This article is from page 13 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
CLARE has almost three times more dogs ending up in the pound than the national average. And a Clare councillor wants the local authority to have a homeless dogs section on their website, to give them a better chance of survival.
According to nationwide statistics, the national average is seven dogs per thousand population going to the pound. In comparison, Clare has 18 dogs per thousand population.
“I acknowledge the good work of the dog warden, Frankie Coote, who, despite the large numbers of dogs going to the pound, is successful in finding homes for nearly a quarter of them but a comparison of the local authorities around us show us in a very poor light,” said Councillor Brian Meaney.
Cllr Meaney says he would like research to show which breeds are hardest to rehome.
“The official figures should clearly show what breeds or cross-breeds are being destroyed. I think that Clare County Council can play a positive role in this. Clare County Council has displayed leadership by introducing measures like the beach bye-laws and are pro-active in the issuing of fines, like the 42 that were issued in 2004, compared to counties like Kilkenny with no fines issued.”
The councillor said he intends “to request the Environment SPC to draft policy which would establish a section of the council website showing the dogs that had been left in the pound each day, greatly improving the chances of reuniting them with owners or finding new homes,” Cllr Meaney said.