the spot fines imposed in 2019 for breaches of the dog regulations in Kildare, compared to 1749 for the State as a whole. The county was one of four local authority areas where no on the spot fines were imposed.

There were no prosecutions or convictions in court in Kildare in 2019.

It also found there were 5,108 individual dog licences in county Kildare, up from 4,587 in 2018. The 5,108 represented 2.30 for every hundred people, one of the lowest ratios in the State, which was 4.83.

Incomes from dog licences in Kildare was €137,120 (€112,240 in 2018), up 22%,  and spending was €264,132 (€227,386 in 2018), up 16% on  2018.
It also showed that there were no reported cases of sheep worrying by dogs in Kildare, compared to 9 in Meath, and six each in Wicklow and South Dublin.

The largest amount of sheep worrying cases was in Mayo (27), followed by Louth (22). 

There were 15 in Laois and none in Carlow.

Kildare had two full time equivalent dog wardens, one dog shelter and two collector vans in 2019 according to the report.

There were three dog breeders registered in county Kildare in 2019, one commercial dog breeder and two Hunt Clubs.

Dogs Trust,  a dog welfare charity, noted that 398 dogs were destroyed in Irish pounds in 2019,  a 45% decrease on the previous year.

It said the number of dogs entering the Irish pound system overall during 2019 was 7.5% down on 2018 figures. “While this is a welcome improvement, the high volume of stray and surrendered dogs in Irish pounds is still a cause for concern, and the charity worries these figures may be just the tip of the iceberg. The number of stray dogs remains high at 6,351, especially considering only 1,921 of these dogs were reclaimed, leaving over 4,400 dogs either untraceable due to the lack of a registered microchip or simply no longer wanted by their owners. This and the 2,489 surrendered dogs highlights the worrying issue Ireland is still facing with people taking on the responsibility of owning a dog without thinking about the long-term commitment it entails,” it said.

 Becky Bristow, Executive Director at Dogs Trust, said  these figures may not be a true reflection of unwanted dogs in Ireland as many dogs are surrendered directly to animal welfare charities across the country or are sold or given away by their owners and never enter the pound system.

“Of particular concern, especially given the current demand for puppies during the lockdown period, is the fact that so many dogs were surrendered last year, and until we can establish the reasons behind this, it is difficult to develop preventative measures. The local authority recording system urgently needs to be updated so we can identify the areas that dog owners are struggling with. We can then look into how we and other welfare organisations can address this so we can all work towards the day when every dog is free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.”