Dogs Trust Campaigns Manager Iris Denieffe, pictured with Mr Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the Republic of Ireland together with Wirehaired Dachshund Benny and Bulldog. Mr Roche pledged his support for the initiative and his intention to implement recommendations of the Working Group on the review of the management of Dog Breeding Establishments.

Following the successful launch of a nationwide neutering campaign throughout the Republic of Ireland, international dog-welfare charity Dogs Trust is for the second year supporting Spay Week Ireland 2006.

Spay Week Ireland 2006 aims to encourage owners to neuter their pets with the twin message that this will reduce the huge number of abandoned animals and significantly boost their pet’s health.

Alarming figures from the Department of the Environment from 2004 reveal that over 24,000 stray and abandoned dogs were collected or handed into Local Authorities in Ireland, with 16,598 of these healthy dogs needlessly destroyed – the equivalent of 45 dogs a day. While no official figures are available for felines, it’s estimated the number of stray and unwanted cats is even larger.

While local authorities make every effort to reunite stray dogs with their owners, take dogs to rescue shelters, or find new homes, dogs are still being destroyed for want of a home. Dogs Trust never destroys a healthy dog. The charity believes that prevention is better than cure and that neutering is the most effective and humane way of reducing the numbers of stray dogs, which is why supporting Spay Week Ireland 2006 is so important.

Dogs Trust Head of Campaigns, Elvira Meucci-Lyons, comments:

‘It’s time to tackle this appalling situation. Pet owners need to be more responsible to stop the crisis of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens both in Ireland and the UK.

‘Neutering is a simple procedure that also has great health benefits for animals. Neutering can help protect against certain types of cancer, such as womb cancer in females and testicular cancer in males. Most importantly, it prevents unwanted litters of puppies and kittens.’

In May, Dogs Trust launched a subsidised neutering campaign throughout the Republic of Ireland, which offered people on means-tested benefits the chance to have their dogs neutered for just 14 euros. The campaign has been very well received with around 280 veterinary clinics involved already.

For further information on Dogs Trust campaigns, please call 0845 6063036 or visit the website www.spayweekireland.ie.

For further information on the work of Dogs Trust please contact us on 020 7837 0006
or visit our website www.dogstrust.org.uk.