Things are bad, bad, bad for dogs in Ireland. On the one hand, many dog owners love their pets and are spending increasing amounts of their income on foot and pet accessories -- but, at the same time, hundreds of dogs are put down by lethal injection each week because nobody wants or cares about them.
"It's a huge number and it's very shocking and unfortunately it's not improving. A lot of it comes down to responsible dog ownership. It's a horrendous waste," says Mark Beazley, of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).
There's an urban/rural split in the problem, a common problem in many countries.
Much of the problem lies in the fact that spaying and neutering of dogs does not take place outside urban areas, because of cost and other factors.
Mr Beazley also explained how many rural dwellers breed dogs for farm use, only to throw away the majority of the litter when they've found the 'perfect' dog.
"The vast majority of abandoned dogs are collies and farm dogs. People trying to get the ideal sheep dog, the ideal cattle dog, maybe one pup is good out of a litter of nine and then the rest end up in the pound.
About 24,000 dogs were abandoned in Ireland last year and 14,000 were euthanized.
Photo by szabzero.
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