Cold snap causing concerns for animal welfare, says Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre

Leitrim Animal Welfare is grappling with the challenges of the bad weather while receiving many calls of animals being abandoned or miskept during the current cold snap.

January is generally a difficult time for animal rescue shelters and the cold weather has added to concerns about animal welfare in the county, according to Megan Gaffney, manager of Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre.  

“The challenges we're facing is actually a lot of dogs being dumped at the minute, at the beginning of this year. And not only are dogs being dumped, but the weather is atrocious for an animal to be left to survive in,” she says.

In the first week of the year, the Centre took in five dogs each in poor condition, and launched a fundraiser to raise funds for the animals. They have raised around €1000 so far for emergency medical treatment, housing the animals, and providing them with food and clean water.

 The centre is not only dealing with the welfare of their dogs but also taking enquiries from owners about how to look after their animals in the cold weather.

“When I talk to people around Leitrim about this type of weather and how to keep a dog warm, I find out a lot of the time that people keep their dogs in sheds with no heat. And I've had to kind of explain to them that the likes of hypothermia is very likely.”

The centre is receiving a lot of calls regarding the welfare of larger animals, like Donkeys and Horses, due to animals being left outside in difficult conditions by their owners.

“It'd be good to note again that donkeys don't have waterproof coats and they're not naturally adapted to these cold, damp environments,” she says. She highlights that horses and donkeys should be wrapped up in jackets in this weather, that owners should ensure they have a supply of food as they might not be able to eat grass right now, and make sure that their water hasn’t iced over.

The centre itself is facing extra costs in the freezing weather as electric heat lamps are needed 24/7 right now in order to keep animals warm. “That's eaten up our bills to touching nearly three grand every couple of months … So it's put up our bills dramatically trying to keep the heat in,” she said. They plan to update their kennel space this year which will retain heat better.

She also reiterated that if people are aware of dogs that have been dumped or that have become stray, then they should contact the centre.

READ MORE: More Leitrim schools shut as freezing weather persists