Dogs Trust Ireland Receives 412 Surrender Requests Since Christmas Day

Dogs Trust Ireland has received 412 requests since Christmas Day from members of the public seeking to surrender their dogs into the charity’s care.

Worryingly, this figure follows on from the 3,968 surrender requests they received last year, the highest volume the charity has seen since they opened their doors in 2009. 

The most provided reasons for wanting to relinquish a dog into the care of Dogs Trust are owners not having enough time, accommodation issues and exhibiting unwanted behaviours.

With shelters across the country struggling to cope with the volume of dogs they are being asked to take in and very little space to do so, cases of abandonment are being seen more frequently. Dogs Trust recently took in and cared for two emaciated Pitbull crossbreed puppies who were found at a bog in Donadea, Co. Kildare by a shocked member of the public.

Sandra Ruddell, Assistant Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland explains: “The sight of these two, defenceless little pups with their bones protruding broke my heart. We know there is very little rescue space available at the moment by the sheer volume of dogs we are being asked to take in, but we are begging people not to abandon their dogs, especially young puppies who have very little chance of survival if not discovered quickly.”

Corina Fitzsimons, PR & Communications Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland continues: “It’s incredibly upsetting to see the increase in dogs being abandoned, especially young puppies. While don’t know what would drive someone to abandon them in such a way, it’s clear that in their short lives, they hadn’t received the love and care that all puppies need. We are also worried about their mum and if there were any other pups in the litter. However, we’re glad these two pups are with us now, so we can nurse them back to health until they are ready to be adopted.”

While Dogs Trust was overjoyed to have been able to find loving homes for 1,042 dogs in 2023, they fear that 2024 will bring even more challenges as their resources are stretched to the limit. The charity is appealing for the public to support them being able to ‘Save the Next Dog’ by donating what they can via www.DogsTrust.ie/Crisis or if they are in a position to foster a dog temporarily, to visit www.DogsTrust.ie/Fostering for more information.