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Areas of Concern |
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PartnersWorking Together |
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Areas of Concern |
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The blood stains from the late night euthanasia was still bright red in the ice packed ground even after a few days had past. In a different case last week yet another horse had to be put down when found tangled in a heavy metal fence, cut to the bone from struggling. The animal had apparently gone un-noticed for several days. Two boys in Limerick making a snowman found a horse laying on the ground and ran quickly home to tell their parents. The veterinarian felt the horse had been suffering there for three or four days. A single gun shot ended the misery brought on by lockjaw but more to the point by indifference and neglect.
Ireland is being hammered with the worst winter conditions in recent times which has also brought added misery to her animals. Deep freezes, snow and ice have paralyzed the country for weeks. The weather has done nothing but add insult to injury during a time when economic recovery feels distant for many unemployed Irish workers. Not only has there been a shortage of jobs but also sand for the roads and strangely there are reports of a lack of surgical pins used by doctors to fix broken bones like elbows and hips smashed in slippery sidewalk accidents. "Do you have water yet?" is commonplace in day to day conversation and car travel in some areas was virtually impossible due to snow covered black ice.
The crisis is the weather but the weather has magnified the issue of unchecked animal neglect in many areas of Ireland. It is not surprising that the economics of owning and caring for a horse or pony in these tough times has resulted in scores of equines being left to fend for themselves. Either abandoned along the highway or dumped in remote areas where the battle is for food, water and surviving the subfreezing cold. The wind chill factor in conjunction with the inherent dampness from fog and rain alternating with sleet and snow has made the fight for survival even more dangerous. Just last week many farmers were digging out their snow covered sheep frozen solid by the cold.
Demand is down for horses and ponies which are currently not worth much on the open market. Even the sale of horse meat for export has fallen off. Abandonment has become a common option over costly husbandry. According to Marion Fitzgibbon, the chairperson of Limerick Animal Welfare, there are no clear regulations surrounding the care and treatment of horses and ponies. There seems to be no agency that is responsible or willing to be responsible for them. She explains that "You will often find the horses in unsuitable areas along the highway where there is little vegetation growing for nourishment and the mud can get very deep." Many of the horses have serious hoof problems for lack of a farrier's attention. Yet it is difficult to get the local guard to take action and often there is a sense of resistance by the police not wanting to cause trouble with the locals. Some horse owner just take their chances hoping the horses will still be there and alive in the spring. The animals can be rounded up and sold for something if not much if the economic climate improves.
There are currently an unknown number of starving and freezing horses and ponies around Ireland. The animal welfare organizations that try to help can do little more than dump a bale or two of donated hay over a fence in hopes of getting them to the spring. You're not supposed to even feed them unless you get permission from the local police or from the land owner where the animals have been left. Often it is hard to identify the land owner or determine if the land is public or private.
The picturesque scenes of horses galloping along stone walled fields has been seriously tarnished by the gales and famine of the winter of 2010. Policy changes towards the humane treatment of animals has always been a tough battle in Ireland but perhaps the sight of children finding dying horses in the snow will motivate political action. " The sound of that gun shot was one of the worst feelings I've had yet helping animals in Ireland." "If we had only found that horse a few days earlier." Said Fitzgibbon.
Reporting and Photography on location by John Mottern
According to the Racing Post: "An air of depression descended on the Irish greyhound fraternity…… following the Budget revelation that the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund would be cut by 13%, following on from an even bigger cut 12 months earlier. The new funding level for greyhound racing…... represents a loss of roughly 1.7m euros …given the bigger loss the previous year and the massive cuts that have been made within the industry, it opens up a dreary scenario for the industry…….the Irish industry is now on the threshold of inevitable hardship."
The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) has already had to put in place cost savings of more than €2m to account for the 9% reduction in funding for 2009. On-line gambling site GamingZion stated: "As a result, many trainers are not renewing their licenses for next year.
A recent study showed that for every euro trainers received in prize money during the last decade, at least five times as much was spent on training expenses. A decrease in external support, they say, will cripple the industry." Meanwhile, former IGB chairman, Pascal Taggart, has stated that bad economic decisions by the Board's current bosses mean that the cost of a new stadium being built at Limerick will be 20m, which will send the IGB "into potential bankruptcy".
2009 was a terrible year for Irish bookmakers, with 105 betting shops being forced to close, and the greyhound racing industry received a further jolt when Paddy Power terminated their sponsorship of the Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park after financing the event for the past 10 years. Demo at Dublin’s Shelbourne Park
Read original article ("Running for Their Lives" Jan/Feb. newsletter)
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Independent-dog-fighting mentions the use of greyhounds as bait to train dogs for fighting and contains information about the injuries caused that some may find distressing. Once again, the racing industry must share a substantial amount of blame for this appalling cruelty, for creating a situation where "unwanted" greyhounds are callously disposed of and can so easily fall into the hands of the most evil of people.
More info about about the Irish greyhound racing industry and Greyhound Action Ireland's campaign against it can be found at http://www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/iIreland.html
Please feel free to forward/crosspost/circulate this message.
Irish Independent
By CONOR KANE
Tuesday May 05 2009
ANIMAL rights activists have appealed to the public for help in their attempts to clamp down on a suspected dog-fighting ring operating across the south of the country.
A recent spate of abandoned, injured dogs has prompted fears that dog-fighting is becoming more organised and is occurring more frequently, with thousands of euros wagered on the outcomes of the illegal bouts.
Dog fights -- typically between variations of Staffordshire or Pit Bull terriers -- usually involve a fight to the death, with the animals suffering horrific injuries.
Meanwhile, tamer dogs such as greyhounds are often used as "bait" during the training phase of a fighting-dog's career, giving the animal a taste for blood and some practice in fighting.
Two abandoned, severely-injured greyhounds, found in the last week in the Clonmel area are thought to have been used as training material for fighting dogs. Gardai and the Tipperary SPCA are currently investigating the discoveries.
Torn
"One dog was quite literally torn open," said Mark Hickey of the TSPCA. "It was still alive when we found it but had to be put down by the vet because the injury was so bad. It [the tear] started below the rib cage, and continued down into the dog's side and into the groin."
Another greyhound/whippet, aged about five, found around the same time had up to 80 puncture wounds -- consistent with being repeatedly attacked by a fighting dog. "He was also brought to the vet but died of shock," said Hickey.
The first dog, thought to have been between two and three years old, was originally a racing greyhound as it had an official tattoo, and the SPCA have asked Bord na gCon for help in tracing its owners.
"I know there's dog fighting going on in the area," said Mark Hickey, "but these fellas are so organised that it's impossible to get near them."
- CONOR KAN
Limerick Animal Welfare is a registered charity, founded in 1983, dedicated to caring for abandoned and neglected animals in the Limerick area. Over the last five years we have saved more than 2000 animals. We aim to promote the humane treatment of all animals, working towards a more compassionate Society.
We believe in educating young people about responsible pet ownership. We regularly give talks to primary and secondary schools. In this way we hope to educate and inform the animal owners of tomorrow and encourage them to make kindness and respect for all animals a way of life. We aim never to destroy an animal unless it is so ill that we cannot alleviate its suffering. It is our policy to spay/neuter all dogs and cats before rehoming. At any one time we care for approximately 60 dogs and 30 cats.
Phase One of our Sanctuary at Moorestown, Kilfinane, was finally completed in December 2007. Our first isolation kennel for dogs opened its doors to the abandoned animals just before Christmas. We are most grateful to all the generous animal lovers who donated funds for this wonderful building. The Sanctuary now provides shelter for 35 dogs, 15 cats, three goats, two pot-bellied black pigs, and four rabbits. The next arrivals will be a donkey and a pony. We continue to kennel our greyhounds and lurchers at Saffron Hill, Doneraile, and we also have mixed breed dogs awaiting homes at Caherconlish. We also continue to house cats at Newport until our new cattery is ready.
We now face the huge task of starting Phase Two of the Sanctuary Building Project, which is the main building. This is estimated to cost in the region of one million euro and will incorporate a re-homing area for dogs and another for cats. The plans also include offices, a veterinary clinic and living accommodation for staff. Phase Three, the final building, will be the isolation kennel for cats and kittens.
We feel confident that with your support, our "Field of Dreams" will become a reality for all the homeless animals of Limerick city and county.
Link to Powerpoint presentation about the Sanctuary and its residents
February 17, 2008 -
Lurchers are usually found here in the Gypsy camps as they are used for rabbit and hare hunting. They try to get unwanted Greyhound bitches from the Race Track and breed them into their own lurchers.
They like to have the dogs small and they are also bred for endurance to maintain condition in the winter when they hunt in the mountains and in the country areas. The long coat is for protection and they like strong bone in the legs.
The dogs from the gypsies are usually good temperament as they live with small hunting terriers and children of all ages.
They are very healthy if they survive their first six months in the camps. The main problem is skin infestation from mange mites and fleas. They also suffer from malnutrition and only the strongest of the litters survive as they must fight for their food.
Many of the lurchers have long coats and are bred to the Irish Wolfhound Cross Breeds and sometimes to the Saluki. These dogs have a wolfhound appearance and are very popular in England.
We cannot advertise lurchers here as they attract all the wrong type of hunting people who want to use them and train them to kill.
They are the most destitute dog in Ireland because they are associated with the Irish Travellers (gypsies) and you cannot go any lower on the social calendar than the gypsy dog.
Paul (now named Corky) is one of seven very lucky lurcher puppies. His mother was a full Greyhound and was handed into an East Coast SPCA Dog Pound for destruction. The pound keeper called me and asked me if we could take the mother as she was very pregnant and they did not like to put her down.
She was then taken in briefly by a local shelter and they drove her to the Greyhound Sanctuary some days later. By this time she had had seven puppies and we also agreed to take three extra lurchers that would all have been put down.
So instead of getting one lurcher we finished up with eleven.
The puppies have been with us since they were babies but as we have had over 80 dogs in the Sanctuary at any one time we have not had time to leash walk them and fully socialise them.
We usually have about 30 Greyhounds and 20 lurchers and many other breeds that are left at the gates.
I am a Director of the Sanctuary but live about two hours from the Shelter. I also have my own small rescue group in Limerick and we keep about 70 dogs of all breeds and always have abodut ten lurchers and sometimes Greyhounds that are waiting to get a place in the Greyhound Sanctuary.
Some Greyhound tales have happy endings, thanks to the passion and dedication of people who do Greyhound rescue. Here are a couple of Irish Greyhounds who found great homes and have settled into couches in Great Britain.
The Dog Show at the Limerick Sanctuary turned up a winner-- BigTom, a male black and white Greyhound--who was declared the Best Rescued Greyhound of 2009.
Big Tom has been adopted by a couple in England and is pictured (right) with his new owners (center) and his rescuers, Marion Fitzgibbon and Jodie.
RodgeThis is Rodge. He is lovely. He found a home in Cahir, Co. Tipperary with an Artist who has 2 cats and 2 other collie type dogs.
